Did you hear the news? @reitdesign has officially rebranded! After 25 years in the biz we’ve updated our branding to better reflect who we are, what we do, what we stand for, and what we’re building as we move towards the future. Our team got together with @Liz Reitman to share the reasons behind the Reit redesign. Have a seat, stay awhile, and get to know the “new” Reit! 

Why did you decide to rebrand? 

It’s been a long time coming! When I started Reit 25 years ago, we were solely focused on design. We started before email was a thing(!) and throughout our time in business — from print design to websites to building out our animation and video arm — we’ve had to pivot. We’re constantly looking for opportunities to grow and better build out our services, with the goal to deliver the best experiences for our clients. Otherwise we wouldn’t be in business! We’re not trying to stray from our design roots, but we wanted our brand identity to better reflect the array of services Reit offers.

Why “Reit”?

I’ve been reitdesign for 25 years, I’ve always referred to ourselves as reitdesign, and all of our branding and assets said that; but no matter what, everyone called us “Reit!” So when we decided to rebrand, we thought the name change was a pretty natural progression. 

And as we thought more about it, we discovered that it better reflects who we are! Putting us in the “design” category felt limiting and not true to who we are.  Design is rooted in everything that we do, but we are so much more than that. Our breadth of services include: Strategy, Branding, Websites, Social Media, Video, Animations… and more! (Hey, if you need us you know where to find us!)

Plus “Reit” is simple, to the point, pretty catchy, and is a distinctive play on the word “right”! Which really speaks to our personal connections with our clients.  

How did you start the process and how did it evolve?

Our rebrand was underway well before COVID hit. And when it did, we made the most of the space and time afforded to us to focus more concretely on the project. Our rebrand gave us some much-needed excitement and momentum. And internally it gave us the strength to not only carry on, but to see something grow during such uncertain times. And I’m proud of us for that. Now, it feels really good to put it out into the world! 

What was it like rebranding through COVID?

The beauty of this process is that working on a rebrand remotely doesn’t compromise anything. By giving ourselves more time, the final product has gotten better and better. We drew inspiration from what we were doing for our clients, too! We’ve created a custom animation to showcase our fun and playful side right on the homepage. And we’ve added new sections, like our Insight blog, to bring more perspective from our side. Plus, we kept the fun little facts that people gravitated towards in our last site. 

What is the importance of brand identity for Reit (and for brands across all industries)?

Everything starts with the brand; because your brand isn’t just your logo; it’s your messaging, taglines, assets, and so much more. And that identity carries through to everything else. That’s the foundation; the base to build your house. If you don’t have concrete in the walls, you can’t put the wallpaper up. 

What does Reit’s new brand identity signify?

So many things! When we began to look at a new name, it became an opportunity to look at the overall look with fresh eyes. We pulled from our original brand identity to acknowledge our heritage. You may notice that the dot of the “i” in our new logo looks familiar…because it’s an homage to our last logo! We didn’t want to get rid of our past, but we wanted to acknowledge our future. So you’ll notice that we reworked the color orange throughout our redesign, to highlight the fresh and youthful thinking we continue to champion, alongside a new color palette that represents sophistication and maturity. 

You might notice the “i” and the “t” in our logo are connected. We did this to visually symbolize the connections we have with our clients. Relationships are paramount to us at Reit. We take care of our clients and listen to them; and because of that, we drive results and create outstanding work that lets them know we’re partners for the long haul.  

Then there are the circles, which add a level of dynamism and movement visually and signify the infinite curving, pivoting, fluidity, and versatility of our business. There’s nothing linear that we do and we wanted that to be reflected in our design! 

Share a takeaway from the redesign process you want people to know:

The redesign was definitely a team effort! From our initial team brainstorm to the finishing touches, our team was integral to the project. It was so important to me to include our entire team in the strategy, design and execution. We all had skin in the game to make this rebrand reflective of who we are. And that shows in the final product. 

Any last thoughts!

There’s a lot of thought that went into our redesign. And we’re hopeful that our design reflects who we are, where we come from, what we’re looking towards in the future, and our resilience through hard times — through 9/11, the 2008 financial crash, and now COVID. All this to say, we’re here to stay!