Why a Brand is More than a Logo

A brand identity is more than just a logo, it’s a collection of elements that give your brand it’s personality - the sum of a number of parts that add texture, depth and feeling. Yes, your logo is important, as it’s perhaps the most prominent element within your brand identity - but it’s not the complete brand.

Your logo should be strong, unique and confident and is the one device that will allow others to recognise your brand in an instant. So from that point of view, it’s the cornerstone of your business. But you’ll also need to establish a brand colour palette, a range of intentional house fonts, and perhaps illustrations, photography or patterns to add character and individuality.

What is Branding?

Branding is the ‘language’ a product or service uses and the ‘language’ its customers use to describe the brand. We are all very familiar with a company who do this very well - Apple. They present their tech products in a minimal and compelling way. Their no-frills, uber-sleek vibe conveys their dedication to innovation and creating products that look to the future. People who use this company’s products tend to be fans of the product, they talk about the product in a certain way. This is highly effective branding and few companies achieve it. Their logo is part of their business identity, but it’s only a small part of their brand. The ‘brand’ is all the parts combined and much more.

Branding at it’s core is about connection. It could be described as an experience. The brand carries the mission, values, vision and voice of a business. So you could say it’s the experience a client has with the brand. Rather than just a graphic mark or a name, branding is more about what everyone remembers when they think of your business.

This connection often works at a very subconscious level which is why using colour psychology can be so effective in conveying the essence of a brand. Branding is the personality, or the style of your business, it’s what the client sees and feels when using your product. It’s what gives shape to your business and what makes it different from your competition, among other things, and that goes way beyond a logo.

What is Brand Identity?

The brand goes hand in hand with brand identity, and sometimes, is hard to distinguish between the two. Your brand identity is what makes you instantly recognizable to your customers. Your audience will associate your brand identity with your product or service, and that identity is what forges the connection between you and your clients/customers and determines how your brand is perceived.

If you’re having trouble figuring out who exactly you are, and what your business is about, don’t worry. Sometimes, all you need is a simple brainstorm to help you get clarity on who you are as a brand. Ask yourself:

✓ Why did we start this business?

✓ What are our values, what’s our mission?

✓ What do we do better than anyone else?

✓ What makes us special/unique?

✓ If we could describe our brand in three words, what would they be?

✓ What are the three words we would want our customers to use to describe us?

Brand identity is a much more holistic consideration of your business, rather than just one aspect - your logo. Approaching a brand with this consideration will help you create a business you can be proud of, that builds value and compels people to do business with you.