16 Game-Changing Questions to Ask Clients Before a Brand Redesign

As an agency, few projects are as challenging and high-stakes as a client‘s brand redesign. With so many intangible elements and subjective opinions involved, it‘s all too easy for things to get lost in translation, leading to endless revisions and mounting frustrations on both sides.

But what if there was a way to cut through the confusion and zero in on exactly what your client needs from the start? By asking a series of targeted questions before diving into the work, you can uncover critical insights about the client‘s vision, audience, competition and expectations to guide your branding decisions every step of the way.

Consider this your master checklist for kicking off a successful brand redesign that wows your client and achieves their business goals.

Questions to Clarify the Client‘s Desired Brand Identity

1. What specific qualities do you want to maintain from your current brand identity?

Never assume a client wants to completely abandon their existing brand equity, even if they‘ve hired you for a full-scale redesign. In fact, one survey found that 53% of consumers view brands more favorably if they retain some familiar elements during a redesign.

Identify which aspects of the client‘s current brand should be preserved or evolved, rather than eliminated. Perhaps they want to keep their memorable tagline but overhaul their logo. Maybe they love their color palette but need a more modern typography system.

Pinpointing these essential vs. expendable components upfront will focus your creative exploration and help you develop a new brand identity that feels like a strategic evolution rather than a jarring departure.

2. What are your primary reasons for rebranding at this time?

There are many catalysts for a rebrand, and each one comes with unique considerations. Is the client undergoing a merger or acquisition? Recovering from a reputation crisis? Repositioning to target a new demographic? Refreshing a dated brand identity to keep pace with cultural trends and shifting consumer preferences?

The Harvard Business Review outlines four common motivations for rebranding: proactive (to seize an opportunity), reactive (to solve a problem), reflective (to mirror internal changes externally), and updating (to stay current).

Dig into the "why now" behind the client‘s rebrand request to understand their goals and challenges. Their reasons for revamping their brand identity will shape your approach and anticipated outcomes.

3. How do you want people to feel when they interact with your new brand?

Maya Angelou famously said "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

The same principle applies to branding. Evoking emotion is what bonds people to brands. And according to research by Motista, customers who are emotionally connected to a brand have a 306% higher lifetime value.

Push the client to describe the feelings and associations they want their rebrand to elicit. Do they want to be seen as innovative and cutting-edge? Reliable and trustworthy? Luxurious and aspirational? Fun and approachable?

Narrowing in on the desired brand personality and attributes will help you craft a cohesive visual and verbal identity that strikes the right emotional chord with target audiences.

4. Which brands within and outside your industry do you admire, and why?

Asking clients for examples of brands they love is a surefire way to crystalize their vision and aesthetic preferences. Pay close attention to the specific qualities they highlight for each brand:

Brand	Admired Qualities	Relevance to Rebrand
Warby Parker	Minimal, vintage-inspired design and witty copywriting	Incorporate nostalgic design elements and playful messaging
Tesla	Sleek, futuristic visuals and sustainable ethos	Use cutting-edge imagery and emphasize eco-friendly practices
Airbnb	Friendly, inclusive tone and immersive digital experiences	Prioritize welcoming language and seamless UX across touchpoints

Drawing parallels between the client‘s brand crushes and your own creative direction shows them you understand their tastes and aspirations on a deeper level. It also gives you a clearer picture of how they want to be positioned relative to competitors.

5. What are 3-5 words that encapsulate the essence of your ideal brand?

Condensing a brand‘s identity into just a handful of adjectives can be challenging for clients. But pushing them to attach concrete descriptors to their vision is essential for your team‘s success.

Consider this word bank a cheat sheet to ensure your work aligns with the client‘s definitions of their brand. When in doubt, hold up your logo mockups, homepage wireframes and messaging matrices against the client‘s chosen terms and ask "Does this feel [insert adjective here]?"

Some common brand essence words to listen for include:

• Accessible
• Bold
• Caring
• Daring
• Dependable
• Elegant
• Fresh
• Inspiring
• Premium
• Sophisticated

If a client is really struggling to encapsulate their identity, provide a list of adjectives and ask them to select a few that resonate. Just be sure to have them explain their interpretation of each word as it relates to their brand.

