BRANDING: MUCH MORE THAN A LOGO
A brand is the sum of all it’s touchpoints with consumers that leads to a perception in the eyes of your audience.
Your logo is an important piece of the brand, but your brand is much more than just a logo. No matter how well-designed, your logo will never accurately convey the true power of your brand. That’s not what a logo is for.
Branding: What is it?
So if your brand isn’t your logo, what is it? Is it your services or products, your mission, your people? Is it your social media strategy, marketing tactics, or the values of your company? Or is it simply what your customers say it is?
It’s all of the above and much more. Your brand is the complete ecosystem around your company that leads to a feeling or perception in the eyes or hearts of your audience. A brands true impact comes from years of customers’ experiences with their products, the company’s voice, and decades of consistent and powerful marketing. Brands resonate because of relentless consistency and a clear dedication. That is branding.
A Logo: What is its purpose & function?
A great question with a simple answer: a logo is a visual symbol or identifier that helps us distinguish between brands that strive for our attention. As we experience brands over time, our perceptions are baked into their logo—for better or worse. We identify with Nike via the swoop, not because of the swoop. A logo void of context & experience doesn’t give us an idea what that company does. But over time, as we live with brands, their logo evolves into a story, and becomes a symbol with meaning.
To be successful, a brand needs multiple thoughtful touchpoints all working in harmony.
Each piece helps the larger narrative take shape. Color, imagery and typography begin to define a visual language. Just as important is the way a brand speaks to you—its tone and voice. Another important piece to remember is the larger customer experience, which is paramount.
The list of pieces that make up a brand is endless. When those elements are rooted in the same purpose, working in harmony, a brand shines and succeeds. Audiences often cannot distinguish between all the moving parts, but they can easily embrace how that brand makes them feel. They hear the harmony and that is the brand at work: a system, purposefully crafted and consistently delivered—inclusive of a logo, but not simply a logo.
