3 to 5 weeks if the rebrand is visual identity and a brand manual only, without changing the name. 6 to 9 weeks if brand-new naming is needed, because every name option has to be checked against real domain, social media and trademark availability before it can move forward.
Why naming is the part that stretches the timeline the most
Designing a logo, colour palette and typographic system is a fairly predictable process once the name is locked in. Naming isn’t: a name that sounds right and conveys the right thing can turn out to be unusable if the domain is already registered, the social handles are taken by another account, or a similar trademark already exists in the same sector. Every time an option gets ruled out for one of these three reasons, new alternatives have to be generated and checked again — the real timeline depends on how many rounds of this it takes, not on how long it takes to think of a name.
What each phase includes
The visual identity phase, with or without new naming, delivers a complete logo, palette and typographic system, plus a usable brand manual with files in every format — not just a decorative PDF nobody opens again. When naming is new, that phase is added on top of the 3-5 weeks for visual identity, not replaced by it, because the final name has to be locked in before anything can be designed around it with confidence it won’t need redoing.
When you don’t need to change the name
Most rebrands don’t need new naming — the current name is still valid and what’s gotten dated is the visual identity or positioning. Changing the name only makes sense when the current one causes real confusion, clashes with a trademark in another sector, or no longer reflects what the business does today. Forcing new naming when it isn’t needed adds weeks of work with no real benefit.
The full service, including checking real availability before locking in a name, is at naming & branding. If the rebrand is part of a broader business change, not just the brand, business relaunch & rebranding also covers the upfront reputation and positioning diagnosis. For the full picture of brand content, see the brand content guide. Tell us what needs to change about your brand.