Branding is crucial to a company's identity in the marketplace. Its objective is to convey a particular message and feeling that will attract potential customers to the company. Maintaining a brand is equally as important as the product or services one provides. Avoiding this, places a company at risk of appearing out of date and/or unable to provide the services that customers demand, and competitors may offer.

To update, or modernize your brand does not necessarily mean that you must redesign your company's identity. Here are some important steps to follow:

Step 1: Look For Consistency

Does your branding physically appear the same on all levels of the marketing platform? Take a look at all aspects of presentation, ranging from social media platforms and websites, to tangible objects (such as cards, labels, packaging, etc.). Examine where your company lacks consistency. It may be in color, font, photos, imagery, graphics, logo or word choice. Pinpointing where consistency is not met is important, because it could play a role in customer confusion.

Step 2: Evaluate The Brand's Image

Take a moment to look at the physical aspects of your brand in an objective manner. Are the colors used in your logo representative of the customers you seek to attract? Are your fonts current? Is your tagline relevant? Have you researched your competition to assure that your identity stands out among them? These points are all part of the puzzle that make up a strong brand image.

Step 3: Modify

Once you have looked over your brand for inconsistencies, modifying any visual clutter is the next step. This may range from making the most minute change, such as simplifying a logo, to more drastic measures involving reducing the number of colors, graphics or text used on any given form of marketing collateral. Cleanliness and readability are keys when it comes to design. A refined and detail-oriented company portrays an immediate sense of confidence, a symbol by which customers gravitate to and trust. Check out the steps both JC Penney and Starbucks took in order to update their brand, while preserving their main identity.

Two excellent examples include Starbucks and JC Penney. As you can see, small modifications to modernize over time have kept these brand's images visually consistent, without sacrificing a potentially confusing new look to their company's identity.