The art of letting go: Why debranding might be your brand’s best friend
Paul Croxton, founder and creative director at Ascend Studio, explains ‘debranding’ and explores why applying this idea can lead to stronger brand creation.
Old brands can be a bit like old mates – familiar, comfortable, reliable (sometimes). But as you grow, some drift into the background, confined to a dusty Facebook list: still present, yet no longer relevant. As in life, progress often means letting go of what no longer serves you and surrounding yourself with a more inspiring, useful crowd.
This is where debranding comes in.
Debranding isn’t about erasing history. It’s about giving your brand room to breathe, rethink and re-emerge stronger. Think of it like spring cleaning for your identity – dust off what’s still shining, recycle what’s lost its sparkle and toss the rest without guilt.
Why we cling to the old stuff
We all have attachments. Colours, fonts, taglines, even the little quirks in tone of voice – they carry memories, represent ‘who we are,’ and make us feel safe. But safety can be a trap. If your brand is anchored too firmly in nostalgia, it risks drifting out of step with the people you actually want to connect with.
But you don’t have to abandon the good bits. You just have to be honest about what still matters – and what’s holding you back. That’s the art of debranding.
More ‘therapy’ than ‘makeover’
Debranding isn’t about throwing everything at a wall and seeing what sticks. It’s a bit like therapy for your brand: asking tough questions, peeling back layers and sometimes confronting truths nobody wanted to face.
- What parts of your brand still serve your audience?
- Which elements are relics of the past, charming but useless?
- Are there habits or assumptions hiding in plain sight that stop you moving forward?
Answering these questions clears the pathway for a rebrand that can really flex instead of just looking good on the surface.
A real-world example
Take Venner Shipley, a long-established intellectual property law firm we worked with. On paper, they were a traditional law firm, but beneath that, they were quietly supporting innovators changing the world.
Their old messaging? Very inward-looking. Lots of ‘we, we, we’ and not much about the people whose lives they were really impacting. Through debranding, we stripped away the noise and uncovered their true story: ‘Empowering the next generation of innovators.’
This insight didn’t just become a tagline, it shaped everything: visuals, website, tone of voice, photography, even the way the firm spoke to clients. The brand went from talking at people to actually inviting them into a conversation. None of that would have happened without first letting go of ingrained habits and outdated narratives.
Debranding is messy (and that’s OK)
Expect a bit of friction – old habits die hard. But when you focus on outcomes over preferences, listening over lecturing and clarity over comfort, the process becomes collaborative instead of combative.
Brands are lived experiences, not abstract ideas. Frame change in human terms: how will this make clients feel? How will it help employees connect? How will it shape perception? Keep those questions front and centre and suddenly the messy bits feel worthwhile.
When to reach for debranding
- Your market has shifted, but your brand hasn’t.
- Your business has evolved, your brand should too.
- Old baggage is weighing you down, reputationally or creatively.
- You’re merging brands and need to find one cohesive identity.
- Your visual style is stuck in a previous decade.
Debranding isn’t a loss – it’s a liberation. It’s the part of branding that lets you shed unnecessary weight, focus on what matters and open a clear route to a brand that’s alive, relevant and ready for the future.
So, next time you’re staring at your logo, website, or messaging and feeling that twinge of ‘meh’, ask yourself: what am I ready to let go of? The answers might just transform everything and set your brand up for a much more productive future.
