Leaders in Brand Transformation™

Logo’s are a funny thing. In our world (the creative world), we get commissioned to design them, often with the expectation that we are building a ‘brand’ for our customer. The fact is, we aren’t building a brand, we are merely building the signature that their brand will carry. We naturally assume that because of the mass exposure to world class brands (say Starbucks for example), that their logos were designed, and greatness instantly followed. Not True. Logos often (if not always) precede legendary brands, and it’s the behaviour, product quality, reputation and buzz that truly builds the logo into well recognized signatures for these great brands. That’s not to say that the right logo isn’t important, or even critical to future success.

Logo’s are a critical piece of the puzzle and here’s why. Before a brand has a chance to achieve greatness, it is judged thousands of times over. It sets the tone for how the brand is positioned. It gives visual queues to the consumer on what they should ‘expect’ from that brand. If the brand is set to hold a premium position in the market place, then the design should reflect a premium look. Consumers will expect to pay premium pricing, and you will eliminate pesky non consumers (cheapskates) from the mix. If the logo is designed to be the value leader, a simpler, slightly more generic look is often best. Take a look around and you can see the difference, KIA versus Mercedes, Banana Republic versus Wal-Mart. Coca Cola versus the ‘house’ brand.

Ultimately, a logo’s job is to set expectations, and be a unique signature for an organization. More importantly it represents the position the company expects to hold (we refer to it as relevance). If it doesn’t, you may have only 2 choices; re-brand or re-position. More on both topics in future posts!