Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Why Your Logo Isn't Your Brand


Bad news, kids: your logo isn't your brand.

This weekend I attended AIGA Y Conference (Y17).  One of the first speakers, a name you probably recognize, Karim Rachid, immediately launched into logo vs. brand.  He pointed out how so many companies start with logo, and that this is a misplaced focus (my words, not his, although I agree) because your brand isn't just what your logo looks like -- it's about your service, the customer experience.  In some ways, he implied, maybe there shouldn't be logos anymore. Maybe you're misplacing your focus if you put more energy into your logo than into truly understanding what your brand means -- or should mean -- to people.

I can't count the number of times someone has come to me with a cute image, or even a not cute image that the spent serious time and money on. It's memorable, so they think they have "brand". They do not.

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