Managing Corporate Brand Design Updates

In the last 4 years, I’ve seen startups pour their hearts and money into branding and packaging, only to watch their brand identity crumble across digital platforms. You know why? Because most businesses treat branding as a one-time design project instead of an ongoing story. So, you’ve got your: -Logo designed -Colors in place -Packaging sorted But is that all? No. Ever wonder why Mc Donlads feels the same in Tokyo and Toronto? The answer is their universal brand guidelines. Here are 5 steps to ensure your brand guidelines cover every area of your identity: 1️⃣Make Brand Guidelines Your Brand Bible Here are just a few things you should document: >> Primary and secondary color codes (not just “blue”) >> Font combinations for every platform >> Voice guide with actual examples (“Write like this, not like that”) >> Pre-approved image styles and filters >> Response templates for customer service etc 2️⃣Create Platform-Specific Playbooks Instagram isn’t LinkedIn. Each platform needs its own strategy while keeping your core identity intact. 3️⃣Set up systems to prevent brand dilution: >> Weekly content review sessions >> Shared asset libraries with locked brand elements >> Regular team training on brand updates 4️⃣Adapt Smartly >> Schedule quarterly brand reviews >> Track engagement across different brand expressions >> Test and document what works (and what doesn’t) Brands with consistent messaging across all channels see a 20% boost in revenue. Yet in 2025, I still see most businesses leaving money on the table with cluttered brand identities. Don’t be one of them.

Change management practitioners know that employees aren’t resisting change, they’re searching for clarity. Last November, a global 1,275-employee org filled out our demo request form on our website with an urgent need. They were in the process of acquiring THREE companies. They knew it was a herculean lift ahead of them. Not only did they need to unify branding, consolidate tech, and implement processes. They also needed to update all of their content across the board, both internal and external. Their plan: - hire a design agency for external content - apply the same polish to internal content later Easy, right? 🫣 Spoiler: *gasp* It wasn't. Marketing teams were stretched too thin to design the internal content. They were drowning in external demands (and burnt out). Managers Frankensteined mismatched assets. Employees felt lost in a “sprawl of many,” not one unified team. “We’re not designers,” their HR lead told me. “But without visual consistency, our message falls flat.” At larger companies, a Center of Excellence (CoE) is supposed to solve this. But when teams are siloed, even best practices gather dust. Here’s how we helped them pivot and how you can too: [1] Build a DIY Content Hub, Not a Black Hole Create a centralized library of on-brand templates (think: change timelines, FAQs, job aids, and decks). Pro tip: Tag assets by role/use case. No more “I didn’t know this existed!” [2] Managers = Micro-Influencers Arm them with “snackable” visual content (e.g. a 5-slide PPT + caption starters for Slack/Teams). Our client saw a 38% spike in engagement when leaders shared snack-sized updates vs. an avalanche of information. [3] AI Guardrails > Branding Gatekeepers Use AI-powered CoE tools to auto-apply brand fonts/colors AND suggest messaging tweaks for different audiences. Bonus: Marketing stopped playing “brand police” and started high-fiving HR. The result? That client now ships unified, visually compelling change comms 4x faster on the same team size. Have you experienced this scramble before? If so, we salute you 🫡

You can’t just update the visual identity, drop a set of guidelines into a shared folder, and expect adoption beyond some visual updates. Just like it’s not enough for your brand to just say it’s 'innovative' or 'people-first.' Those promises have to show up again and again in how your team is treated, empowered, and led. A rebrand that works beyond a visual update starts with listening and understanding. It means gathering insight from employees in the same way you would from your customers.   Next comes co-creation. Identify the champions within your business - those who already live the values you want to scale - and bring them into the process. Give them ownership. They should be used as early testers, not only for messaging but also for the emotional resonance of the new visual brand.   And finally, it demands intention. Your internal brand rollout needs as much planning as your external launch. What’s the story? What changes? How will it show up in day-to-day culture, in onboarding, in recognition, in leadership behaviours? Otherwise, you’re not branding - you’re just putting on a visual performance.