Maintaining a strong visual and verbal presence is important for an organization to accurately communicate its brand. A logo should concisely communicate who the organization is and clearly depict its offerings. But what happens when it is time to make a change?

Transitioning to a new logo involves a strategic approach to maintain the integrity of the brand. Because your brand is your promise to your marketplace, consider how brand integrity will be affected when transitioning from an old logo to a new.

Converting to a new look
There are two generally accepted approaches to logo transition.

The first is to prepare all communications during a pre launch phase and on a specific date scrap all old communications and use only new communications from that forward. This approach works well with consumer goods and product lines where multiple logos can send a confusing message.

The second method is to take a deliberate approach of transitioning to a new logo over a period of time. Generally, the time period should not exceed three months, but done over 8 to 12 weeks, a smooth transition both internally as well as externally can be accomplished in an orderly manner with minimal disruption.

The second method is considered an acceptable approach with professional service enterprises. Their audiences tend to be contained and easily reachable. This second method also tends to be more cost effective and resource efficient.

Steps to be taken include;

• Identifying critical areas where the new logo must appear immediately
• Finding the items that can transition when current stock is depleted or resources become available

Much of the transition strategy also depends on the degree of separation from the old logo to the new one. An inverse relation should exist between the level of change and the length of transition. If the logo changes dramatically, a shorter transition period should be deployed. If the changes are subtle, a longer transition can be an acceptable approach.

Transitioning from an old logo to a new one should be approached with a strategy that includes identifying where the current logo exists and then executing the transition in a way that not only maintains the integrity, is also mindful budgetary and time constraints.