The Modernisation Mirage in Rebranding Strategy
Every department looks modern. None look distinct. Across government and enterprise, a new wave of rebranding strategy spends millions on fresh logos, colour palettes, and slogans that age before the ink dries. The assumption remains that design creates differentiation. It does not.
Why ‘Rebranding Strategy’ Often Stops at the Logo.
Many still believe that logos build brands. In reality, a logo is a receipt for work already done. It records the moment strategy should have been considered but wasn’t. The result is a cycle of aesthetic inflation where each refresh looks new yet feels the same.
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■ Turning Design Spend into Brand Strategy Equity.
Design is an expense. Strategy is an asset. Every dollar spent on design without strategic governance is a dollar of capital that will depreciate. A true rebranding strategy begins before the designer touches a sketch. It defines position, purpose, and pricing power so that visual expression has something to express.
What Government Rebrands Reveal About Rebranding Strategy.
Consider the pattern in public-sector rebrands: new logos, new wayfinding, new stationery. There is no shift in public trust or market understanding. The money buys novelty, not equity. When strategy is absent, design becomes a cosmetic line item on the balance sheet rather than a driver of compounding value.
As Thorstein Veblen framed it in The Theory of the Leisure Class, value that rests only on appearance erodes without underlying purpose.
The Receipt vs. the Asset in Rebranding Strategy.
A logo depreciates the day you print it. A strategy appreciates every time you apply it. Governance before graphics is how founders turn creative spend into strategic return. This is the difference between looking modern and building momentum.
→ Read a branding strategy, not a rebranding study
Governance Before Graphics.
Are you funding design depreciation or building brand equity? Start where value begins, with a Brand Strategy Workshop designed for founders who treat branding as financial strategy.
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Or, if you want to measure where you stand first:
→ Take the 2-minute Brand Clarity Diagnostic.