01 May Logo vs Brand – The Difference
There is a common misconception that “logo design” and “branding” are synonymous. These two terms are sometimes used interchangeably. Despite the fact that they are closely related and must collaborate, they are very different processes.
What is a Logo?
A logo is a visual design element that is easily recognisable and reproducible and often includes a name, symbol, specified colours, or trademark.
It’s a SMART — simple, memorable, appropriate, resizable, and timeless — visual representation of a brand. It is simply a tool used for identification, so it does not have to magically communicate everything a brand stands for or what a company does on its own.
A logo identifies, not sells... A logo only has any real meaning when it is associated with a product, a service, a company, or a corporation. The quality of the thing it symbolises gives it meaning, not the other way around.
When a logo becomes an integral part of a larger brand and is associated by others with personal interactions and experiences with the brand, it begins to take on meaning, reflect emotions, and communicate specific messaging.
What is a Brand?
A person’s or company’s brand is the culmination of every interaction, experience, thought, and marketing practise.
A brand, from the perspective of a business owner, includes the company’s positioning, messaging, and communications, as well as the visual design, client/customer personas, voice, marketing and promotions, and physical presence.
From the audience’s perspective, a brand is a company’s reputation that is formed by how the company makes them feel, how they interact with the company, and what they think of the company.
Simply put, a brand is the sum total of every interaction a customer, prospect, vendor, partner, or other person has with you, your business, product, or service, whether it occurs online, offline, or in person, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
As a freelance business owner, your actions influence the development and growth of your personal brand. Everything from how you talk about your brand and what you post on social media to your website copy, website design, social media accounts, and email marketing influences how people perceive your company and how it appears in the world.
Bottom Line:
If you don’t define your brand and adhere to its values and mission, someone else will — and you might not like what they come up with.
Brand + Logo
A logo is nothing more than a graphic element with a name on it. It’s a visual communication component of a brand. A brand is everything that represents a company and gives its logo meaning, both tangible and intangible. When used together, a well-designed logo and a well-defined brand strategy can help you reach your target audience more effectively and efficiently, communicate your message, value, and benefits, visually attract more attention, and create extraordinary experiences.
So, here are our questions for you:
- What are you doing to give meaning to your logo?
- How are you proactively steering the development and growth of your brand, as well as the perception of your company?
- What rules do you have in place to ensure that your brand appears consistently throughout the world?