5 Signs It’s Time to Rebrand (and What to Do About It)
- Rachel Smith
- Jun 3
- 3 min read
Let’s get this out of the way first: needing a rebrand doesn’t mean you failed. It usually means you’ve grown.
Whether you’re a few years into running your business or in the middle of a pivot, your brand should reflect who you are now—not just who you were when you launched your first Squarespace site at midnight with a glass of wine in one hand and Canva open in the other.
Rebranding isn’t just about changing your fonts or refreshing your color palette. It’s about reconnecting with your mission, your audience, and your vision for what’s next. So if something feels off—but you can’t quite put your finger on it—these five signs might help you name it:
1. You’ve outgrown your audience.
Maybe you started out designing for early-stage entrepreneurs and now you’re attracting corporate clients or scaling startups. Or maybe you launched a product brand for Gen Z and now your buyers are millennials with bigger budgets and different values.
When your original brand voice, visuals, or messaging no longer speak to your current audience—or who you want to be speaking to—it’s time to realign.
What to look for: Are your ideal clients still finding you? Or do your inquiries feel like a mismatch? If you're having to explain your work too much or attract the wrong fit, your brand likely isn’t doing its job.
2. You’re a little… embarrassed.
This is probably the biggest emotional flag. If you find yourself saying things like:
“Just ignore my website, I haven’t updated it in a while…”
“My branding doesn’t really reflect what I do anymore…”
“I’ve been meaning to refresh that for ages…”
You're not alone. A lot of us get so busy doing the work that we forget to tend to the brand that represents it.
What to look for: Are you hesitating to share your site, socials, or materials with potential clients or collaborators? Do your visuals feel dated or off-brand? If your own branding doesn't make you proud, it’s not working for you.
3. Your services or business model have changed.
Maybe you added a new offer, shifted to a different industry, or launched a digital product line. Maybe you went from solo studio to full-service agency. Whatever the change, your brand should clearly communicate what you do and why it matters.
If your messaging is still written for a past version of your business, it could be confusing potential clients—or worse, turning them away.
What to look for: Do people frequently misunderstand what you offer? Are your sales calls spent explaining basic things that should be obvious from your online presence?
4. Your visuals and voice are inconsistent.
This one’s sneaky. It starts with a few too many Canva templates. Then you’re tweaking colors to fit new offers. Then you update your bio here and your tagline there and suddenly—your brand feels like it’s wearing six different outfits at once.
What to look for: Is your Instagram giving one vibe, your website another, and your newsletter a third? Inconsistent branding can erode trust and make your business feel less professional—even if your work is incredible.
5. You’ve got the itch.
This one’s more intuitive. You just know your brand doesn’t feel aligned anymore. You keep stalling on updates. You feel stuck every time you try to create something new. You have a Pinterest board of brand inspiration but haven’t touched your own visuals in months.
What to look for: You feel creatively uninspired. You scroll other brands thinking, “That’s what I wish mine looked like.” You’re ready to evolve—but your branding hasn’t caught up yet.
So… What Now?
If you’re nodding along to any of the above, don’t panic. A rebrand doesn’t mean burning everything down or reinventing yourself completely.
It means asking:
Who am I serving now?
What do I want to be known for?
How do I want people to feel when they engage with my brand?
And then building from there—with strategy, intention, and clarity.
Whether it’s a full visual overhaul or a messaging refresh, a rebrand can realign your business with your next chapter. It can help you attract the right people, charge what you're worth, and show up with confidence again.
And if you’re not sure where to begin? That’s literally my favorite part.
Let’s reimagine it—together.
xxRachel
Comments