Your client is pushing for risky design changes. How can you protect the brand's visual identity?

I’ll explain the potential risks of the changes and how they could impact the brand’s visual identity and consistency. By presenting alternative solutions that achieve the client’s goals while protecting the brand’s core elements, I can find a compromise. Offering data, case studies, or mockups helps illustrate why staying true to the established identity is crucial for long-term success, building the client’s confidence in the approach.

Without risk there's no reward. That being said, be smart about what you're doing. Don't let the "better safe than sorry" people bully you into a bland campaign, but don't be so edgy that you ostracise your audience. If you're not living on the edge, you're takin up too much space... just know what's over the edge, haha.

I'd recommend setting up a design foundation document that outlines the brand's visual identity guidelines, including typography, color palette, and imagery. This will provide a reference point for both you and your client to ensure that any design changes align with the brand's overall aesthetic. By having this backbone in place, you can still collaborate with your client while maintaining the integrity of the brand's image.

Check if the new designs will confuse or alienate your audience. Ensure they align with your brand’s messaging and values. If you spot potential issues, explain these risks to your client. This approach helps balance innovation with maintaining brand identity.

Before you start to think about the consequences of this changes for the brand you should try to get a real answer from your client to just one question. You should repeat this question at least three times to every answer you get from your client. The question is: why??? Why do you want to change? Why you think it`s old-fashioned? Why colours and design are old-fashioned to you? I have seen it for too long. By chance you will find out the real reason for the change intention. Is it facts driven or, pure ego and emotion. This will give you the stage to build your argumentation. Ego and emotion will make things much more complicated. You won`t have a chance to win this debate with facts. You will have to defend the brand emotionally.

The last thing you want to do is come across as someone who knows everything—even in the role of an expert. Clients always have reasons for making their requests, even if those reasons might seem unreasonable. Listening doesn't mean agreeing with those requests; it simply shows respect. When clients feel respected, they are less likely to defend their ideas. That’s when we can rationally explain our reasons.

Good communication and dialogue are vital to the process, and understanding the purpose and strategy behind the proposed direction as well as the pressures your client is under will better position you to work with them and help them, as opposed to working against them. After understanding this, you can express your concerns or communicate how you'd like to take time to absorb this information to come back with a thoughtful strategy on how the objectives and goals can be achieved with what you believe to be best for the brand and the reasoning behind it.

When clients feel heard and valued, they are more open to considering your perspective on how the changes might affect the brand’s visual identity. This approach allows you to present your concerns thoughtfully, balancing innovation with the need to maintain brand integrity.

Beware of compromises. If you can`t stop your client, let the brand customers speak. Develop a Design according to your client demands. Point out the risks for the brand acceptance and recognition. Then check with existing customers what they think and how far this design still is their brand. Then Check with existing customers and prospective customers how they perceive the existing current Design. Understand the strength and weaknesses of it and develop conclusions for optimizations. By chance you will end up with a briefing for a thoughtful design relaunch and a client who is satisfied because he modernised the brand impression without destroying it`s heritage.

In my experience, once you understand the strategy and purpose behind the intended changes you can better assess your solutions to propose. I typically show the client options on a spectrum. For example, the option on the left would be their uninhibited vision, showing them how it works or doesn't work. The option on the right would be how you would solve the task at hand while maintaining brand integrity. The option in the middle would incorporate a compromise between both options. I have found it to be extremely valuable for the client to see how the vision and proposed strategy would play out. Usually, in this process, I can address and convince the client of the path I think works best and would be best for their brand.

Clients love it when they get options. Create design options that blend their ideas with your brand’s style. Present these alongside mock-ups to show how each option aligns with brand consistency. Discuss these with your client and ideally schedule a call with the art director and client, to explain why your suggested approach better supports the brand’s identity.

Help the client understand how major design changes can weaken brand identity. Show examples of past or current projects where maintaining visual consistency benefited the brand. Explain that drastic changes might cause confusion and loss of recognition

Provide data-backed examples of successful brands maintaining visual consistency. Educating clients about long-term brand equity fosters understanding.

Not only is strategic planning essential to the branding process, but this is a great opportunity to allow your intelligence and strategic capabilities to shine. Showing how you are thinking ahead and anticipating challenges will not only reassure your client that you're the person for the job, but it will also protect what you do now against potential risks in the future as it pertains to the brand.

Keep the brand fresh and contemporary. Modifications to the brand design are always to be seen in the light of market-and cultural changes and most important in relation with brand objectives and target audiences. Depending on these influencing factors it has to be discussed how far Design modifications have to go. The question is revolution or evolution. The idea of revolutionary changes is not always the best solution. Identification and recognition with the brand and it′s values are at risk at least with the existing customer base.