Rebranding is expensive, disruptive and often unnecessary. Here's how to tell when your practice genuinely needs a new identity, and when a refresh will do.

The case for a full rebrand is clear in three situations: a significant change in the practice's direction or ownership, a brand that is actively damaging client perception, or a merger that requires a genuinely new identity. In all other cases, a considered refresh, updated colour palette, refined typography, modernised applications, will produce 80% of the benefit at 20% of the cost and disruption.

The most common mistake is rebranding in response to internal boredom. Partners who have looked at the same logo for ten years assume potential clients have too. They haven't. Clients care about the work, the team and the track record, not whether the wordmark has serifs.