In simple terms, a brand refresh is — as the name suggests — an evolution and refinement of the existing brand. A rebrand is a new brand.

A brand refresh refines what already exists. The core identity — the logo, the colour palette, the visual language — remains recognisable, but is evolved to feel more current, more considered, or more aligned with where the business has grown. Typography might be refined, colours adjusted, photography elevated, the overall system tightened and made more consistent. The brand equity that has been built over time is preserved. The business still looks like itself — just a sharper, more confident version of itself.

A rebrand starts from a different premise entirely. It’s the right response when the existing identity is fundamentally misaligned with the business — when the positioning has changed, when a merger or acquisition has altered the entity, when the market has shifted in ways the current brand can no longer address, or when the identity is so compromised that evolution isn’t enough. A rebrand doesn’t refine. It replaces.

A refresh asks: how do we make this better? A rebrand asks: what should this actually be?