By now I'm sure you've all seen or have been the new WalMart logo. Here they are side by side for comparison sake. Obviously WalMart did extensive testing of this logo before they would make a move this large to a logo they know resonate with consumers positively. And this shows exactly how small the changes can be that have massive positive or negative affects towards your brand and consumer's identity with it.
On face value, you could say that all they did was "freshen it up". But that's really the narrow view. If you look closely, you can see that the font, color, icon, spacing and depth have all been changed. All of these aspects are vital for great logo design and they all require their own distinct research and rounds and rounds of testing.
Our estimates put the number of different variations that were developed before this final logo was designed upon at approximately 100-150. This no doubt went through many channels and departments for weigh-in, buy-in and approval. They also did international trademark and service mark research for the icon and new logo to be sure it wasn't being duplicated worldwide.
So take some tips from WalMart. Testing is essential. You probably aren't making a logo or brand change this large and broad, but the essential parts of your corporate re-branding efforts are similar. It starts with concepts, designs and vision and massive amounts of testing throughout the process. This is hard to do with a $99 logo change.
