“I got your info from Client Unnamed because I really liked what you designed for him/her. I really don’t like what I’ve got, it was just something I threw together quickly in Canva when I started, and it’s just not good. Can you design a logo for me?” 

This is a very common request, and one that any designer with a little creativity and knowledge of design software can do – so sure, I could do that. But respectfully, if you just slap a logo on everything, what is that actually going to do for your business? A logo by itself is like a friendly wave from across the street – it catches your eye but doesn’t really tell you much about the person waving. So yeah, it’s useful, but by itself, it’s not as impactful. By the way, this is why some designers will only charge a few hundred dollars for a logo – they’re not actually providing something of significant value, they’re simply providing a deliverable. To be the most impactful, build equity in your brand, and set yourself up for growth, you need to create a contextual experience – a brand – of which a logo is just one element … so grab a tissue because we’re going to pull back the layers of the brand onion.

What you see on the outside

A brand is like an onion, there are several layers that reveal meaning and context when we pull them back – so hang with me a minute. The most recognizable, and what most people think of as a brand, is a visual identity – all the consistent, foundational visual elements like color, typography, icons, patterns, photography, and yes, logos. Here’s the role each of them play:

• Colors evoke emotions and associations
• Typography conveys personality and tone
• Icons provide visual cues
• Patterns add depth and texture
• Photography creates a visual narrative

As a brand designer, I think about all these elements and how they will work together to amplify the overall impact of your visual identity. These elements are thoughtfully designed, curated and harmonized, to enhance the recognition and memorability of your brand. But there’s more to a brand …

Let’s dig a little deeper, shall we?

A brand that builds equity (read: builds long-term growth) should be an experience beyond just what we see. It’s also about how it sounds, how it feels (both emotionally and tactilely), how it smells, and for certain types of businesses, how it tastes. A designer who specializes in branding and strategy can take you a step further by helping you develop a brand identity – basically, all the external things your audience experiences related to your brand beyond just the visual identity elements. These are things like:

• Business name
• Brand messaging (think: brand story, taglines, and tone of voice, key messages, scripts, etc.)
• Website
• Social and email templates
• Stationery
• Packaging
• Menus
• Uniforms, and so on.

Consistently applying your brand identity gives even more context for your brand. By aligning every aspect of your visual representation with your overarching identity, you’ll start to be recognized and remembered for more than just your logo, and quite frankly, for more than just the offering you provide. You’ll become known for how you make your audience feel. When you get to that stage, we’re talking long-term value to your business – a stronger and more enduring presence, higher customer engagement, loyalty, and ultimately, business growth. This value of a brand identity to your business is easily 10x the few hundred bucks you would’ve paid someone to “design a logo.” If you’re still not quite picking up what I’m putting down … I bet you’d know exactly which brands these three images below represent, even without seeing their logo. This my friend, is brand identity at work.

“By aligning every aspect of your visual representation with your overarching identity, you’ll start to be recognized and remembered for more than just your logo, and quite frankly, for more than just the offering you provide.”

What’s on the inside

So now you’re seeing the value of what a brand identity can bring your business. But how do we make the decisions about what all those assets should be, look like, feel like, and sound like for your brand? To make sure that your brand identity authentically represents the heart of your business AND speaks to your ideal audience, we first have to create a brand strategy. The strategy is where we articulate the foundational elements that give you and your team clarity around:

• Why your brand exists
• What you value as a business
• Your brand’s personality
• Who you’re trying to reach/serve
• How you want to position your brand relative to competitors (what you want to be known for), and so on.

Knowing who your brand is and how you feel about your brand helps me make creative decisions that will influence how your audience will feel about and experience your brand. Not to mention, the impact a brand strategy can have on your company’s culture and ability to attract and retain talent. So sure, you could create a brand identity without first having a strategy, but you know that one person in the choir who is always singing just a little offbeat? Well… I’m just sayin’. So at this point, I’d say the short-term and long-term value of a brand identity plus a brand strategy to your business is probably more in the range of 20x what you would’ve paid a designer to “design a logo.”

So what’s the real value of your logo?

Would you hate me if I said it depends? The truth is that the value of a logo is different for every brand. Some brands can justify relying heavily on their logo to make the most impact, but for others, the most distinctive part of their brand identity might be their tagline, or their name, or their colors, or their packaging. It’s not always about the logo. Sometimes the star of the show is a completely different element of the brand identity. While a logo can be a trigger for recognition, it’s the broader brand identity and brand strategy that truly drives impact. By focusing on foundational elements and crafting a cohesive brand experience, you’ll create a brand that not only stands out but also resonates deeply with your audience, paving the way for long-term growth and success.  

TLDR: Your audience’s whole experience with your brand is what builds the brand equity that helps with long-term business growth. To create an experience, you must first have a brand identity (all the external ways in which your audience interacts with your brand) and a brand strategy (the foundational understanding and direction for who/what your brand is), and then apply it all consistently. A logo is just one element within a brand identity. I help my clients develop brand strategies and design brand identities – I don’t just design logos. Your investment in having me build your brand (which, head’s up, is more than a few hundred bucks) has a significantly higher value in return to your business compared to simply “designing a logo.”

If you’d like to explore building a brand that will having a meaningful impact on your business’s growth, give me a shout!