Creating infographics for company rebranding efforts is an essential component in communicating the updated identity, vision, and message to both internal and external stakeholders. Infographics, as a visual communication tool, have the ability to simplify complex information and present it in an engaging and digestible way. In the case of rebranding, they can help articulate changes in the company’s mission, values, logo, colors, typography, and other elements that define its new image.
This guide will explore the process of creating effective infographics for company rebranding in detail. The key steps will involve understanding the rebranding goals, planning the infographic design, gathering data, designing the visual elements, and ensuring that the final infographic supports the broader communication strategy.
1. Understanding the Rebranding Goals
Before diving into the design of the infographics, it’s essential to have a thorough understanding of the company’s rebranding goals. Rebranding may occur for a variety of reasons, such as:
- Market repositioning: A company may want to appeal to a different demographic or customer base.
- Modernization: The company may wish to update its image to reflect current trends or innovations.
- Mergers or acquisitions: Changes in ownership or strategic direction could necessitate a new brand identity.
- Crisis management: A rebranding effort can help the company recover from a public relations crisis or a tarnished reputation.
- Expansion into new markets: Rebranding may be part of a strategy to expand into new geographic regions or industries.
Having a clear understanding of the reasons for rebranding will help guide the creation of infographics that communicate the message in alignment with the company’s new direction.
2. Gathering Key Information
Rebranding often involves a variety of changes—new logos, updated mission statements, modified product offerings, and shifts in company values. These elements will need to be captured in the infographics.
Key points to consider include:
- New logo and visual identity: The company’s logo, color palette, typography, and design style.
- Brand story and mission statement: Communicate the company’s new vision, mission, and values.
- Product or service updates: If the rebrand involves new products or services, highlight them visually.
- Audience segmentation: Ensure the infographic addresses the target audience, reflecting their preferences and understanding.
- Company history: It may be helpful to include a timeline or narrative of the company’s evolution, especially when explaining why the rebrand was necessary.
Gathering this information beforehand ensures that the infographic is not only comprehensive but also cohesive with the overall rebranding strategy.
3. Planning the Infographic Structure
Planning is critical when creating an infographic. You need to decide the layout, the flow of information, and how best to divide the content into digestible segments.
Here’s a suggested structure for a rebranding infographic:
- Header: Include the company name and tagline (if any), possibly alongside the old and new logo for comparison.
- Mission and Vision: A brief section that clearly defines the company’s updated mission and vision.
- Core Values: Present the new brand values, ideally with icons or illustrations to represent each value.
- The Rebranding Journey: A timeline or step-by-step breakdown of the rebranding process from its inception to implementation.
- Logo Evolution: Show the evolution of the company logo, if applicable, to emphasize the changes.
- Visual Elements: Feature updated color palettes, typography, and brand style guidelines.
- Target Audience: Highlight any shifts in target audience, demographics, or market segmentation.
- Product/Service Updates: Briefly showcase new offerings, if relevant to the rebrand.
- Call to Action: End the infographic with a call to action—this could be a link to the new website, a social media handle, or an invitation to engage with the brand in some way.
This structure can serve as a template, but you should adjust it based on the specific needs of your rebranding effort.
4. Choosing the Right Design Tools
To design infographics, there are several design tools that can help you create visually compelling and professional layouts:
- Canva: Offers a range of infographic templates and design elements, ideal for non-designers.
- Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop: Best for those who have a deeper understanding of graphic design, as these tools provide more customization and precision.
- Visme: A versatile tool for creating infographics and presentations with drag-and-drop features and pre-made templates.
- Piktochart: Specializes in infographic creation with a focus on simplicity and ease of use.
These tools come with templates, icons, illustrations, and other design elements that you can use to create a polished and cohesive infographic.
5. Designing the Infographic
When designing your infographic, you need to keep several principles in mind to ensure its effectiveness in communicating the message.
i. Maintain Brand Consistency
Since the infographic is part of a rebranding effort, maintaining consistency with the new visual identity is paramount. This means using the updated logo, colors, fonts, and other visual elements that reflect the new brand guidelines.
Key considerations for maintaining brand consistency include:
- Color palette: Choose colors that reflect the company’s new image, whether it’s a modern, bold look or a softer, more traditional aesthetic.
- Typography: Use the company’s new typography to enhance readability and maintain consistency across all media.
- Logo usage: Ensure that the new logo is displayed clearly and consistently. This may include using the logo as a watermark, as part of the header, or in a comparison with the old logo.
ii. Visual Hierarchy
Effective infographics rely on a clear visual hierarchy to guide the viewer’s eye through the information in a logical sequence. Consider how the content will be arranged—what’s the most important information that should be placed at the top? Where should the audience’s attention be directed first, second, and so on?
Strategies for effective visual hierarchy:
- Use larger text or bold fonts for the most important headings.
- Organize content into sections with clear headings.
- Ensure that the flow of information is logical and follows a natural order.
iii. Incorporate Icons, Illustrations, and Charts
Icons and illustrations can help simplify complex ideas and make the information more accessible and engaging. For example:
- Use icons to represent each core value.
- Create a simple timeline to visualize the rebranding process.
- Incorporate data visualizations such as pie charts or bar graphs to represent new market research or customer demographics.
These design elements should be aligned with the brand’s new visual style.
iv. Keep It Simple and Focused
Infographics are meant to condense information, not overwhelm the audience with excessive details. Limit the amount of text and focus on key messages. Use bullet points, short sentences, and clear visuals to make the infographic easy to understand at a glance.
6. Ensuring Accessibility
One of the key strengths of infographics is their ability to reach a wide audience. However, it’s important to ensure that your infographic is accessible to as many people as possible, including those with disabilities.
Consider these accessibility tips:
- Color contrast: Ensure there is enough contrast between text and background colors to make the infographic legible to those with visual impairments.
- Alt text: When publishing the infographic online, include alt text descriptions for images and graphs for those who use screen readers.
- Readable fonts: Choose fonts that are easy to read, avoiding overly decorative or complex typefaces.
7. Distributing the Infographic
Once the infographic is complete, it’s time to share it with the intended audience. The distribution strategy should align with the company’s rebranding communication plan.
Consider these channels for distributing the infographic:
- Company website: Feature the infographic on your homepage or a dedicated rebranding page.
- Email marketing: Send the infographic as part of a newsletter or targeted email to customers, partners, and employees.
- Social media: Post the infographic on social platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
- Press releases or media kits: Include the infographic in any media outreach to communicate the rebrand to the public.
- Internal communication: Share the infographic with employees to help them understand and embrace the rebrand.
8. Measuring Success
After distributing the infographic, measure its effectiveness. Track metrics such as engagement rates on social media, the number of website visits, or feedback from employees and stakeholders. Use this data to evaluate whether the infographic helped communicate the key elements of the rebrand successfully and make adjustments in future communications if needed.
Conclusion
Infographics play a crucial role in communicating the visual and conceptual changes that accompany a company’s rebranding efforts. By focusing on clarity, simplicity, and consistency with the new brand identity, you can create effective infographics that capture the essence of the rebrand and engage both internal and external stakeholders. Through careful planning, thoughtful design, and strategic distribution, infographics can become powerful tools in the rebranding process, helping to convey a unified, professional image that resonates with your target audience.