The Truth About Logos

Many people think that their logo is their brand.
But the truth about logos is that they are only one part of your brand

Maybe you will need to think about a brand strategy for your business and think about your website, product and even your name.

A well defined Brand strategy affects all parts of the business; your brand will consist of your logo, colours, fonts, shapes, communication style and graphic devices. Make your brand identity the way you want consumers to perceive it and if you do not do this, others may do it for you and they might get it wrong. In effect, it is more important than ever to know who you are and what your business is.

Where to start when creating your brand?

Before you dive in and create a website, first think about some key elements:-
1. Key Message
2. Emotional feel
3. Flexibility
4. Consistency
5. Authority

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1. Key Message
Understanding your business promise can be summed up in a key message that encompasses the business identity. Think about how some of the supermarkets have created a key message, or strap line. For instance who says 'Every Little Helps'? Immediately Tesco comes to mind. It serves to differentiate them with their competitors, also gives a positive message and is short and memorable.

2. Emotional Feel
This is an important part of your brand identity. You want to buy that Rolls Royce rather than the Reliant Robin, but why is that? Without realising it, an emotional voice is telling you to go for the best, therefore you want to be seen as the best in your industry. People like to be part of a group, and the best group too. Ideally you will want to find a way to connect deeply with your customers and give them assurance about your brand.

3. Flexibility
Your brand may need to grow with you and the ever developing world we live in. Take a look at the life-span of the CocaCola brand below, the logo has evolved over 135 years but the original feel has remained in place.

The important point to remember here is not to be afraid of change, if something isn't working, change it. My own logo has evolved from lime-green with dark navy and a touch of magenta, to now focusing on the dark navy and magenta alone. The lime green is mainly gone, it's a great colour, but sometimes printed too yellow. Maybe you have attributes that you have not explored yet.

4. Consistency
Conversely, you will need to keep some kind of consistency. A simple example is your avatar on Social Media accounts, are they all the same shot? Does it show off your brand in the way you intend it? If you see yourself as a funny, humorous person with a great turn of phrase then a sad photo won't be consistent with your brand.

5. Authority
If you already have people who love you and your brand - give them some love too. Mutual respect and recommendations go a long way to help build your brand. Tell your story to your potential customers consistently to create a sense of authenticity and positivity.

The truth about logos is to sum up your brand in one simple visual form. Once you have got some way along this process, you will want to develop your brand identity further and start putting ideas into action.