Is a logo a brand?
Is a logo a brand? The short answer is no. So, what’s the difference?
A logo is a graphic signature, a symbol or wordmark that represents your business.
A brand is an experience, the whole customer journey – your story.
While your logo represents your business visually – there’s so much more to it than that. So what are some of the things tell your brand story?
- tagline
- business cards, letterhead and stationery
- photography
- font choices
- colour palette
- website
- social media posts
- printed brochures
- packaging
- email marketing and welcome sequences
- copy (what you say, and how you say it)
These are are all valuable customer/client touchpoints, and each one should look and feel like “you”.
Consistent colours, fonts, layouts make your brand unique and recognisable. You own it. It’s your style. It’s more than just a logo.
In today’s world where we have so much access to an audience or customers – everything we put out there should reflect our brand, with or without our logo.
Product brochures, business cards and product labelling share consistent elements for continuity across the Nature’s Identity brand.
Starting out, or reviewing what you’ve got
Maybe you’re still in the planning phase, for your new business or a new product line. Think about:
- your industry
- who you are talking or selling to
- your competitors
- what makes YOU different
- who you admire in your industry and why
- what brands appeal to you?
- what would appeal to your customers?
The answers to these questions build a framework for a brand.
Perhaps you already have a logo – you love it, but you’re not quite sure how it tells your story and how it serves your brand. Think about the questions above, and see how your logo stacks up.
Printed collateral for Diabetes NZ’s Action Month campaign A consistent representation of the brand across all printed and items.
What next?
A logo is indeed the central element from which all other elements grow. But the logo isn’t always front and centre of your communication.
Reviewing the list at the top of this post, think about where you might have gaps, or need to bring in an expert. Here’s a few key things to start with:
Photography – what’s your image library like? Are your product shots consistently styled and lit? Have you got good quality shots of yourself, or your service in action? Websites, brochures and social posts rely on quality imagery.
> hire a professional photographer, or edit your original photos with a quality filter for a consistent look
Copy – arguably this is one of the most important things to focus on – getting your messaging right for your audience, and to set you apart from the competition.
> engage a professional copywriter, or do a workshop or course online
Collateral – pull out your business cards, brochures, instructions sheets, packaging, forms – whatever you use in your business. Do they look like they come from the same place? Is there a consistent thread that runs through them? (ie. a lockup contact panel, a styled QR code, consistent heading sizes and fonts). Consistency is king!
> work with a graphic designer, or refer to your brand guidelines (if you have some!) and work on new templates.
Digital – do the same for your website and social posts.
> as above!
Need to turn your logo into a brand? Or want to refresh what you’ve already got? I’d love to help.
