Logo Rebrand vs Refresh

When it comes to the artistic direction for your brand identity, I usually start with the logo⏤the most important visual asset you’ll own.

Josiah Jost has designed over 800 logos. We’ve been collaborating since 2009, and challenged ourselves to explain:

• Should you rebrand, refresh, or do nothing?
• What should you know when preparing for a new logo?
• And can we boil that down to 10 minutes?

⚠️ Warning: vlog goes full Canadian 🦫

Video + comments on LinkedIn

Timestamps

0:25 logo expert intro: Josiah Jost

Logo Exploration

1:03 🇨🇦 The Maple Leaf, a new identity
1:54 🍩 Tim Hortons, logo refresh
2:38 🏒 Vancouver Canucks, logo rebrand

Logo Anatomy

3:37 three types of logos
4:00 typography choices
4:17 colour + contrast

Logo Examples

4:48 mid-size
5:56 scale-up
6:48 personal brand
7:41 studio brand

Working w/ Creatives

8:17 process
8:49 timings

There are many *great* branding studios. Find one with the right chemistry.

So, if you’re a scale-up or midsize b2b planning a logo rebrand or refresh—let’s riff. We might be a match. 👋 Filip

Why do you need a logo brief?

When you ask a branding agency, studio, or specialist to turn your business vision into a logo, you’ll want to summarise things down to one page to get the right scope.

No PDF or email is perfect for every situation; this guide prioritises the six considerations we’ve stress-tested across all types of brand architecture (mostly in b2b).

⚠️ Logos should not be created in a vacuum; they work in tandem with other brand assets as the centrepiece.

Resources

• Logo Beginnings by TASCHEN Books 👈 great source for inspiration
• Lufthansa and Graphic Design 👈 beautiful corporate design manual from 1963
• DesignCanada.com 👈 2018 documentary on Canada’s branding
• Logo Design Love 👈 popular guide to logo creation (Josiah features)

Previously

• Simplicity
• Positioning Models
• Story Structure

In the future we’ll also cover:

• logo architecture (+sub-branding)
• applications (digital & physical)
• ident (logo motion & sound)
• IP & trademark requirements