When should you actually redo your logo?
Florent Dabernat
April 6, 2026
3 min read
In this article
"We're kind of tired of our logo" isn't a good enough reason to redo it. Here are the real signs that justify a redesign, drawn from several repositioning projects run over the past few years.
The wrong reasons to redo a logo
Internal fatigue is the most common trap: a team that sees its logo every day grows tired of it long before its audience ever does. Chasing a current graphic trend is another bad reason: a trend passes, a logo has to last for years.
Redoing a logo just because a competitor recently changed theirs isn't a good reason on its own either, unless that change reveals a real, pre-existing mismatch with your own image.
The real signs that it's time to act
Three signals are generally reliable. First: the logo no longer works technically on current formats (poor legibility on mobile, poor rendering as an icon, incompatibility with recent digital usage). Second: the image no longer matches the actual level of the business, as with Bernigaud Traiteur, where the craftsmanship had far outpaced the image representing it. Third: the business itself has evolved (new positioning, new market, merger), making the old identity misleading rather than simply dated.
A good logo doesn't need replacing, it needs updating. The question to ask isn't "do I still like my logo," but "does my logo still faithfully represent what I've become."
How to approach the redesign
On SNR, the approach was to keep the spirit of the iconic logo while updating its execution: an evolution, not a break. On CHARLI Boulangerie, conversely, the brand was already well recognized but needed a more complete system (packaging, variations) rather than a simple adjustment of the logo alone.
Every situation calls for a different diagnosis before starting. It's precisely that diagnosis, more than the new logo itself, that determines whether the redesign will be a success or just a fresh coat of paint you'll have to redo again in two years.
Want to know where your own brand stands? Take IDSEED's free branding audit: twenty questions to get an objective read on your current positioning.
Frequently asked questions
-
How long should a logo theoretically last?
- There's no fixed duration: some well-designed logos last decades with light adjustments, others need to evolve faster depending on how quickly the market or the business itself is changing.
-
Can a logo be adjusted without a complete redo?
- Yes, and it's often preferable: a refresh (proportions, colors, finishes) can be enough to modernize an identity without losing the recognition already built, as with the SNR case.
-
How do you announce a logo change to existing customers?
- By explaining continuity rather than rupture: what changes in the form, what stays the same in spirit. Communication that celebrates the brand's history reassures people far more than a launch framed as a clean slate.