As you’ve most likely noticed, we recently rebranded A Silver Lining to Carlisle & Co. While the services and mission are similar, the new brand is more sophisticated and reflective of our founder Greer Johnson now, not who she was when she founded A Silver Lining over 10 years ago.

With this thought in mind, in today’s blog post, let’s take a look at the process of rebranding your company.

It’s no surprise that it can feel a bit overwhelming at first. Although you’re not building a company from scratch, you are taking an already-existing company in a new direction. You have to think about a name and a vibe, not to mention colors, font stacks, and patterns. 

For the Carlisle & Co. rebrand, we were fortunate enough to work with our friends (and sisters!) Kara McKean and Morgan Claytor at KM Studio (pictured above with part of our team). It was such a treat!

To start, Kara and Morgan recommend that clients create a mood board on Pinterest with images that speak to your fashion and interior design tastes. Think about how you dress, how you decorate your home, and brands you like. This collection of photos allows them to better understand your personal preferences and preferred aesthetics. 

It’s also important to think about where your business started and where you want it to go. Ask yourself: Who is my ideal client? What are my goals for the next twelve months? What about the next five years? Kara and Morgan may ask about and draw inspiration from your family as well. For instance, they included five teeth on the logo for a past dental client to represent five family members. 

Ultimately, your professional brand should be a reflection of who you are but also be appealing to your ideal clients.

Once the mood board is finalized, they will work together to create two brand kit options that complement each other. That way, they can mix and match different pieces based on your personal taste. They’ve found that more than two choices tends to overwhelm their clients!They tend to present one conservative option and one that pushes the boundaries, often landing somewhere in the middle.

It’s no secret that color plays a big role in your likes and dislikes. They may present their two initial options in black and white to determine your favorite fonts and patterns and then reveal the colors used. 

Packages from KM Studio also include one round of edits to ensure you end up with the branding of your dreams. As you’re finalizing your brand kit, you want to consider how you plan to use your logo. For instance, what if you have a rectangular logo but need to make it fit on a vertical banner? Application is important, so think through future uses of your logos and patterns.

Everything from font size and letter spacing (called kerning) to color palette and white space matters. Seemingly small adjustments make all the difference. Don’t be afraid to speak up and ask for edits, no matter how unimportant they may seem!

You may be wondering why you would want to do a rebrand. It seems like a lot of work, right?

Well, it is a lot of work, but it’s also well worth it!

When we rebranded as Carlisle & Co., we saw a big boost in client inquiries. As a referral-based business, we typically saw one or two cold contact form completions per month. Since our new brand and website launched in January, we’ve received 15 cold contacts through social media and our contact form! That averages to five per month. Although we didn’t rebrand for that purpose (more on that in our next blog post!), these results certainly speak to how a rebrand can impact your business and how potential clients see you. 

In our next blog post, we’ll dive even deeper into this topic with a look at the intersection of branding and marketing. Stay tuned!

If you’re looking to develop a digital marketing strategy and expand your online reach, please reach out to our team today.