When is the right time to brand?

After 5+ years of working with 100+ startup clients, the creative team at BOMBA have noticed a pattern...

Every early-stage tech business goes through the same branding evolution.

There’s nothing wrong with that and zero judgement - in fact, quite the opposite.

Read on to see where you fit in this timeline, the key factors to consider when rebranding, and how a strong brand can help take your business to the next level:

PRE-LAUNCH (LESS THAN 1 YEAR)

Your brand comprises of a basic logo from Fiverr, an arbitrary colour palette, and some stock photos.

You're starting out so the business is bootstrapped and every penny counts. You don't know whether you're going to be in business tomorrow, and you're likely a way off product-market fit, so why would you invest in your brand?

FIRING UP

Your core value proposition isn't entirely nailed just yet but you definitely have proof of concept, and some proof of demand. You need to get the wheels going and speak to investors to help fund the company for its next growth stage.

Enter the chicken-and-egg hamster wheel:

You need to look smart and polished. Like a "proper business," if you will.

But you're engaging investors for the cash to do that - so how can you pay for a full rebrand?

Instead, you enlist the pros on a decent pitch deck design job with creative freedom to spruce up the brand while they're at it - with a view to line up the agency once the dollar bills come in.

• Check out the pitch deck design we did for AI startup, Popp, who were in this exact predicament. No budget for a full rebrand, but needed a smart-looking deck to help secure investment. (Spoiler: they successfully raised £XX in just 3 weeks).

SEED STAGE (1–3 YEARS)

Welcome to your first everything! Your first proper VC fundraise, your first paying customers, your first official hires, and likely your first agency engagement.

Now's the time to enjoy the weird questions being thrown at you in the kick-off workshop, feel nervous about whether or not you made the right call, and a huge sense of relief and delight when you see the results delivered by a "proper" design studio.

• Cast your eyes on this magical rebrand we did for YC-backed AI startup, Cosine.

READY TO SCALE UP

The brand created at the beginning either needs refreshing or totally recreating. We actually recommend not doing this too often. (We know, a design studio that's telling you not to rebrand too regularly!) It does take time to build a solid brand, establish your positioning, build awareness, shape perception, and develop memorability. Consistency is the key here.

Having said that, there are definitely times when it's crucial for a business to revisit its branding...

If you meet one of the below factors, consider a rebrand:

• You look the same as everyone else.

• You've pivoted and the old branding no longer works.

• Trends have moved on and you need to keep up with the times.

• You've secured a larger fundraise and can afford to work with higher-quality talent.

• You're expanding into new markets.

• Or you're expanding your offering.

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BOMBA - The creative studio for explosive brands

We're behind some of the most exciting tech businesses; from healthtech scale-up GripAble to UK Top 5 Startup, Tempo; from UIPath-acquired re:infer; to YC-backed AI startup Cosine, we combine world-class creativity and startup experience to deliver explosive brands that translate to real business success.

Offering services across branding, graphic design, strategy, content creation, copywriting, and campaigns, we are a remote-first collective with bases in London, Barcelona, and Medellín.

Curious to know more?

Get in touch.