Logo vs. Brand

When we tell people we’re branding designers, they tend to think that all we ever do is design logos. Similarly, we’ve heard clients refer to their brand but they are actually just referring to their logo. Designers are also guilty of adding to the confusion as a number of agencies claim to be branding specialists, when in fact they’re referring to logo design.

This blurring of the lines between a brand and a logo can make things tricky. But the long and short of it is as follows; a brand is the general way in which a company is perceived, this is influenced by the company through their brand identity and a logo is a part of this, as it is a symbol or mark that represents a brand.

This is where we come in. It’s our job to help create your brand identity and if we are to influence people’s perceptions of your company we are going to need a whole lot more than just a logo.

That being said there are many ‘brand identities’ out there which only consist of a logo, which is all well and good, but what happens when you want to build a website for your company? No matter how beautifully designed your logo may be you can’t just stick it up on webpage and be done with it, you need to build an experience; something your customers will remember and gives the right perception of who you are.

At a basic level, your identity is made up of a number of assets, such as a particular font, a range of colours, a photography style and, of course, your logo. But a brand identity isn’t limited to just these four things, the list truly does go on and on…

But before we jump into a brand identity, it’s vital to have a solid foundation to base everything off. A golden thread through everything you do. To do this, it’s important to understand what it is your company does, what it wants to accomplish, who your audience is and how you want to be perceived. This knowledge is translated into your brand strategy to position you exactly where you need to be.

Once you have a solid brand strategy, the creation of your brand is much easier. Designers have something to refer to, something to spark ideas, something to aim for; it’s your strategy and purpose that should shine through in every brand touchpoint. The individual brand assets brought together act as a window into your company’s soul and shouldn’t be determined according to an individual’s own particular taste. For example, just because you absolutely love the colour blue or go weak at the knees for a sexy drone shot of a beach in the Bahamas doesn’t mean it’s right for your brand identity. Every creative decision should link back to your brand values and brand purpose; therefore, no two brands should ever be the same.

A beautifully designed logo is never going to wield enough power to change people’s perceptions. It’s the brand identity as a whole that has the depth and reach to truly express the brand you want your customers to experience.

You can find nalla in design rush’s ‘top branding agencies of 2019’ HERE