We've had a rebrand and here is why you should | Cleverbox

An image graphic of the new rebranded Cleverbox website on an IMac

After over 20 years of helping more than 1,000 schools and hundreds of Multi-Academy Trusts rebrand themselves, Cleverbox took on their most challenging branding project yet – themselves.

Founder, Rob Kemp reflects on their recent role reversal: “A rebranding agency rebranding themselves! What a nightmare. We’re the world’s biggest critics. And doubly so on ourselves. But we also knew that we were the only people right for the job.”

Company directors, Dan Clackett, Karen Pryor and Rob Kemp, discuss the difficulties and the delights of the last few months. Rebrand done, they’ve emerged refreshed, focused and eager to share insight into how to deliver an outstanding rebrand.

1. Don’t put it off

When you’re so busy dealing with everyday needs, it’s easy to overlook long-term goals, like a rebranding project. Especially if your trust or school is already successful and has no immediate need for change. Dan explains,

“I think the biggest challenge about rebranding is just having the time amongst everything else. To stop and think properly and then to rebrand. Which is why we lead on this for our clients and help ensure they don’t need to deliberate over things. Because as the experts we are the ones setting the pace of the project and we’re there to take the lead.”

Rob adds to why Cleverbox took slightly longer to reveal their new look: “We took the opportunity to rebrand our studio over the covid period. So, when our staff came back there was a new vibrant fresh feel running through the fabric of the studio reflecting our core values and new brand. I wanted something to reinvigorate the company when we returned after a really awful time. When our staff walked in, there was an instant positiveness which was amazing to see. But we didn’t roll it out publically at the time, it wouldn’t have been right.”

2. Don’t sit still

It’s difficult for successful organisations to have the self-awareness that what they’ve done is great, but what they need to do in the future might be different.

Dan is passionate about this point: “Don’t sit on legacy. There’s a danger in that. If you just rely on your name and what you’ve done in the past, other people will catch you up. There’s going to be more change in the next five years in how schools talk to parents and their wider communities than there has been in the last 25 years, and we need to be mindful of that. We need to make sure that our clients can rely on us to be ahead of the game. And this rebrand has reshaped us for that future. It’s an evolution. We’ve built a really strong foundation over the last 20 years and now we’re building on top of that with a focus on the next 20 to come.”

An image of a dog in the cleverbox office

An image of two cleverbox employees having a conversation in the reception area

3. Be inclusive

For a rebrand to be successful, it should develop with everyone, not just senior leaders. For Karen, this was key:

“We’ve got a growing team. We were taking on new people and new products and we wanted to include them. Creating the website and marketing material’s new look, we involved everyone in our team, old and new, so that they now all have ownership and can feel involved in the successes that we have and the direction we are going in. It’s something that has developed with everyone and that’s really important. All our staff are engaged and refreshed.”

4. Have purpose behind your school rebrand

Whatever the reason is to rebrand, you have to do it with purpose. There’s so much more to rebranding than just having a nice new logo.

Rob recalls: “When we started, we started with ‘why?’. We’re a successful company that has rebranded not because we’re failing, but because we want it to better represent what we offer and who we are. We needed a new brand to capture the new roles and unique services. We wanted to show how we are so much more than other design agencies.”

Karen agrees: “Don’t just change for change’s sake. It’s about getting everyone on the team engaged in how you are putting yourself forward. You want everyone to realise they are part of a company that is presenting itself in a professional, modern, updated way. Moving forward we want to attract new talent. We want new people and clients that align with our core values. So, we need to know who we are. Our rebrand has given us that self-discovery and has pushed us forward in being true to what we are and who our team is.”

An image of a Cleverbox employee in front of a wall graphic highlighting our values

5. Start with your vision and values

When we discuss branding, we’re not just talking about logos, fonts and colours. We talk about the whole philosophy. Your mindset, vision and the values you stand for that implements the brand. Rob explains:

“We went through a rigorous few months of work to get our values and visions spot on. Our senior team and directors were involved in this whole process. Together we worked out what was most important to us and what we stand for. It is actually a really difficult thing to do. But it got us all focused. It got us all aligned. It gave us clarity. We want to attract other people that are aligned with our values. So now when we meet new potential staff or clients, we use our values as a qualifying tool – do we both align?”

6. Challenge. Challenge. Challenge

It’s what we do to our clients. And during our rebrand we did the same to ourselves. Dan explains:

“We always ask ‘where’s the uniqueness’? What’s the difference between what you do as a school or Multi-Academy Trust which differs from others? Until you have that conversation it’s very difficult to come up with a proposition that truly reflects your brand.”

“You have to be honest, and we make a point of being open if we don’t think something is quite right. Because we hear the narratives from so many different trusts throughout the year, we know instantly if clients are just repeating the same info as all the others. We’ll then work with them to find that uniqueness that helps them to stand out.”

Karen adds: “Our new strapline representing us is, ‘Distinctively creative’. It’s part of our values and why we do what we do. We really do make our clients stand out and this is what sets us apart from other agencies. Our creativity and passion are what makes us.”

7. Rebranding has made us stronger

Because we’ve just been through the rebranding process, we understand its value. We know the pitfalls and we know the success that comes out of it if you do it right.

Karen explains: “It has reinforced what we do. Having gone through the process recently it strengthens our faith in the tools and processes we undertake with our clients, because they really do work. It has reinvigorated our ways of doing things.”

Dan adds: “We’re re-energised, it’s been transformative. And on a more basic level, I just love the new website! I can’t wait to show our clients how great it is.”

Rob summarises: “It’s a brave decision to rebrand when you’re a successful company, however, it’s so easy to just sit back on your laurels thinking we’re doing well, let’s not rock the boat. But long term, we knew that would have been a mistake. It’s brought a lot of positive attention to us. I love the new brand and how it reflects how the company is evolving. It really feels like the business has more purpose, momentum and direction than ever.”