Our brand is outdated – Orange Square

Why rebranding requires a human-centered approach: For B2B health CEOs and CMOs leading change

What does it mean that Orange Square embraces a human-centered approach?

In order to talk about that, I think we need to talk about the opposite of a human-centered approach, which is a corporate-centered approach. This is where a lot of companies operate from. It makes sense. I’m not blaming you. It’s okay. But corporations have a culture, right?

A lot of times you’re setting goals and thinking it’s a financial goal or something you’re trying to reach. So when a company has an initiative, what happens is it goes through a process: initiation, planning, execution, delivery of whatever you’re making, and then measurement and refinement. The problem with corporate-centered goal setting is you aren’t finding out what the audience wants until too late in the process because you didn’t check in with that audience.

I wrote a whole book on this called Shift: Leading Change with Human-Centered Innovation. You can check it out on Amazon.

So what does it mean that Orange Square takes a human-centered approach? It means that we’re centering people in everything we do. It could be your customers, your teams, your partners.

In a rebrand, we’re looking at all aspects of your business and every single kind of audience you have, internal and external.

We are focusing on the real challenges that any of these audiences are facing. We dig into the right problems, which means we have a problem-finding mindset. I think that often what happens in business is everyone’s so anxious to get to producing something that they define something quickly, get excited that it’s defined, and move straight into problem-solving. I would implore you to really take some time and have a problem-finding mindset.

This probably comes from my background as a designer, because what we were taught is if you solve the wrong problem, you get the wrong answer. I know we’ve all had that experience.

So a human-centered approach means defining the right problem clearly.

This is where you understand what it is, then connect ideas to solutions, prototype, and test. You can think about what the possibilities are. It doesn’t mean that business goals are bad, but it means that you’re going to waste time and money if you invest in all those steps before understanding that you haven’t solved the right problem.

That’s what makes our approach to rebranding stand out: In every aspect, we take a human-centered approach.

5 things health leaders need to know about rebranding: Start your brand transformation right

So why is a human-centered approach especially important when you’re working with B2B health-related companies?

This is something we really focus on at Orange Square.

And there are five points:

It helps you mitigate risk. In health, trust is fragile. Placing people’s needs first in business decisions reduces stakeholder distrust and market resistance. It accelerates adoption and market growth.
It shortens your sales cycles and accelerates market entry because you understand and address the real motivations of the key decision-makers and market influencers you work with.
It increases competitive advantage and differentiation. By aligning your offerings around genuine customer needs, your solutions resonate more strongly. It makes it easier for your customers to choose to buy and to support your brand.
It drives internal alignment and productivity. In organizations guided by a human-centered approach, employees see the real human impact of the work. That in turn increases morale, productivity, and retention — all critical for operational efficiency and cost control.
It fosters long-term growth and stability. Because you’re focusing on problem finding, you stay focused on your clients. You’re aligned with the market’s shifting expectations because you’re paying attention. You’re protecting your strategic investments and positioning your business for sustainable, resilient growth.

Why rebranding in B2B health is really a transfer of trust

So why is it that rebranding is high stakes for health-related companies?

Well, because in this sector, rebranding isn’t just a visual refresh — it’s a transfer of trust. I’ve learned over the years that that’s really the business we’re in. We’re in the trust transfer business. In rebranding health organizations, they’re held to a higher standard. You know this. It’s important.

Many leaders assume that trust will carry over, but it doesn’t. I know that inside, you know what the trust is. But in a rebrand where things are changing, you have to be intentional. You have to earn that trust again, and it has to be reinforced.

That’s where we come in. Our human-centered approach at Orange Square is a structured framework that helps ensure that this trust is preserved and strengthened throughout the transition.

How to make rebranding less risky: What health CEOs and CMOs need to know

How does Orange Square make the rebranding process less risky?

Well, we de-risk rebranding by aligning your brand strategy with your business strategy. That means every brand decision supports your larger goals, like funding growth or expansion.

We also help you define your unique position in the markets. We bring clarity and definition from your competitors. We want you to stand out.

We want you to be who you are. With the right architecture, your brand identity structure will be clear, easy to comprehend, and will make sure your company’s strengths are visible both internally and externally.

What makes the Orange Square approach different: Rebranding is business transformation, not design

What makes Orange Square’s approach different in rebranding?

