A Website Redesign vs. a Facelift: Make the Right Choice

This term is often used in the field of web design. It involves a complete or partial redesign of the site in order to improve its functionality and some elements of the site’s design. The main objective of the redesign is to remove the boundaries that prevent the site from performing the functions assigned to it.

Almost every site, sooner or later, is faced with the need to conduct such a procedure as a redesign. Technologies are being actively developed and implemented, devices that can be used to browse sites are changing, browser functionalities are being modernized, and trends in web design are undergoing changes. At one of these points, it becomes clear that the redesign must be carried out timely.

Facelift is a change in the elements that are responsible for the visual identification of the brand. This process can be both an integral part of the rebranding if the change in the site’s design is the result of radical changes in the brand or an independent procedure. It will be aimed at updating the appearance of the brand. Often, facelift affects several elements at once - the logo, packaging, and corporate identity.

Facelift as a means of updating the design is required if:

• Elements that carry out external identification are heterogeneous; do not reflect the activities of the company.
• Visual identification is difficult, which complicates recognition and memorization.
• Visual elements cause negative associations.
• The visual solution used is outdated and irrelevant.

Naturally, changes are the most stable things in our lives. The world is constantly striving to develop and implement new technologies, improve processes, and create completely new products and services. Changes occur everywhere and affect all spheres of human life, including the development of web resources. The problem of choice is always relevant because a website redesign, as well as a facelift, has its specific features.

Before redesigning or facelifting, you need to very clearly answer the following question: why is this done? Most often, there is a reasonable motivation:

• updating the brand,
• reaching a new audience,
• demonstrating changes, etc.

Then a clarifying question should be asked: does the redesign really solve this problem?

Redesign is a change not only in the visual identification of a brand (a design issue). Often it is one of the elements of rebranding. Facelift is used separately when the company only needs to update its visual perception. Most often, the redesign affects the logo, visual identification system, store design, website, and add some changes into the site’s functionality. At the same time, in the process of a facelift, all strategic aspects remain unchanged.

Facelift is necessary if brand elements do not correspond to the company’s activities today, visual elements cause negative associations or visual attributes no longer stand out and do not form brand recognition among competitors, and visual elements look outdated.

Facelift is like a beautiful dress, and you can wear it on existing processes. However, in some cases, it is important to start with internal processes, values, strategies, target audiences, and understand what the client and the business need.

Redesign is a great way to revitalize and make web resource work effectively. But at the heart of this process should also be an understanding of the reasons why facelift can be vital too.

As a rule, a redesign is carried out when a company expands its product line or range of services, changes its philosophy or format. At the same time, logo redesign serves as a beacon for consumers - in order to draw their attention to the changes occurring with the brand.

A redesign is necessary if the company’s logo is perceived by consumers as obsolete or contains elements that have already passed away. A classic example is the UPS logo: a package tied with a ribbon was part of the logo in the previous version, which became irrelevant over time due to a change in the approach to packaging of delivered goods. At the same time, the IKEA logo has not changed even since the founding of the company, which does not prevent the company from holding leadership positions.

The new logo is another opportunity to remind customers about your company. The larger the company, the more people will see the change in the logo and corporate identity. Unfortunately, the changed design alone will not increase brand loyalty in any way, and without internal changes aimed at improving the customer experience, it will be perceived as an unconvincing sign of the growth and development of the company. In other words, logo facelifting is good as a PR occasion, but only when everything inside the business is excellent, and there is nothing more to improve.

• The virtual platform is out of date. This applies primarily to domestic resources. High technologies are now developing at such a pace that new services appear every year. Perhaps the lack of innovative programs hinders the promotion and development of the site. Therefore, it's time to order a redesign of the site.
• The web site was created using a poor quality template. Sites created according to the template cost their owners inexpensively, but they do not bring much profit either since their promotion seems to be difficult both in technical data and in content.
• The site’s capabilities are limited and do not allow visitors to use the web pages with convenience and full scale. If the study and analysis of usability behavior suggest that the audience is not satisfied with the quality of the site, it is time to order a new design for the site.

This is very simple. If at least two concepts from the list below correspond to reality when choosing new technology for a site, then it definitely needs to be implemented:

• It will make viewing and using the site more convenient and comfortable.
• It will increase the speed of loading the site.
• It will help reduce the cost of maintaining the site.

At the moment, the speed of loading the site on all devices is very important, as it not only increases conversion but also helps to rank better in Google search results.

Having figured out the necessity of a website redesign/facelift, it becomes clear that these changes give many advantages to the owner of the resource. As a result of a redesign/facelift, you get more beautiful and attractive to visitors site, meeting the most modern requirements. In addition, your resource runs smoothly and is perfectly ranked by search engines, which greatly increases its effectiveness.

The redesign allows you to bring it in line with the current situation in your company, business, and industry. Finally, a corporate resource after carrying out work to change the design of the site begins to perform in full the functions that its owner requires.