Have you ever felt like you could use an updated wardrobe? Maybe you’ve started a new corporate job and need some smart clothes? Perhaps you’ve started running and need more than one pair of shorts? Or you can’t wait to finally ditch the skinny jeans.
In the same way, a brand refresh is an update to keep your look current and in line with where your business is headed. Think of it as a glow-up for your brand that keeps the essence but makes it look more polished, modern, and relevant.
What is a brand refresh vs a rebrand?
A brand refresh is like giving your brand a makeover. You’re updating the visuals—like your logo, colors, typography, or messaging—to feel more modern, polished, or aligned with your current business goals. You keep the core identity intact but enhance it to stay relevant and appealing. Think of it as a style upgrade, like those wide-legged jeans you’re adding to your cart.
A rebrand, on the other hand, is a full transformation. It involves changing not just the look and feel, but often the name, mission, values, and identity of a business. It’s what you do when your company has outgrown its original purpose or is heading in a completely new direction. If a brand refresh is a home renovation, a rebrand is tearing down the house and building something new.
Why do a brand refresh?
You do a brand refresh when your business is evolving but not transforming. Maybe you’ve expanded your services, entered a new market, or have simply outgrown your old look. It’s about staying relevant, polished, and true to where your business is now.
5 reasons why you might need a brand refresh
- Your look feels dated: Design trends change. What looked sleek ten years ago can feel tired now. A refresh keeps you visually appealing and current.
- Business growth or expansion: If you’re adding new services, you need branding that scales with you. You may need to update the logo so it can accommodate sub-brands.
- Improved functionality: If your branding only works in limited formats, it’s time for a refresh. Logos and visuals need to work across digital platforms, print materials, social media, merchandise, you name it.
- Repositioning: If your core mission and values are the same but your audience or offering has evolved, a refresh can help bridge the gap without losing what made your brand great in the first place.
- New competitors or market changes: If you’re facing more competition or industry shifts, a refresh can help you stand out and stay competitive.
Example: Walmart’s 2025 transformation
Released in early 2025, Walmart’s latest brand refresh aims to bridge its long-standing heritage with its future as a tech-powered, omnichannel retailer. The updated identity leans into classic elements like the spark and blue-and-yellow palette while modernizing the look with a custom font inspired by Sam Walton’s iconic trucker hat.
Although the internet can’t seem to tell the difference and memes abound, the move is supposed to reflect Walmart’s evolution from a budget-friendly retailer to a versatile, digital-first brand that meets customers wherever they are—online, in-store, or through health and financial services. Yes, the difference is subtle. But the branding team at Walmart surely has a vision.
Hilariously, Aldi trolled Walmart shortly after its new brand launch.
Brands can have fun, too. To come back to the point, a brand refresh isn’t a dramatic departure from the historic look—but if you’re going to go to the trouble of rebranding your business, make it worth your while.
Before & after brand refresh for John Merrill Homes
We recently wrapped up a brand refresh for John Merrill Homes (JMH), a design + build firm based in Jacksonville, FL. The goal was to update their logo so it looked sleek and luxurious, yet still approachable. We also needed it to work in various formats, like shirts, hats, and signage. It had to be functional, adaptable, and make sense across different applications.
Here’s how we evolved their existing logo:
JMH’s business is expanding, and with growth comes the need for a logo that represents more than building custom homes, although that does remain their core business. Their remodeling services have grown to the point that it makes sense to create a separate division to represent that sector of the business, and they also anticipate future lines of business.
What we did
- The existing colors worked, but they needed a little refining to create consistency across print and digital brand assets.
- We took the window concept from the old logo and angled it to direct the eye toward the name “John Merrill.”
- We created logo variations that scale across multiple platforms and applications.
- The new logo offers the flexibility to swap the word HOMES for REMODELING and other potential business ventures, enabling the brand to grow with the company in the coming years.
Does your business need a new look?
A brand refresh can be a simple but powerful way to stay fresh without losing your identity. If your logo still looks like it was made decades ago, or doesn’t reflect where your business is today, it might be time to give it a little facelift. We won’t scrap everything you’ve built, but we do promise to create a bigger distinction than the one delivered by Walmart’s brand team.
If you need help with a brand refresh that takes your business to the next level, we’d love to hear from you.
