rebrand like a pro (without the cringe I lived through)
10/15/25
branding
rebrand like a pro (without the cringe i lived through)
hot take: a rebrand is a whole thing. my tip? steal my wins and skip my fails.
It’s not just picking a new color palette and calling it a day. It’s strategy, patience, hype-building, and a little bit of chaos management.
After officially launching our rebrand (like wut), I have some wins worth shouting about and a few missteps I’d rather you not repeat. Lucky for you, I’m sharing it all. Think of this as your behind-the-scenes playbook: the do’s you should totally steal, and the don’ts you’ll thank me later for avoiding.
The rollout
DO: Roll it out gradually.
Changing your branding is like changing your hair color. You don’t want to totally shock your audience so much that they barely recognize you. Start by gradually shifting fonts, colors, and smaller elements first, especially if you’re making a big pivot or changing your name (oh, hey, more on business naming here). Bring people along for the ride.
DON’T: Drag it out for eternity.
TBH, I stretched the Brighten Made rebrand launch out for nearly a year (yikes). By the end, I was cringing anytime someone saw our old branding. My tip? Have a few big pieces ready, then roll them out in sequence so you keep the momentum going without stalling.
The investment
DO: Take your time and do it right.
A rebrand isn’t meant to be a quick refresh — it touches everything. Logos, website, templates, client-facing materials, you name it. Cutting corners just means you’ll be redoing it all again way too soon.
DON’T: Make changes on a whim.
At first, I thought, oh, we’ll just swap some colors. But once I dug deeper into our “why,” I realized surface-level tweaks weren’t going to cut it. That’s when I scrapped the band-aid fixes and committed to the full rebrand and website design. GAME. CHANGER.
The launch
DO: Build hype and let people in.
Behind-the-scenes sneak peeks? Big yes. Teasers, email drips, BTS videos? Absolutely. People love feeling like they’re part of the journey, and it makes the launch way more fun and memorable.
DON’T: Keep it a secret, then rush it.
Life happened (hello, crazy pregnancy sickness), and our launch got pushed back. I ended up rushing it out without enough teasers, and I still wish I’d built more anticipation. Let’s take a move right from T Swift’s playbook, dropping Easter eggs and hyping up your audience is way more fun than quietly hitting “publish.”
Perfectionism
DO: Launch before it’s perfect.
Your site will have a typo. A button might glitch. Your email signature might be outdated. It’s fine. Get it out there, then polish it up. It’s like moving into a new house, paint and curtains can come later.
DON’T: Launch without a clean-up plan.
Here’s where I flopped: I launched, dove straight into client work and a vacation, and had zero time to tie up loose ends. If I could go back, I’d build in a debrief period to clean up the details AND celebrate before sprinting onto the next thing. Like hi, this also calls for a celebration.
Bonus lessons that made all the difference
Forget arbitrary deadlines. I originally thought, “How cool would it be to launch on our anniversary?” Spoiler: it didn’t happen. And I’m glad it didn’t. Rushing just to hit a date that doesn’t impact your bottom line? 100% not worth it.
Invest in brand photography. This time, we worked with a brand photographer instead of relying on mockups, and wow, it changed everything. We also planned a rebrand shoot with our whole team — props, wardrobe, vibes, the whole nine yards. The results? Photos that actually feel like Brighten Made instead of filler images that could belong to anyone.
Outsource where you can. I stopped trying to do it all (video editing, I’m looking at you) and let people who specialize in those things step in. Huge relief, way better results.
Final thoughts
Rebranding is equal parts exciting and overwhelming AF. If you take anything from my experience, let it be this: take your time (but not toooooo much time), plan with intention, bring your audience along, and don’t sweat the imperfections.
