Your Logo Is Not Your Brand

It’s time to clear up a common misconception: the words "logo" and "brand" are not interchangeable terms. In fact, they are not the same thing at all!  

One of our industry's top mentors and brand gurus, Marty Neumeier, dispelled this myth in his book “The Brand Gap,” stating that "A brand is not a logo, an identity or a product.” A brand is a gut feeling, a consumer's emotions about a particular company or product. The logo is a visual representation of that company or product, one facet among many that culminate in the brand experience. However, it isn’t the brand itself. Your brand comprises everything that defines your company – who you are, what you do, where you want to be, and what you believe in. This is far more than a creative image, as an expertly designed logo is worthless if your brand is terrible.

Think of one of the world’s most recognized logo icons – the Apple apple. Would the logo be as powerful for its company if the products produced weren’t so spectacular? If the company didn’t continually push the technological envelope, bringing cutting edge products to market, the Apple logo would have little recognition. Apple is wildly popular with consumers, its products are easy to use and understand, and it has incredible marketing strategy, and the union of these factors has resulted in a very powerful brand. The Apple logo itself is just a visual representation of this message.

So, if you’re considering having a new logo developed, you may actually want to start with a review of your brand, including what your brand is truly saying about your business. From there, you can start looking at the elements that support what you’re trying to project beyond just a pretty image on your website!

If you're hungry for more on this topic check out one of our favorite books, “Your Brand Is Not Your Logo: It Is an Experience that Lives in Your Customer's Gut by Robert Brunner, Stewart Emery & Russ Hall.”