Modernizing a 20-Year-Old Brand: What We’ve Learned, What Comes Next, and Why Playing It Safe Is the Worst Idea You Can Have
I’m real close to taking on a new project, a brand that’s been around for 20 years, and I’m speaking about it like it’s already in the bag because, frankly, it’s just a matter of time. (I’m a big believer in speaking things into existence.)
Modernizing a brand that’s been operating for two decades is no small task.
Refreshing/renewing/updating/reinvigorating a brand, whatever you call it, isn’t just about making things look pretty. It’s about honoring legacy while building relevance. It’s about retaining trust while sparking curiosity. It’s about showing the world, and often the brand’s own team, that the best years aren’t behind them… they’re just finally showing up.
This isn’t theory for us. We’ve done it before, most notably with Bustin Boards, a legacy longboard brand with NYC roots and a loyal global customer base. That project was a masterclass in brand evolution, and it left us with three essential lessons that we’ll carry into this next transformation.
1. Your Brand Is Your Soul
Too many companies, when they embark on a “rebrand,” rush to change the logo. And we get it, it feels like the most visible sign of change but in truth, it is just easy and lazy. Slapping a new font on your name doesn’t move the needle if your story, values, and tone of voice stay stuck in the past.
We made a small logo change for Bustin, it wasn't a key part of the project but it was made sense once we got into the planning. The thing is, we didn’t modernize it in the conventional sense. We went backwards to move forward. We leaned into the past by taking inspiration from MTV’s early branding approach, one master logo, infinite creative treatments. Every time Bustin’s logo appeared, it wore a new outfit. Sometimes gritty, sometimes bold, sometimes hand-drawn, always expressive. It was a celebration of Bustin’s identity: creatively driven, never static, deeply personal. It made the logo an evolving symbol, not just a stamp.
But that was just the tip of the iceberg. We overhauled their messaging, their visual tone, their social personality. We pulled stories from the founders’ lives, used customer voices in content, and built campaigns around the people who loved the brand.
The Big Lesson: A rebrand isn’t about replacing your old identity—it’s about revealing the soul that was there all along. Logos can help. But stories win hearts. And if your stories haven’t changed in 20 years, your audience probably has.
2. Evolution Beats Reinvention (And Geography Matters More Than You Think)
One of the most misunderstood parts of rebranding is this idea that you need to burn it all down and start from scratch. In most cases, that’s not just unnecessary—it’s a mistake.
With Bustin, we didn’t reinvent the brand—we evolved it. We took what had always been true about them and simply put a spotlight on it. For example: most skateboard brands are dripping in California culture. Palm trees. Pool skating. Board shorts and sun-faded asphalt.
Bustin is none of that.
They’re a New York City brand. Born in the boroughs. Designed for daily commuting, dodging taxis, and bombing down Broadway at 7 AM on your way to work. Their boards are about movement, not leisure. Their customers skate to get somewhere, not just to express themselves.
So we made New York a character in their brand story. From visuals to campaign copy to product naming, everything reflected that East Coast grit and hustle. We didn’t invent a new narrative, we just finally told the truth, loud and proud.
The Big Lesson: Don’t erase your DNA, embrace it. The things that have always made you different are the very things people want to rally around. Lean into your location, your roots, your quirks, your scars. That’s what makes your brand human.
3. Safe Is the Riskiest Strategy of All
Here’s the part that might sting a little.
If you want to play it safe with your brand update, don’t bother. Honestly. Save your money. Put it in a high-interest savings account. Because doing anything that isn’t bold right now is a waste of time and budget.
We live in a world where attention is the most scarce currency. Everyone is busy, overstimulated, and flooded with more options than ever before. If your refreshed brand doesn’t make people feel something, if it doesn’t stop the scroll, raise an eyebrow, or start a conversation, you’re not standing out, you’re blending in.
When we worked with Bustin, we pushed them to take chances again. Visually. Verbally. Strategically. We told them, “If your brand doesn’t make you a little nervous, it’s not bold enough.” We did collabs that didn’t make sense on paper but made perfect sense culturally. We created content that was weird and specific and deeply shareable. And every time we leaned into that discomfort, engagement grew.
The Big Lesson: In branding today, the biggest risk is trying to appeal to everyone. You end up resonating with no one. Safe branding makes you invisible. Bold branding makes you unforgettable.
So if you’re going to do this, really do it. Make it impossible to ignore.
Where We’re Headed Next
This next project (the one I’m speaking into existence) is shaping up to be another legacy brand on the edge of a new chapter. They’ve built trust. They’ve done the work. They’ve lasted 20 years for a reason. But their outside no longer reflects what’s inside. Their customers have changed. The world has changed. And now it’s time for them to change, too.
With what we learned from Bustin, and a decade of other bold brand experiments behind us, we’re ready to help them evolve in a way that’s true, sticky, emotional, and future-ready.
Because refreshing/renewing/updating/reinvigorating a brand, whatever you call it, isn’t about becoming someone new. It’s about finally becoming the version of yourself that people can’t stop talking about.
Want More?
If this got you thinking, then you’ll love my book. It’s called The Only Creative Process That Matters, and it’s packed with the frameworks, stories, and battle-tested ideas that have helped brands like Zipcar, FreshBooks, Bustin Boards, and Voitures Extravert make their mark.
Buy it. Gift it. Dog-ear it. And then go build something unforgettable.
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