A brand is a complex organism. This is part six in a series of articles in which we examine a successful brand's component parts.
Elements of a Successful Brand 6:
The Logo
Ah, the poor, misunderstood logo. People put a lot of pressure on its narrow shoulders. Let's begin by sweeping away a couple of common misconceptions. Your logo is not your brand. And it's not a portrait in miniature of your business. So don't expect it to communicate much, if anything, about what you do. Those disclaimers aside, a logo can be the anchor of a firm's visual identity and a critical component of a successful brand.
As part of an overall brand approach, a logo serves three primary functions:
- Identification
- Differentiation
- Aiding recall
Let's look at each of these attributes in turn.
1. Identification
A logo exists to represent and identify a company or product. The brand name tells us what it is called. The mark, if there is one, offers a visual cue that aids identification.
2. Differentiation
One of the best ways a logo can help a business is by creating visual separation from the rest of the field. Perceptions are built incrementally, and a logo that takes a different tack from the competition will contribute to the distinctiveness of a firm's brand image. In addition, a logo design sometimes can convey aspects of a company's personality or attitude (for instance, fun, warmth, or energy).
3. Aiding Recall
A distinctive logo is a memorable logo. Being noticed and remembered is the first step a business must take en route to eventual selection and brand preference. The logo's mark, if any, provides a shortcut that helps us identify a company or product in a hurry. We are all in a rush these days, and a well-conceived mark makes recognition easier.
Logo Anatomy
Most logos can be broken into two parts: the mark (or symbol or icon) and the name. The name is obvious enough: it's the company or product name rendered in type. Skillful logo designers will spend a great deal of time choosing a typeface, often customizing its letter forms to make the name more personalized and proprietary.
The mark, usually (though not always) separated slightly from the name, supports the brand name and offers a visual dimension to the brand identity experience. Some marks have become so well-known that they've practically replaced the brand name itself (Nike's swoosh and Apple's apple). The danger here is that eventually the connection to the brand name may become disengaged. Anybody remember a certain musician from Minneapolis formerly known as a symbol? Now that Prince has his name back, we know what to call him. All is well again.
Not all logos have marks—many successful businesses do just fine without one: Sony, IBM, and Oracle, for instance. This type of identifier, in which the name is the logo, is called a logotype. Logotypes do have a couple of drawbacks. Because they have to be read, legibility is critical, whether they appear on the web or in the distance on the side of a building. Logotypes also have a generic quality to them, and if a competitor were to adopt a similar-looking typeface it could create confusion in the marketplace. Nevertheless, many great brands have dispensed with marks and gone on to do great things.
The Redesign Dilemma
So is a logo redesign worth the effort? If you care about giving your business every advantage in the marketplace, you should consider your logo as a starting point. We live in a visual world, and every prospect whom you contact is likely to see it. So pull out your business card and ask yourself these questions about your current logo:
- Does it reflect your firm's personality?
- Is it different from other logos in your industry?
- Is anyone going to notice it and remember you because of it?
If you answered "no" to any of these questions, you may want to think about revisiting your logo and taking your brand image in a new direction. A logo redesign is not a small undertaking—it will affect every piece of collateral and signage you have. But it takes an upfront investment to reap long-term rewards.
Putting a Logo in its Place
Logos can be sorted into a few basic categories. You will find, however, that some logos defy easy classification. Is Motorola's symbol a monogram or an abstract mark, for instance?
- Logotypes | A company name rendered in distinctive typography is the primary graphic element in these logos. Accenture, Deloitte and Exxon are good examples.
- Monograms | Similar to a logotype, monograms are made up of a company's initials (think IBM, SAP and GE)
- Abstract Marks | Nonrepresentational marks that accompany a business's name. (Sometimes, however, these marks can reflect a company's name or other non-service-related attribute: Apple, Cisco, Dewberry.) Examples of abstract marks include Chase, BP, Ing, and Symantec.
- Descriptive Marks | Iconic representations of a company's products, services or defining character. Because these marks can be limiting and generic-looking, they are becoming rare in the corporate world. The National Cotton Council of America logo is a well-executed example.
- Seals | Type and an icon are contained inside a shape, usually a circle, oval or rectangle. Because of their limited legibility and dated appearance, seals are becoming very uncommon. Many state and federal agencies still use seals, but they are rare in the business world.
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