How to Rebrand as a Team
From start to finish, our rebrand took 5-6 months. There’s no standard amount of time for a rebrand, and shorter timelines certainly exist. But we knew from the beginning that we wanted to take the long way. We designed a lengthier process that relied on the entire team’s input to guide us home to a refreshed brand that accurately reflected each of us.
Here are some of the methods we used to make it happen.
Team Workshop
Last year, we met as a team in person for the first time. We’re typically a remote team, but we all felt it was important to come together (with masks on!) for some good old fashioned workshopping and creative strategizing. As a team, we’re less than a year old––so it was a special moment to get to know each other’s quirks and talents beyond our computer screens.
Creative Strategist Brigitte Long and Content Marketing Specialist Lucinda Roanoke
Leaning In
We’re used to being the “outsiders” rebranding for our clients, and we’re firm believers in the value of collaborating with outside experts to get an objective view of what needs to change. For our own brand, we invited Austin-based brand strategy team Root + River to lead us in a brand-building workshop. Each of us answered journal prompts to get down to the core of our beliefs, values, and goals as a brand––and as individuals.
The conversations that came out of that process helped us define who we are and what we want to accomplish together. Whether we agreed or disagreed on minor items was beside the point––what mattered most was that we had the space, time, and encouragement to freely express ourselves while giving input to the direction of the brand.
Group Feedback
Every visual component of the new brand was subjected to the entire team’s scrutiny. We had hours-long meetings on Zoom where we painstakingly reviewed our brand colors––it took weeks to land on the right combo (a GIANT thank you to our graphic designer and collaborator Jasmine Childress of Eight Thirty Seven for her patience and assistance with this process!).
A glimpse inside our 2020 holiday gift boxes, including an assortment of our business cards
In the first color rounds, some of the reds were a little too bloody, or the green was too earthy, or the blue too corporate. The goal was for each of us to resonate with at least one of the five chosen colors, and we didn’t give up until we could identify ourselves in the spectrum.
It may feel like extra time and energy, but being inclusive is always worth the effort.
A De-Centered CEO
Lastly, our CEO and founder, Madeline Pratt, was very clear that she did not want Fearless Foundry to be a personal brand that was “all about her”; reflecting only her tastes and personality. She was explicit in her desire to include the team, and actively encouraged dissent (à la Ruth Bader Ginsburg, naturally). Her attitude was a welcome invitation, but it was also strategic. Fearless Foundry is a growing company––we’re scaling quickly. It better serves the longevity of the business and brand if it doesn’t reflect a single person or personality.
Opening up your brand identity and aesthetic to reflect your entire team—or the team you want to have someday—will create a sense of ownership and pride felt beyond company leadership.
Are you considering a rebrand or brand refresh? Fearless Foundry offers tailor-made branding and marketing strategies customized to your needs and your budget. Let’s connect!