I say that I ‘do’ Branding. But really, ever wonder what that means? I’ll attempt an explanation to this odd non-tangible concept we all respond to, but have little control over. A Brand is a person’s gut feeling about something. It’s NOT, as often thought, a logo. A logo serves as a symbol of what the organization or product stands for. I prefer the term ‘visual branding’ when speaking of logos. The visual brand happens first (hopefully) and then the actual brand begins to develop through experiences and interactions. The logo is remembered by the consumer as the anchor, the visual shorthand for the whole brand experience. Provided the experience was a positive one, he or she will tell friends and effect a positive word of mouth or public relations chain that will advance the brand far more effectively than any advertising campaign could.

However, no two people will have the same reaction towards a logo or it’s associated brand. Everything in branding is subjective. The best anyone (designers, product developers, marketing specialists, etc) can do is create for a specific market and not try to be everything to everybody.

You have control over your logo. Your ‘brand’, however, resides outside of your control in the hands of the public. Like a reputation, the most you can hope to do is influence. Your brand is not what you say it is, but what they (your audience) say it is. So, if a logo is not a brand and a brand depends so heavily on people’s subjectivity, a logo may seem superfluous. Not the case! Logos remain vital to a brand’s success. Logos bring organization to the messaged clutter of the modern world. They allow a visual shorthand and a way for the everyday consumer to classify and remember a product, service or company. The public will organize the brand based on which genre they belong to and therefore what they have to offer.

When I’m designing a logo, I aim to uncover what genre the product, service or company belongs. Or, what genre or class would they like to belong to. This is a rich source of symbolism and association that serves the market well. It would be terribly confusing if we didn’t have these conventions that allow us to classify a salon as a salon, a bakery as a bakery, and a pet shop as a pet shop.

Check out my 5 illustrations above. It’s a cheeky (and very simplified) way to explain marketing, public relations, advertising, graphic design and branding.

For more information on this topic, I recommend Marty Neumeier’s published work. This post is indebted to his work.

Tags: branding