This post was written by Heath W. Black, poet, beagle owner, digital strategist and connoisseur of Lionel Richie records. 

The past week has been a pretty crazy one for me. I attended Facebook’s annual F8 conference with some of the Blueye Team. I had a golf match and football game rained out. I bought my beagle her first raincoat. I also bought a record player, bookshelf and paint for my living room remodel project (It’s less of a remodel than patching up things that need patched up, but I like how manly I feel when I say remodel). As I’ve been taping, painting, remodeling and assembling things I thought to myself, “Self- there’s something to learn here…”

But what could F8 and painting my house possibly have in common? A few things, really.

1. I’ve participated in both in the past seven days.
2. My wife has patiently listened to me talk about both in recent weeks.
3. Mark Zuckerberg was present at both (note: whether this is factual or not is still being verified by Snopes.com)
4. Most importantly, they both emphasize the notion of iterations or, as designers will say, iterative design (disclaimer: i’m not a designer or developer, so if this post is errant it’s because I think on a higher-plane than most individuals).

We’re blogging live from F8 for the day! feel free to leave comments, ask questions and engage!

It’s that simple. It doesn’t have to be a scary time for a brand. Actually, it should really be an exciting time. There are so many great examples out there of companies that have successfully gone through the rebranding process.

A major point of rebranding is to change your audience’s perception of your brand in a positive way. The cool new graphics and colors come next.

Sometimes rebranding is wildly successful. Remember these?

Old Spice: Almost overnight, Old Spice’s rebranding became a viral campaign that everyone was talking about. Those creative videos that were all over Youtube were such a hit that consumers took the reigns with promoting the brand. From zero to hero.

Chicago Tribune: There’s a new website for the Chicago newspaper as of today. Personally, I think it looks great and pretty easy to navigate. Take a look at it and tell us what you think of the new look.  Will it be enough to save the paper?

Blueye Creative: Or at least we’re in the process of it. Everyone in the office has been really excited about the launch of our newly designed website. We hope you’ll love it too.  There will be more information on that pretty soon.  Soon to be success ; )

Obviously not every rebranding effort is going to be such a success (see here), but with a killer strategy and the right tactics, anything is possible.

Which brands stand out when the word rebranding comes to mind?