6. What are your brand‘s core values and mission?

According to research by Cone/Porter Novelli, 78% of consumers say it‘s important for companies to stand up for important social, environmental and political issues. And one in four will switch to a purpose-driven company or brand.

In other words, having a clear brand purpose is increasingly essential for connecting with today‘s conscious consumers. But authenticity is key. Brands can‘t just jump on the cause marketing bandwagon – their activism must align with their stated values and mission.

As you develop the client‘s updated brand identity, look for ways to infuse their purpose and beliefs into the visual and verbal expression. Perhaps you create an icon system that represents their core values, or weave their mission statement into the website‘s About page copy and calls-to-action.

The more you can demonstrate the client‘s higher purpose, the more their rebrand will resonate on a human level.

Questions to Understand the Client‘s Target Audience

7. How would you describe your ideal customer?

You can‘t create an effective brand identity without a deep understanding of the people you‘re trying to reach. As digital marketing expert Neil Patel puts it, "Powerful branding is about connecting with your audience in a human and emotional way."

That means moving beyond basic demographic data and uncovering the client‘s target audience‘s motivations, preferences, behaviors and communication styles. If the client doesn‘t already have robust buyer personas, your agency can offer to conduct comprehensive audience research as part of the rebranding process.

In the meantime, collect details about the client‘s ideal customer profile using a framework like this:

• Demographics (age, gender, location, etc.)
• Psychographics (personality, values, interests, etc.)
• Goals and pain points
• Preferred channels and content formats
• Buying triggers and barriers

When brainstorming brand concepts, always view them through the lens of this target persona. Will the color palette, typography and messaging resonate with their aesthetic preferences? Does the overall brand experience cater to their lifestyle and habits?

Keeping the ideal customer top of mind will result in a more tailored rebrand that truly speaks their language.

8. How does your ideal customer make decisions about products/services in your industry?

B2B and B2C audiences have vastly different needs, priorities and journeys when it comes to purchasing decisions. For example, B2B buyers tend to rely heavily on third-party review sites, vendor comparisons and ROI calculators. Meanwhile, B2C shoppers are more influenced by experiential factors like website design, social proof and personalized offers.

As CRM software company SuperOffice notes:

"B2B customers base over 75% of their buying decision on whether or not they anticipate the business relationship with that company to be a positive one. On the other hand, B2C customers form their opinion based on the product or offer."

Knowing these key distinctions will help you develop a brand identity that builds trust and inspires action with the right decision-makers. If you‘re rebranding a B2B company, you may prioritize thought leadership content, data-driven infographics and case studies in the brand collateral. For a B2C brand, you might focus on creating immersive digital experiences, user-generated content and loyalty program perks.

The takeaway? Always consider the client‘s industry and customer mindsets to ensure the rebrand positions them favorably against competitors vying for attention at crucial touchpoints.

9. What brands do your ideal customers love and consistently buy from?

Another revealing lens for evaluating client‘s audience is the other brands they support with their wallets. Many of the same questions you asked the client about their brand crushes can be applied to their customers‘ go-to brands.

For instance, if their target shoppers are loyal to direct-to-consumer darlings like Casper, Glossier and Warby Parker, they likely value seamless digital experiences, minimalist design and cheeky copywriting. Knowing this, you can incorporate conversion-optimized UX, subtle wit and pared-down visuals into your client‘s rebrand to attract these buyers.

Analyzing the client‘s customers‘ favorite brands can also spotlight opportunities to differentiate. Perhaps all the leading players in the client‘s space have a corporate, buttoned-up identity, and their audience craves a more laid-back, relatable alternative. A rebrand that injects some much-needed personality and warmth could be the ticket to standing out and reeling in those underserved customers.

Ultimately, studying competing and analogous brands helps you gauge audience expectations and identify gaps your client can fill with branding.

10. How do you want to be positioned relative to competitors?

Speaking of competitive analysis, it‘s critical that agencies understand exactly how clients want to be perceived in their market. This positioning strategy will be the driving force behind all branding decisions.

According to EquiBrand Consulting, there are four main approaches to developing a brand positioning:

1. Customer-based: Appeals to a specific target audience based on their needs and preferences
2. Competitive: Differentiates the brand based on superior attributes or benefits
3. Product-based: Focuses on the unique features and use cases of the product/service
4. Cultural: Taps into a broader cultural movement or lifestyle

Work with the client to pinpoint where they currently stand and where they want to be. As part of your competitive audit, plot the client‘s aspirational position alongside their top competitors using a perceptual map.

