Why Even Branding Agencies Must Rebrand in This Era

Rebranding as a Way to Let Core Beliefs Be Seen Again

A visual refresh is often interpreted as a surface-level change. For design firms, however, the deeper question is this: Does who we are today still accurately express the beliefs we were founded on?

As aesthetic languages and media environments evolve, brands that remain fixed in past expressions risk having their original ideals diluted over time. Rebranding, then, is not about abandoning history. It is about returning to the starting point—and projecting those founding values forward in a way that resonates today.

London-based design agency Ragged Edge offers a clear example. Its recent rebrand was not a stylistic shift for its own sake, but a renewed declaration of its positioning and attitude. Through a more assertive verbal and visual system, the agency reinforced the principle it has upheld since its founding in 2007: rejecting average. The new identity is not decorative—it is a sharper extension of conviction. This is not about changing style; it is about making what has always been there more visible and more defined.

Reference: https://raggededge.com/

In contrast, global integrated communications agency Ogilvy demonstrates another way of conversing with history. Rather than starting from scratch, its updated identity builds upon its established brand foundation. The newly introduced tartan pattern draws from archival photographs of founder David Ogilvy, often seen wearing traditional Scottish tartan. During the research phase, the team immersed themselves in the agency’s heritage, ultimately crafting a visual language that bridges past and future.

The key to this rebrand was not simply becoming “more modern,” but translating the brand’s origin into a language fit for what lies ahead. For heritage brands, evolution is rarely about erasure. It is about carrying memory forward with clarity.

Reference: https://reurl.cc/Eb3lA1

Beyond a Name Change: Redefining the Role of a Brand

When a brand consultancy shifts from being a “design executor” to a strategic and growth partner, its original name and structure may no longer be enough to represent its expanded scope. At this stage, rebranding is no longer about visual change alone — it becomes a redefinition of business model and capability boundaries. Through renaming and integration, a company can more clearly articulate the value it offers and realign its brand structure with its actual services.

The merger of UK-based DesignStudio with motion studio Analog and immersive experience agency Pixel Artworks, ultimately launched under the new name Further, illustrates this shift. This was not a simple renaming exercise, but a deliberate integration of capabilities across the creative value chain.

By combining their strengths, the group expanded beyond brand and design into VFX, animation, content production, and immersive experiences. The consultancy role extended deeper into the interconnected system of brand, content, and experience — delivering a more seamless and continuous client journey.

Reference: https://www.design.studio/

In Taiwan, THINKWAYS’ rebrand emerged from a similar inflection point in its development. After years of building brand strategy and execution expertise, the team began integrating cross-border resources from ADWAYS Japan, gradually aligning strategy, creativity, and digital marketing.

The role of the consultancy therefore evolved — no longer limited to providing recommendations, but accompanying clients from strategic thinking to marketing implementation.

This rebrand became an internal reset. It prompted a reassessment of working methods and communication language, establishing a brand framework capable of supporting future growth. More than an identity refresh, it represents a refinement of service structure — ensuring greater consistency across proposals, collaboration, and client communication.

Case Study: https://brandbythinkways.com/

Redefining the Global Brand Consultancy

For consultancies already operating on a global scale, rebranding is no longer about crossing borders — it is about responding to shifts in organizational capability and service scope.

As brand, design, experience, and consultancy increasingly merge, existing brand language often becomes insufficient to carry new business structures. Rebranding, therefore, becomes a necessary act of redefining position and direction for the future.

Landor’s transformation reflects this evolution. Over years of strategic refinement and capability integration, its services expanded beyond traditional brand design into sonic branding, motion, spatial experience, and brand performance. The recent renaming and identity refresh were not about geographic expansion, but about responding to a redefined capability framework — repositioning the firm as an integrated consultancy system.

Reference: https://landor.com/

Wolff Olins, another globally influential consultancy, updated its brand while simultaneously strengthening its international footprint. The opening of its Los Angeles office and investment in top-tier talent reinforced its West Coast presence. This move signals that its rebrand was not merely visual, but part of a broader global strategy.

When an organization’s operational map changes, its brand language must evolve accordingly — capable of navigating cultural differences and international competition. In today’s global landscape, rebranding is no longer surface-level communication. It becomes the structural core that enables a consultancy to operate across regions, cultures, and service boundaries with clarity and continuity.

Reference: https://wolffolins.com/

For design companies, rebranding is both a renewal of image and an act of growth. When visual language, service models, and global reach evolve simultaneously, the brand must be redefined accordingly.

Only then can we truly demonstrate that a brand is not a finished design deliverable, but an ongoing practice—one that continues to transform, adapt, and move forward.