Stop Obsessing Over Logos

  1. Some people think changing a logo will change the fortunes of their small business or massive organisation.
  2. A lot of people think branding is the logo, perhaps with some colours thrown in.
  3. A surprising number of people believe that massively successful brands became massively successful (success being profit in this case) because of their logo.

This is nuts.

  1. Unless your logo suggests something obscene, is completely at odds with what you do or looks similar to an existing negatively perceived symbol – changing the logo, and not much else, is not going to bring the upturn you desire.
  2. The logo is the most visible or identifiable feature of a Brand Identity. But it should be part of a visual and verbal system that was strategically created to make all branded items and marketing look and feel different. Design and messaging that persuades people to buy. Logo, colours, fonts, graphics, photography style, tone of voice, key messages and that’s all before you get into the content and user experience.
  3. Branding is a whole experience and the associations people make off the back of having that experience. In isolation, if we look at a logo before experiencing much else, me might think that’s pretty, perhaps interesting, maybe a bit abstract… and then move on. The point is, after we’ve had some experience of the brand then the logo becomes the trigger for our recollection of those associations. It is not the maker of those associations. Companies got successful by offering something lots of people wanted. The logo, as part of the Brand Identity, helped them to differentiate and market more effectively.

Don’t focus too much on the logo, think about the brand identity and experience.