We combine a proven strategic framework with a human-centered mindset. We don’t just walk you through some brand exercise and do a little bit of strategy and then get to identity. We focus on how what you’re doing in this change builds credibility and creates alignment inside and out. We help unify internal teams, gain investor confidence or board member confidence or advisor confidence. And we build a brand that people trust.

In short, we are helping you avoid the common missteps that companies make when they’re treating rebranding like a design exercise. It is not a design exercise. It is a business transformation.

Why branding firms all sound the same: Here’s what makes Orange Square different

Our clients over the years have said, “When we have people come in and they do pitches, you all sound the same.”

It’s one after the other. And I think the reason that creative services firms often sound the same and look the same on their websites is their focus on process; and that looks something like discovery, brand audit, creative strategy, creative execution, implementation. I mean, if you have ever searched for these services before, you have seen this on people’s websites. And I think that, as a designer myself, maybe early in my career, I fell into this. It’s like you just need enough information to get to the design piece. But that approach is really focus on it being a design approach. And I think this is also where the misconception comes in that rebranding is design and marketing. It’s because people are so focused on this process approach.

The Orange Square framework approach, on the other hand, provides a strategic blueprint that guides focused, high-level decision making and alignment across the entire organization before any kind of creative assessment is made; before strategy or execution has even been broached.

It clarifies your business objectives, determines your brand architecture, aligns internal teams, employees, and everyone at all levels of the company. It defines your clear market position, giving you a competitive advantage. It sets a clear vision for business growth, helping you leverage past success while positioning your future opportunities. It ensures your leadership teams move forward with unified clarity and purpose, and it establishes the trust in market presence essential for sustained business success, including if you’re a publicly traded company, shareholder value.

What sets Orange Square apart: 23 years in B2B health and research branding

We’ve talked about Orange Square’s framework and human-centered approach, but what else sets Orange Square apart?

Well, a lot actually. First, we specialize in business to business health and research. We have for 23 years. We’ve worked across the entire research and health spectrum from payers, clinical research and digital health to universities and other non-profits. We understand how critical trust is in this space, especially during times of change.

Our work is all about helping organizations in transition preserve and strengthen that trust.

Why rebranding is strategic transformation NOT just a visual update

Why is it important for leaders to approach rebranding as a strategic business transformation, rather than simply updating a visual identity?

Whether you’re a founder, legacy CEO, our new executive, rebranding is fundamentally about strategic transformation. It demands careful attention because emotional and psychological challenges run much deeper than visual identity alone. Leaders must actively prepare their teams and stakeholders for challenges, including disruption of trust.

Stakeholders often become uncertain and skeptical when familiar brand elements shift.

Resistance to change: People naturally cling to what they’ve known, especially something they’ve deeply valued and trusted for years. Fear of loss of credibility: There’s common anxiety that changing a brand might dilute or confuse the company’s established reputation and audience connection. How does understanding and addressing these emotional dynamics create the foundation for a successful rebrand? It reinforces internal cohesion. It builds stakeholder confidence. And it drives sustainable growth.

Why legacy leaders should embrace rebranding: Protecting your legacy by evolving it

For founders or legacy CEOs deeply connected to their existing brand: Why should they embrace rebranding despite the emotional resistance?

Legacy CEOs have built their brand around identity, history and purpose. Naturally, it can feel risky, even personal. However, resisting rebranding when it’s needed can seriously undermine trust and relevance in the long term. By embracing strategic rebranding, you ensure the legacy you have valued so deeply remains vibrant and relevant, rather than slowly losing its influence or becoming outdated.

Rebranding thoughtfully strengthens your company’s trust and credibility, honoring the past while aligning your brand for the future.

Why new CEOs shouldn’t overlook rebranding: It’s not a design project, it’s a growth strategy

For new CEOs: Why is rebranding something they can’t afford to overlook or treat as a design exercise?

New CEOs typically inherit brands rather than build them. Without emotional attachment, they often see brands simply as tools rather than sentimental assets, which is good but risky. Overlooking the strategic importance of rebranding creates immediate friction and slows growth. It leads to insufficient sales processes, diluted credibility, confusing market positioning; and it weakens investor confidence.

But done right, a strategic rebrand clarifies market position, sharpens messaging, aligns teams, accelerates growth and strengthens valuation—precisely what high-growth leaders such as yourself want, and what investors demand.