This visual comparison will reveal white space opportunities for the client to credibly claim through strategic positioning. For instance, maybe there‘s an opening for them to be the most premium, innovative or sustainably-minded choice in their vertical.

Once you‘ve landed on a positioning sweet spot, devise a brand messaging framework and visual identity system that consistently reinforce these key traits across all touchpoints. The goal is for the brand to occupy a distinct and favorable place in the minds of its target customers.

Questions to Set Clear Expectations for the Redesign Process

11. Who needs to be involved in the feedback and approval process?

One of the quickest ways to derail a redesign is by neglecting to get buy-in from key stakeholders at the right checkpoints. To keep everyone aligned, build a list of approvers and their roles early on using a matrix like this:

Name	Title	Responsiblities	RACI Role
John Smith	CEO	Final sign-off on all deliverables	Accountable
Sue Johnson	CMO	Reviews strategy and positioning	Responsible
Sam Williams	Head of Design	Provides feedback on visual identity	Consulted
Liz Brown	Marketing Manager	Shares insights on previous branding efforts	Informed

The RACI acronym stands for:

• Responsible: Owns the work
• Accountable: Gives final approval
• Consulted: Offers input and opinions
• Informed: Kept in the loop on decisions

Agreeing on a clear RACI matrix with the client will streamline communication, prevent surprises and keep the project moving forward. It also helps you tailor your presentations and discussions to each stakeholder‘s priorities.

12. How many revision rounds are included for each milestone?

Nothing eats up agency time and profits like endless rounds of client changes. That‘s why it‘s crucial to set expectations about the revision process at the outset of the project.

Consider sharing these revision guidelines from Kinesis:

• Round 1: Agency presents 2-3 creative concepts for initial feedback. Client shares big picture reactions and chooses one direction with some suggested tweaks.

• Round 2: Agency refines the chosen concept and presents a fleshed-out execution. Client provides detailed feedback on specific elements like copy, graphics, layout, etc.

• Round 3: Agency makes final polishing updates and delivers the finished work. Any additional changes are subject to extra fees.

Be sure to specify what constitutes a "round" of revisions – i.e. consolidated feedback from all stakeholders, not piecemeal opinions from individual reviewers.

Also clarify at what point changes will incur additional charges, and how those fees will be calculated (hourly, per round, percentage of project total, etc.) Building this info into your proposal and contract will safeguard your agency from scope creep.

13. What‘s your ideal launch plan and timeline?

Nailing the right pace for a rebrand requires balancing the client‘s business goals with creative workflow realities. Rushing the process can lead to short-sighted strategies and subpar execution, while dragging it out can mean missed opportunities.

Collaborate with the client to map out a realistic project schedule based on factors like:

• Reason for rebranding (proactive vs. reactive)
• Scope and complexity of deliverables
• Number of decision-makers and review cycles
• Existing brand equity and consumer affinity
• Industry and market conditions
• Budget and resources

Plotting key milestones in a gantt chart can help you visualize dependencies and make smarter tradeoffs. For instance, you may advise a phased rollout vs. a "big bang" unveiling to meet a tighter turnaround while mitigating risk and disruption.

Also think through the sequencing of brand touchpoints based on exposure and impact. Prioritizing high-visibility assets like the logo, website and packaging allows the client to start generating buzz and gathering feedback sooner.

Ultimately, your goal as an agency partner is to balance speed and quality to achieve the client‘s objectives in a way that sets them up for long-term success.

There you have it – 13 probing questions to guide agencies through the pivotal discovery phase of a rebrand. By surfacing these critical details about clients‘ brand vision, audiences and expectations upfront, you can develop a focused, goal-oriented redesign strategy that delights all stakeholders involved.

Of course, this checklist is just a starting point. Every client and project comes with its own unique nuances and challenges. But if you home in on the core elements outlined here, you‘ll be well on your way to delivering a brand identity that truly moves the needle for your client‘s business.

Ready to rebrand your agency‘s approach to client onboarding? Implement this questionnaire into your next kickoff meeting and watch the "aha" moments unfold.