Logos are lovely but they’re not your brand

I went for an interview years ago and the MD asked me how many logos could I design in a day. Weird question I thought. Surely he should be asking me about how I approach identity design. Obviously this agency was at that time a bit of a chop shop where logos were smashed out with little rhyme or reason and presented on the merits of their form and style. Oddly enough I ended up joining that agency and in partnership with a new Creative Director set up an effective design process that was structured to develop identity design for brands with a conceptual foundation. We did some great work and always had a solid rationale for the logos and identity systems that we created but it was and in many respects still is quite a battle to instil an understanding in clients that a single logo will not explicitly tell their audiences the detailed story of their brands.

I frequently come up against clients when presenting an identity concept particularly at the point when I explain the idea behind the logo who say that their clients won’t get what they are all about on first sight of the logo. Well of course not. A logo isn’t a smart speaker and its not a microdot containing the full brand positioning statement. It is a point of recognition, an identifier that through form, composition and colour, aims to evoke an emotional response from viewer that hopefully aligns with the brand ethos. 

The more informed a design brief is (meaning backed by research and informed by target audience input) the better the chance that the creative output will be not only compelling but also relevant to the spirit of the business it is expressing. For me this really is the first step in the creative process. Gathering the detail and crafting a narrative that resonates with a client while stimulating a designer’s synapses to go off like fireworks. 

Narrative is essential in brand and indeed in the construct of a logo, however in isolation a logo cannot be expected to do all the heavy lifting. It is the sum of all the parts that creates a relationship with audiences and elicits a response that ultimately makes a brand identity resonate. Language that speaks with an authentic tone of voice, imagery that enhances the brand experience, narrative graphics that express a specific feeling, colour palettes that convey the right kind of energy and typography that amplifies the language. 

We should also not forget the strategic foundation that influences behaviour. A brand must know what its stands for, what its purpose is and what it wants to achieve. Values, attributes and vision all serve to guide a brand’s expression of itself. Without the anima and animus of a brand it’s all just pretty pictures and there’s nothing more embarrassing than being asked about your identity and not having a rational response. 

So as wonderful (in some cases) logos are to design and to experience we shouldn’t lean the full weight of a brand story on them. Instead let them be the badge of honour that evokes an emotional response and builds recognition of the bigger universe that is your brand.