(Basically, we took our own advice and came up with a brand strategy we feel pretty dang proud of.)

Behold, our brand brag book! Get ready to receive an inside look at the full process of The Good Kids rebrand. Shall we get started?

I liked your logo? Why did you change it?

When clients come to us looking for a rebrand, we start the process by asking what problems they’re trying to solve. There’s a tendency for clients to dive straight into a conversation about their logo. That’s when we encourage them to take a step back. Their logo is often a symptom of an underlying issue; it just draws attention because it’s visible.

When it came to The Good Kids rebrand, we had to take an honest look at our company and define the problems we wanted to solve.

Here are the problems we chose to tackle:

1. There was confusion around who we are as a company. We joke at the office when random visitors come. More often than not, a hopeful mother would inquire if we were a daycare while quickly realizing she stepped into a professional office space. Curiosity surrounding our name got people talking, but it didn’t tell people who we were.
2. We were missing out on potential first impressions. We’re proud to inhabit an office in downtown Bismarck with a giant vinyl sign in our street-facing window. The Good Kids wordmark got noticed…often. Passersby seemed delighted as they peered in but also confused. We needed to make a change to ensure our first impression was good and indicative of what we did…there has to be a descriptor. 
3. Communicating our unique approach felt almost impossible. Communicating the differences between a brand studio and advertising agency is challenging; doubly so when you want to demonstrate the differences succinctly. We realized the need for a metaphor or illustration that would produce ‘aha’ moments for our audience.

With those problems clearly defined, we put our thinking caps on and began the rebranding process.

What was the process like?

The most challenging aspect of rebranding is the requirement to be brutally honest about your business. You need to identify your strengths and call out your weaknesses. The reward is worth the risk, however. This process helps pinpoint your company’s uniqueness. When you know that, you can gain massive momentum. The following is an overview of the rebranding process we completed, which mimics what we do for our clients.

Step 1: Brand Strategy

Long before we dove into any visual/creative work, Ben and I sat down and put pen to paper. We captured all of the ideas about what our business could be. Next we considered how they aligned with our mission (who we are), vision (where we want to go), and values (what we stand for). It was important that our chosen services represented our passions and resonated with clients.

With a firm foundation in place, we then focused on who we wanted to serve. Who could we help the most? Of course, we’d love to help everyone brand themselves or their company, but that’s not realistic. A one-for-all approach also doesn’t provide direction or permit a company to focus. Surveys, archetype research, and target personas helped us nail down two ideal clients.

Finally, we looked at our current market (Bismarck and beyond) to understand the industry around us and identify what makes us uniquely different. We learned that The Good Kids is the only brand studio in the Midwest that combines strategy + creativity to help good ideas stand out. We are deliberately brand-focused and our approach is very critical, collaborative, and creative.

Step 2: Brand Identity

Our homework was complete, which meant it was time to jump into the creative. The Good Kids divided to conquer brand identity. Ashton conducted research on the brand name. She wanted assurance “The Good Kids” was still a great choice; that it represented who we were now and would work many years to come. Ben started sketching potential new logos to solve our first problem: confusion around who we are as a company. We needed the wordmark to convey maturity and mischief and articulate what we did.

Onto problem #2: missing out on potential first impressions. We researched all of the possible ways to refer to ourselves for our description or tagline. We mulled over monikers like agency, group, collective, and studio. Discussion and research led to “studio” as our final decision. We felt that word implies a niche business; one that’s lean, agile, and effective, which is exactly what we’re aiming for.

The hardest challenge was tackling problem #3: coming up with a theme or metaphor that could easily communicate what makes us unique. Asking clients to take a step back in order to propel their branding efforts forward was one common denominator in all of our work. A discussion about that fostered the idea of a slingshot. This was our “aha.” A slingshot not only describes our process, it’s a childhood object associated with mischievous situations. The decision was unanimous…we had a new icon!

Step 3: Collateral

The Good Kids team, with the assistance of several world-class colleagues, created the complete rebrand you’re experiencing today. We’ve all been working through the wee hours to bring a new icon, color scheme, redesigned website and energy to the company and hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Special thanks to our team:

Ashton Hauff, Strategy

Ben Brick, Identity

Dot Frank, Messaging

Quinn Cullen, Website

Drysen Carsten, Animation

Lea Black, Photography

What’s next?

The rebrand is just the beginning! We are so excited to continue checking the boxes next to our brand strategy action items, measuring results and reaping the rewards of our labor. We’ve breathed new life into our brand and we’re ready to do the same for others.

Get In Touch

We’d love to learn about your business and discuss the doors that brand strategy and identity may open for you. Contact us for a free consultation.