Rebranding a large software project is a bit like turning a speedboat versus a cruise ship – it takes much longer to turn the latter, and there’s a lot more at stake.
Everything requires a lot of planning and effort, and it can be challenging from multiple angles, including development, design, marketing, support – I could go on.
If you’re a WordPress community OG, especially if you’re located in the US, most undoubtedly you’ve heard of iThemes. It’s a big brand, and a big site, and a big codebase.
That’s what we’re currently rebranding to SolidWP.
Why Rebrand? Don’t You Like Free Time?
The iThemes brand over the years has changed its identity a number of times through the products they’ve built, acquired, and created. There has also been a few changes in leadership and the team members.
As well, iThemes doesn’t sell themes anymore. That’s kind of a big issue when you’re trying to grow your market share in other spaces.
What does iThemes sell a ton of? Security, backups, and a really solid site management solution. It was pretty darn clear that based on the current brand’s trajectory and product line, a change was much needed to address multiple fronts.
The Challenges of Rebranding
As we first set sail on this journey, one of the first challenges we faced was coming up with a new brand name. This was a tough one and we really wanted something that stood out.
After much brainstorming and discussion, we finally settled on SolidWP. We believe that the name reflects the core values of where we want to take the brand – foundational solutions for your WordPress website.
We are also renaming our products to Solid Security (previously iThemes Security), Solid Backups (previously BackupBuddy), and Solid Central (previously iThemes Sync). These names are simple and straightforward, and they reflect the core values of our products.
Once we had the new name(s), the work began to start designing the website and products to reflect the new branding. This is no small feat as our existing products are very large projects that are well-established in the WordPress community.
iThemes Security has over 1 million installs on WordPress.org – that’s a lot!
Another big one is we have to ensure that our existing customers are not confused or alienated by the new branding while also attracting new customers. Hopefully, you can sympathize with how large an undertaking this is that we’re getting into. But we’re positive, still pumped, and geared to go.
So Many Decisions, So Little Time
As we go through this project there’s many decisions at every turn. What new features should we add? What needs fixing? What absolutely needs to be refactored versus can wait… It goes on and on.
We are trying to walk the tightrope of ensuring that we were delivering the most value to our customers while also keeping the wheels turning on with our current products.
It all leads to tough decisions and inevitably some things to punt down the roadmap. But rest assure, some goodness awaits!
We know that we have to offer something new and unique to attract new customers, but we also have to ensure that these features are well thought out and tested thoroughly before release. This means that we are taking a measured approach to development, balancing innovation with stability and reliability.
The New Look and Feel
With the new branding, we also launching a website and providing the products a fresh new look and feel. The new product designs are clean, modern, and user-friendly, with a focus on simplicity and ease of use.
We also updated our logo to reflect the new branding. The new logo is simple and memorable, with a bold, modern design that reflects the strength and reliability of our products.
Take a Sneak Peek
Check out a few images of the new logo and branding:
You can also follow us on YouTube and Twitter to see more of our new branding and get updates on our progress as we work towards the launch of SolidWP.
The Importance of Branding
Branding is at the core for any business, and it plays a crucial role in the success of software products. A strong brand identity can differentiate a product from its competitors, build trust with customers, and create a sense of loyalty and attachment to the brand.
As we rebrand iThemes to SolidWP, we are not just changing our name and logo, but we are also strengthening our brand identity. We want to ensure that our customers have a positive experience with our products and services, and we believe that the new branding will help us achieve that.
Our Journey So Far
We’re not slapping a new coat of paint on this puppy and calling it done. This “rebrand” is about bringing more value to our customers through new and improved features, better support, and additional documentation.
We are still in the middle of the rebranding process, and we have a ways to go before the launch of SolidWP. However, we are excited about the progress we have made so far, and we are optimistic that we can meet the deadline.
Moving Forward
As we move forward with the rebranding process, we will continue to focus on delivering the best possible experience to our customers. We will be adding new features to our products, improving our website, and expanding our marketing efforts to reach more customers.
We also understand that rebranding can be a difficult and confusing process for our customers, and we want to make sure that we are communicating with them every step of the way. We will be providing regular updates on our progress, and we encourage our customers to reach out to us with any questions or concerns they may have.
Time to Get to Work!
Rebranding a large software project like iThemes is a complex process, and it requires a significant amount of planning and effort. We have faced many challenges along the way, from coming up with a new brand name to redesigning our website and products to reflect the new branding. We have had to make tough decisions about what features to include in our products and what things to punt down the roadmap.
But despite these challenges, we are excited about the new path we’re taking, and we believe that it reflects the strength and reliability of our products and services. We hope that our customers will embrace the new branding and continue to rely on our products for their WordPress security, backup, and management needs.
Follow along on our journey as we work towards the launch of SolidWP.
