Tasked with engineering a rebranding effort for their association, some leaders might consider the mission suitably accomplished with a new logo and color palette, perhaps augmented by a trendy visual upgrade to the organization’s website design. But, according to Michael Berens, director of research and knowledge resources for the American Society of Interior Designer (ASID), that’s just the eye candy.

What people say about you when you’re not in the room

“The brand isn’t just the organization’s graphic identity or changing up the logo. It’s what people say about you when you’re not in the room,” he said. “And you have to ask yourself some hard questions. Who do we want people to say we are? What are the messages we’re telling people that we need to live up to? Once you figure that out, you take it and go from there.

“Ultimately, you create a visual identity to help reinforce all that. But changing a logo won’t really help if you have an organizational issue. Just telling someone that you’re different doesn’t make you different.”

Berens, a 12-year ASID staff member, has taken the re-branding trek before. It’s never easy, he related. The latest effort—designed to distinguish ASID professionals from industry rank and file—was no exception. “We’re designing for designers, and we have 20,000 members with 20,000 opinions,” he said. “So there is always going to be some disagreement, but overall the reaction has been very positive. The national association created an online portal for its chapters, complete with predesigned materials to ensure a coordinated, comprehensive rollout of pertinent information.

A rebrand recap, called “The ASID Brand Story,” is on the association’s website and describes the process by which ASID assessed its existing brand, identified ways to communicate the organization’s essence and chose specific messaging/design elements to “convey what we want our members to feel pride in or know about ASID.

“The expectations here are very high, and to the people with the local chapters this can be an ordeal. So it’s important we have a purpose when we go and rebrand materials. It’s been a process of educating and working with folks.”

Looks like the hard work and organizational soul-searching has been worth the effort.

Lyle Fitzsimmons is an editor at Naylor, LLC.