Re-Branding. Make-over’s. People don’t do it because they have the money; they do it because they NEED to. The question now is, do you or your business or website really need a make-over or a re-design?

I want us to understand what it is to re-brand or re-design or do something all over again; not just because we want to – but because we NEED to. So think about what it is you do for a minute or so; how successful is it? What have you been doing wrong or right? What worked? What didn’t?

Are you willing to work on what you need to get to where you need to be? I’m going to list some ways you can know exactly the time when you need a redesign.

When do I need a re-design, a make-over, a change or a re-branding?

Some people actually don’t have any sort of plan whatsoever. They don’t know what works for them and what doesn’t. Depending on the kind of business you do, the results vary. For instance, I had to do a redesign of the Pishon Business Cards when I realised they were not properly representing what I do. I also did a major redesign of this blog when I realised traffic for the blog was reducing at a fast place. Following this example, you can say you need an absolute re-design or make-over – as the case may be – when you:

– Seem to be doing much worse than when you started. You got a job that initially paid well. After 3 months, they demoted you and reduced your salary. What do you do? Stick around? Hell NO! My point exactly. You need a re-think. And a resignation letter.

– Are not making any profit from what you do (if it’s a profit-oriented website): If you created some site to sell ads, and it’s not selling, then it seems to me there’s something wrong with your designs. People aren’t seeing them – that’s why they aren’t clicking them. Really. Go back and check again.

– When people start complaining about you. When people start complaining about the quality of your work, then you’re in real big trouble. This is one thing I never let happen to me. Before a client even thinks of re-designing his site, I’ve emailed him like 2-3 sample designs for his new site. Yeah, I bill him for it, but trusts me, he doesn’t complain. The idea is to be on top.

– When you need to be on top of your game. Even when no one is complaining. (Remember the Pishon cards I used as an example? No one was complaining that the cards were ugly – cuz they weren’t. The cards were not just bringing me what I needed.

– If it’s not fulfilling its purpose: Like my personal music website when I initially designed it. I thought it was all about design. I forgot the site was created to sell my CDs, get people to listen to my music online, download it and give an online presence. It wasn’t until when I was taking stock that I realised my error. Needless to say, I spent the next hours in Photoshop. When I was through, even I knew the difference. The traffic gain and number of downloads and plays actually tripled. See the problem? Nothing was wrong with the website itself – I simply needed to change the design so I could make the web site fulfil its purpose.

So, how does Redesigning work?

Redesigning works in different ways. In different models. They even go by different names. For example, someone going on a weight loss programme is undergoing a re-design; someone changing a particular lifestyle is undergoing a redesign of some sort.

The question is what you want to achieve after the re-design, and how to test it to see if you’ve successfully reached your target. Facebook for instance, keeps re-designing their profile changes almost every single month. Lately, they upgrade, redesign, re-position, re-everything – just so that they’ll be on top of their game. Even Twitter had a major re-design. Myspace too. All of them. I seriously doubt they did it cuz they had so much money and wanted to splurge. Nope. I think they did it because they NEEDED to.

Try it out. Design your website. Get that new hair do. Change your apartment. Upgrade your software. You can’t get out of the box by hiding inside it.

Zee