A logo is the point of entry to the brand.
Milton Glaser, designer
What is a Logo.
I am often asked what I think the purpose of a logo is or in other words, what is its job description. My answer is always the same. It’s an emotional trigger. It is the most boiled down essence of a business. It’s there to either remind you of the expereince you have had with a business or service, whether your experience is limited to your ad in a phonebook or a full blown marketing campaign.
More importantly, I continue, is what the logo’s job IS NOT. It’s not there to give your potential customer the low down on everything you do. It’s not there to fulfill the role of a capabilities brochure or website or advertisement. In fact, the more you put into your logo, the more confusing the message often is.
A logo is the entry point to the brand message.
“While brand speaks to the mind and heart, brand identity is tangible and appeals to the senses. Brand identity is the visual and verbal expression of a brand. It begins with a brand name and brand mark and builds exponentially into a matrix of tools and communications.
Brand identity is a tool that is powerful and ubiquitous. It is the shortest, fastest form of communication available. It is an asset that needs to be managed, nourished, invested in, and leveraged. Done well, brand identity is the consistent reminder of the meaning of the brand.” Alina Wheeler, Designing Brand Identity
On Building a Logo.
It used to be that once a logo was created, you left it alone. It stayed true to itself for years, never failing in its unflinching ability to remain ageless. We now live in a different world. People are fickle and easily swayed. We have access to loads of information, loads of brands and ways to buy them. What we think is cool one day is not necessarily so the next. I believe that a logo today needs to live and breathe. By that, I don’t mean that you change it up all the time just for fun. You allow it to be flexible and adaptable when necessary while staying true to its core essence. But one thing that has not changed about logos, or at least strong logos, is that it absolutely must be a functional design.
The basic rules for judging this functionality are:
· Does it succeed in one color as well as multiple colors?
· Can you shrink it and maintain clarity or blow it up large without degradation in quality?
· Can you embroider, screen print or give it some other treatment successfully?
· Can you give the logo to someone for use on a poster without any issues due to filters that do not translate from one file format to another?
Tags: branding, logo development, logos
I love that you’re thinking and writing about this! Thanks for your insight.