Do You Have a Logo or a Brand?

By Chris Wadsworth

Aren’t a logo and a brand the same thing?

No. They are not the same thing. In fact, a logo is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to identity and branding.

What is a logo?

Your logo is a simple visual mark that should be easy to recognise and help people to identify your company’s services or products.

Your logo is a key part of your corporate identity (or visual identity). For people to identify and recognise your business you need to consistently use a range of visual devices like colour, typography, imagery and other graphic elements. These elements make up your corporate identity.

Your corporate identity is important. You can have your logo on your website, business cards, brochures, emails, newsletters and any other piece of marketing and communications but if the colours, fonts and design used are inconsistent your logo alone is not going to create recognition of your company.

To test how strong your corporate identity is cover up the logo on your marketing materials and see how recognisable your different collateral is. If they all look different to each other or if they look generic and not specific to your company then you have a weak visual identity.

What is a brand?

Your brand is so much more than just your logo, it is how your customers experience your company. It encompasses the visual design, target market and positioning, messaging and communications, marketing and promotions, and includes every single touch-point your customers have with your company, products or services.

Because of the profound affect your brand has on every aspect of your business and its interactions with others you should have a clear brand strategy that drives your communications, marketing and business decisions.

Branding

During the branding process strategic direction needs to be established before aesthetic aspects are considered. Branding is a strategic process that manifests itself in a set of values that drive your brand and establishes your brand positioning. To be successful your brand needs to be based on market needs and reflect what your company can deliver and what it values.

Once your brand strategy is established the design of your identity can progress with insight and strategic direction. A strong brand strategy combined with a good identity will give your company focus and build recognition of your services and products.