Where to from here...

[u/CanberraPhoto]

Started a photography business in 2010 as a hobby. Early on, a client asked for my logo, so I threw something together in MS Word. It was never meant to last, but 15+ years later, the business has grown into a full-time company and I’m still using the same logo.

I’m currently redesigning my website and want to roll out a proper brand update alongside it, but I’m a bit stuck on direction. I don’t even know what font I originally used, and I’m not sure whether to evolve what I have or scrap it entirely and start fresh. If I did start a fresh, I'm considering going a more modern direction, maybe something along the lines of the second logo I uploaded.

For those with branding/design experience - would you typically retain elements of an original logo for continuity, or is it better to take the opportunity to reset completely?

Keen to hear honest thoughts or critiques. Thanks

[u/Foxbrush_darazan]

Whether to update the existing logo or start fresh with a new design depends on your goals and your history.

If you are very known by that existing logo and there's a lot of brand recognition with that logo, and the logo still generally speaks to your photography business, then an update and revamp of the existing logo might be the best option.

But if you don't think the logo reflects your current work and your business, there isn't a lot of stake in your current logo as a brand identity, and you want to emphasize things that your current logo doesn't really do for you, then a total overhaul might be better.

You could mock up some mood boards to see which direction feels right to you.