Types of rebrand
| Type | What changes | Typical trigger |
|---|---|---|
| Brand refresh | Logo redrawn, palette or typeface updated; name and positioning stay | A dated look, a new digital channel the logo does not fit |
| Repositioning | Messaging, audience and often imagery; visual identity may stay | A new market, a new product line, a changed price point |
| Full rebrand | Name, identity and positioning together | A merger, an acquisition, a legal dispute over the name, a reputation problem |
| Product or sub-brand rebrand | One product's name or packaging | A product renamed to fit a portfolio, a range merged into another |
A refresh is far more common than a full rebrand, and it still touches every logo file, template and image with the logo in it.
Where the old brand lives
Teams underestimate a rollout because they count the visible surfaces (website, social profiles, signage) and miss the files. A B2B company typically has the old brand in:
- Logo files in every format and colour variant, on shared drives, in agencies' folders and in partners' systems.
- Templates: slide decks, document templates, email signatures, social post templates, event banners.
- Sales material: one-pagers, case studies, comparison sheets, proposal templates, the decks sales keeps on their laptops.
- Product imagery with the logo on the product or packaging, and screenshots of the product interface.
- Partner and reseller kits, which are often copied into the partner's own systems and are hard to recall.
- Images embedded elsewhere: on partner websites, marketplaces, press pages, review sites.
The first step of any rollout is an inventory of these files. The DAM audit checklist gives a method for that inventory.
Legal checks
A new name or logo needs trademark clearance before launch, in every country where it will be used. Changing an existing registered mark has limits too: in the United States, the USPTO does not accept an amendment that materially alters a registered mark (TMEP 807.14 and 1609.02), so a redesigned logo usually needs a new application. Check the licences of any new typefaces, and confirm that photography with the old logo is not still under an active usage licence you are obliged to honour.
Rolling out a rebrand
- Freeze the old assets. Mark old logo files and templates as superseded so nobody downloads them for new work, without deleting them: old campaigns, contracts and archives still reference them.
- Publish the new guidelines and files together. A new logo without its brand guidelines gets misused in the first week.
- Replace files in place where you can. If a template or logo is shared through a link, replacing the file behind the link updates every recipient. Sending a new file means every recipient has to notice and swap it.
- Find the remaining files. Search by what the image shows and by text printed on it, not only by filename and tags: the logo on a product photo is rarely tagged.
- Check new uploads. For months after launch, agencies and colleagues will keep sending material with the old logo. A check at upload catches it before it is published.
- Tell partners what changed and where to get the new files. One link to a portal is easier to follow than an email with attachments.
Rebranding in Freedam
- Visual search and OCR find images by what they show and by the text printed on them, so files with the old logo or the old name turn up even when nobody tagged them.
- Bulk operations update metadata and collections on hundreds of selected assets at once, for example to mark every old logo file as superseded.
- Version control replaces a file while keeping its history, its metadata and its links: shares, portals and published image links show the new version.
- Embargo and expiry dates take old assets out of circulation on a set date.
- Brand compliance checks can use a reference image of the old logo, so an upload that still carries it is flagged.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a rebrand and a brand refresh?
A refresh updates the visual identity (logo, colours, type) and keeps the name and positioning. A rebrand changes what the brand stands for or what it is called, and usually the identity with it.
How long does a rebrand take?
The design work is often a few months. The rollout depends on how many files and surfaces carry the old brand and how quickly they can be found. Teams that know where their assets are finish the rollout much faster.
Should old brand assets be deleted after a rebrand?
No. Archive them and mark them as superseded. Old campaigns, legal records, contracts and press coverage still reference them, and you may need to prove what was published when.
Related terms
Find every file that still carries the old logo
In the demo workspace, search Nordi's library by what an image shows or by the text printed on it, select the results and update them in one bulk edit. Upload a new version of a file and every share and portal shows it.
You enter Nordi’s workspace as an administrator. No card, no setup.