A logo is not your brand, nor is it your identity. Logo design, identity design and branding all have different roles, that together, form a perceived image for a business or product.
What is brand? – The perceived emotional corporate image as a whole.
What is identity? – The visual aspects that form part of the overall brand.
What is a logo? – A logo identifies a business in its simplest form via the use of a mark or icon.
What is branding?
To put it in a nutshell you could describe a ‘brand’ as an organisation, service or product with a ‘personality’ that is shaped by the perceptions of the audience. On that note, it should also be stated that a designer cannot “make” a brand – only the audience can do this. A designer forms the foundation of the brand. You might say that a brand is a ‘corporate image’.
The fundamental idea and core concept behind having a ‘corporate image’ is that everything a company does, everything it owns and everything it produces should reflect the values and aims of the business as a whole.
It is the consistency of this core idea that makes up the company, driving it, showing what it stands for, what it believes in and why they exist. It is not purely some colours, some typefaces, a logo and a slogan.
As an example, let’s look at the well known IT company, Apple. Apple as a company, projects a humanistic corporate culture and a strong corporate ethic, one which is characterised by volunteerism, support of good causes & involvement in the community. These values of the business are evident throughout everything they do, from their innovative products and advertising, right through to their customer service. Apple is an emotionally humanist brand that really connects with people – when people buy or use their products or services; they feel part of the brand, like a tribe even. It is this emotional connection that creates their brand – not purely their
What is identity design?
One major role in the ‘brand’ or ‘corporate image’ of a company is its identity.
In most cases, identity design is based around the visual devices used within a company, usually assembled within a set of guidelines. These guidelines that make up an identity usually administer how the identity is applied throughout a variety of mediums, using approved colour palettes, fonts, layouts, measurements and so forth. These guidelines ensure that the identity of the company is kept coherent, which in turn, allows the brand as a whole, to be recognisable.
The identity or ‘image’ of a company is made up of many visual devices:
A Logo (The symbol of the entire identity & brand)
Stationery (Letterhead + business card + envelopes, etc.)
Marketing Collateral (Flyers, brochures, books, websites, etc.)
Products & Packaging (Products sold and the packaging in which they come in)
Apparel Design (Tangible clothing items that are worn by employees)
Signage (Interior & exterior design)
Messages & Actions (Messages conveyed via indirect or direct modes of communication)
Other Communication (Audio, smell, touch, etc.)
Anything visual that represents the business.
All of these things make up an identity and should support the brand as a whole. The logo however, is the corporate identity and brand all wrapped up into one identifiable mark. This mark is the avatar and symbol of the business as a whole.
What is a logo?
To understand what a logo is, we must first understand what it is for.
A logo is for… identification.
A logo identifies a company or product via the use of a mark, flag, symbol or signature. A logo does not sell the company directly nor rarely does it describe a business. Logo’s derive their meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolises, not the other way around – logos are there to identity, not to explain. In a nutshell, what a logo means is more important than what it looks like.
To illustrate this concept, think of logos like people. We prefer to be called by our names – James, Dorothy, John – rather than by the confusing and forgettable description of ourselves such as “the guy who always wears pink and has blonde hair”. In this same way, a logo should not literally describe what the business does but rather, identify the business in a way that is recognisable and memorable.
It is also important to note that only after a logo becomes familiar, does it function the way it is intended to do much alike how we much must learn people’s names to identify them.
The logo identifies a business or product in its simplest form.
The Different Categories of Logos
Wordmark – A wordmark is the company’s name and can sometimes be stylized with subtle juxtapositions. Popular examples include: FedEx, Prada, Sears, Dell, Canon, or SONY
Pictoral Mark – A pictorial mark usually is a literal translation of the name of the brand or has an identifiable picture to represent the company. Popular examples include: USPS, Puma, Merrill Lynch , or Apple
Abstract Mark – An abstract mark usually conveys nuances about a company, or can have multiple meanings designed into it. Yahama’s icon at a glance looks like a snowflake or a star, but it’s actually a tuning fork (from their musical roots) but also conveys spokes of a motorcycle which is another one of their markets. Popular examples include: Sprint, Nike, Reuters, or Yamaha
Letterform – Letterforms are usually 1 or 2 letters to identify a company’s brand or product. Popular examples include: Motorola, Clinique, McDonalds, or Safeway
Emblem – An emblem showcases the name and sometimes the attributes of a company within a seal or a badge-like shape. Popular examples include: Starbucks, BMW, Harley Davidson, or SAAB
Character – A Character logo is kind of like a mascot. Only a logo expert is able to pull off one of the most challenging of all logo types. Popular examples include: Borden (Betsy the Cow), Geico (the gecko), Coppertone (Coppertone Girl), or Toys 'R' Us (Geoffery)
Web 2.0 – Web 2.0 is a category of logos that tend to have 3-dimensional effects, glossy textures, bright colors, and/or fun themes. They are usually very approachable. Popular examples include: Skype, Google Chrome, AT&T, Yelp or Flock
For examples on the different types of logos, please check : http://www.nuartisan.net/austin-brand-identity.html
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