Article No. 001

IS YOUR LOGO YOUR BRAND?

I hear it and see it all the time. So, naturally it has come to my attention that there is some confusion around the difference between your logo and your brand. Here are my thoughts in hopes, you’ll think deeper about the topic of branding vs. logo design.

A friend of mine asked me what they thought of their new brand, and showed me her logo. Although the logo was nicely designed and it stated her company name, In my opinion it was missing something. So I asked, “What’s the story you’re telling me here, what makes you different from the others in your world, and where is your company headed?”. After a few attempts to answer, followed by a long pause, she sighed and stated "I guess I don't know." I then suggested to her, that while her logo was nice, her brand has yet to be fleshed out properly. Simply put, she got a new logo, not a full brand.

Let’s start from the beginning. What is a brand?

Through my years in this industry, I believe your brand is the connection your business, as well your products or services, makes with people. It’s the passion and purpose that drive your internal team to move your business forward every day. It’s the feeling you evoke, and subconscious acceptance of what your business offers to your audience. It’s the part that connects your products or services with your community on an emotional and human level. I believe, your brand is made up of how people feel and experience you, through sight and sound, taste and touch, emotion and excitement and most importantly: how others speak about who you are, as well the qualities you represent.

To establish a great brand, you must first understand the core foundation of the business it’s supporting. The best names, logos and identities come from the beliefs and purposes that aspire to be something larger than ourselves, that drive us forward in business and life. As I take clients through our process of establishing this foundation, I always say the logo itself is one of the last pieces we develop. We have found that you can’t design a proper logo, something that represents your business truly and connects with people through purpose, or emotion, unless you clearly identify your brand foundation. You must first establish the collective truths behind your business… and it shall set you free on your journey to success.

So what is a logo? Your logo, or mark, is meant to act as the public identifier of your company. It should represent your businesses visual aesthetic, built from your established brand identity. Colour, shape, graphics are all tools that create intrigue about your brand, and represent your brands identity as cohesively as possible. It is a moving part within the ecosystem of your brand, and not your new “brand” or “branding”. But to understand where all those details come from, I believe you must understand who you are, what you do, how you do it and why. Only then you can unlock the truth that guides your logo development from your place of purpose to properly represent the mission, vision and goals for your business.

Truth be told, brand development is a very philosophical practice and made up of many thoughts, emotions, artistic/graphic elements, language, personalities, sounds, tastes etc. I see too many businesses build great logos, but fall short of increasing their value and can’t seem to grow to their true potential. All due to not investing in a proper brand foundation process, that establishes a true connection and real lifetime value with people. Instead they tend to focus on the small, but very important part of how their business and products should look, based on what they do to attract a quick customer — Not the ecosystem below the surface, that truly connects and builds community.

I’ll leave you with this. I once heard a great line from a colleague years ago, that has stuck with me through every business I’ve had the pleasure of taking through my process. “You truly don’t have a brand, until people know who you are, and what you do without your logo”. And that is something I strive for, no matter how large or small the business, in every project I touch.

Author

Kyle McDonald Owner/Creative Director

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