Understanding the difference between a brand and a logo and their relationship with each other.
Suppose you’ve stumbled across BBC 1 on a Thursday evening and found yourself lured in by the addictive snare of The Apprentice. You’ll have probably picked up more lousy business habits than good ones. We can forgive you, don’t worry, it is pretty good TV after all.
However, we can’t help but think the way it’s filmed depicts our sector in a bizarrely slap-dash way, which we assure you it isn’t. The term ‘branding’ gets thrown around a lot on the show, and in most cases, we see a couple of individuals argue over a logo whilst some poor designer sits there baffled at their lack of knowledge. This really isn’t branding; in fact, it couldn’t be further from it.
Of course, the relationship between a logo and branding is essential. We aren’t saying the two are completely different, much like eyebrows or eyeliner, they aren’t twins but they’re similar and coexist. Let’s say they’re siblings; for want of an accurate example. They can exist independently, but it’s much more complete with both in the picture.
In this blog, we are sharing our branding knowledge with you! Let’s assess the relationship between a logo and a brand and see if we can help simplify the confusion.
Let’s skip to the good bit.
What’s a logo?
OK, we don’t want to sound like we are dumbing this blog down at all, but it feels logical to start by explaining what is meant by the term logo. Your logo is one piece of graphic design that makes you recognisable as a business – for example, the golden arches of Mcdonald’s or the Nike swoosh. It is one part of your branding.
Both the swoosh and the arches are incredibly successful logos and stand out from their surroundings so that you remember the business itself.
OK, so, what’s branding?
When you hear the term brand, we are talking about a more holistic approach to how a business is viewed, whether that’s in person or on media. Branding includes the multiple touchpoints you have with your potential customer and how they remember each interaction.
It’s simple, really; customers aren’t driven to purchase based purely on the fact you have a nice logo. They make their judgement of your business based on their experiences with you. Those experiences can be on your website, your social media, your packaging. Yes, any and every touchpoint is a different opportunity to build on that overall journey with your business.
Branding at Create8
As a creative branding agency, we have spent those hard hours learning just what works with customers so that you don’t have to!
When you hire Create8 to help with your branding, you’re not only getting an awesome team of innovative designers; you also benefit from the sector experience and know-how that our team possesses. You don’t have to take our word for it; how’s about following the link below and checking out some of our recent branding projects?
Can I have one and not the other?
Technically speaking, you could have a logo but no further brand identity, but you wouldn’t have a brand, you would just have one image – your logo. The essence of your business won’t be there.
Your brand is something that, if supported correctly, can be the difference between winning or losing, the top or the bottom, brand loyalty or passiveness. A logo, on the other hand, although important, is just a part of the brand package and should never be overvalued.
Think of it this way, of course, your logo and name change the way you look to people, the same way a haircut or some new clothes would, but they aren’t the be-all and end-all. Your brand develops over time due to customer, client and partner interactions with your business. In this example, your brand is essentially your personality.
So yes, they can exist separately but if you’re going to plough money into one, let’s start by building a brand.
So what makes up my brand?
Here’s where this blog gets tricky because, in all honesty, there are no set amount of brand assets that make up your identity, the list can be never-ending. If you choose to integrate more brand touchpoints within your business, you’ll have more tangible parts to your branding.
To give you a little helping hand, we will run through some of the critical branding features to ensure you’re building something great.
Your tone
People remember their interactions with your business, and it would be a fatal error to overlook the most human of all interactions, conversation.
Your tone of voice is pivotal when it comes to building a reputable brand. Your business should be sharing the same messages in a way that resonates with your potential customer and build a relationship with those you are looking to entice.
However, it’s essential not to overlook every opportunity to reinforce your tone. Whether it’s the way you speak in your blogs, the way your sales team interacts with potential customers or even the way you word the blurb on your advertising.
Your feel
We say this tentatively as you should understand that you don’t need a brick and mortar store, to feel a certain way.
For example, in the current climate, as the shopper is looking for a brand that champions clarity and honesty, blank spaces within website design are being used to create that much-needed calm. Create a website that makes customers or clients feel the right way about you.
To recreate the way your business feels once you’ve already started trading can be difficult, so tread lightly and offer exactly what you think people want from you.
Your look
What do you think of when we say Starbucks? Coffee will be up there, but we bet right at the top of the list will be the colour green.
Why? Because Starbucks uses green to keep their look consistent and memorable. By using a limited amount of colours across all of your marketing efforts, you can reach the promised land, and by that, we mean the point where your advertising is recognised without your logo. This is called brand awareness and is key to keep people talking about you and remembering your brand when they might need something from you.
How do I maintain my brand?
Building a brand is all about one thing, consistency!
There’s a reason why brands like Apple and Nike spend tens of millions developing brand guidelines. It’s because everyone involved within a brand needs to understand the nature of the business itself and how it conducts itself on a daily basis.
We always suggest building your guidelines before you start delving deeper into the world of marketing and advertising etc.
You should understand what colours scream you, what tone of voice to use and definitely, what fonts. Yes, that’s right, even your font is a part of your brand. We’ve got you thinking now, haven’t we?
So you can imagine how frustrating it can be when a branding agency watches someone repeatedly say I worked on the “brand” when all they did was formulate a terrible logo design.
In the world of branding and logo design, there are lots of things to learn and a whole heap of jargon to navigate. There are many right ways to do things but also some horribly wrong ways.
As long as you remain honest with yourself and your business, you should be on the right journey.
At Create8, we are an ambitious branding agency that aims to help elevate your brand no matter how far you’ve come or where you’re heading to next! We can help you take flight or attempt to renegotiate onto a different path. With our expertise and knowledge, you can’t go wrong.
When you hire us, you’re teaming up with a branding agency that walks by your side from the very start of the process.
Initially, we will scope out the project to fully understand your business before we begin our research into your competitors and those who are successful within your chosen sector. Having the knowledge to run alongside our technical skills is essential if we are going to take your brand to new heights.
Take a look at some more of our blogs for helpful tips, tricks and advice:
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