So you’re ready. You’re taking the leap, you decided to start a business. You have the product, the name and now you just need a logo. Ideally, you would like something nice and impactful like the Nike swoosh or the Apple… well, apple.
Logotypes come in different shapes (literally) and prices. Depending on the kind of business you have they will also be more or less important in the grand scheme of things. When defining their brand identity, very often, people tend to focus on the logo and the logo only. But - and I cannot stress this enough - your logo is NOT your brand. Let’s see why that is.
1) What’s in a logo?
A logo is « a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. » (1) In short, your logo is supposed to make your company stand out from the crowd and help your clients recognize you. It can be as straightforward as a typographic rendition of the name of your brand. Often, the logotype (typographic element) is combined with a symbol or icon that represents what the brand stands for in a more or less abstract fashion.
I would like to note that the lack of icon is not necessarily a bad thing - especially when you’re just starting and you’re not sure what you’re doing. Sometimes, less really is more.
II) What kind of logo do I need?
Very often, I have clients who come to me and ask for a logo and start describing something they’ve seen or imagined without questioning whether they actually need an icon for their brand.
One of two scenarios usually plays out.
1. First scenario: the client has an idea for the logo that is very literal.
Example: You sell cars so you want a drawing of a car as part of your logo.
Why this is not the right approach: if you want to build a timeless brand, you have to conceptualize and think about the bigger picture. The tangible products that leave your store every day might be cars but what you’re selling is convenience, time, freedom of movement and independence. These are the things that you make possible and these are the things that you should communicate.
If you look at brands like BMW, Toyota or Lamborghini, their logos are not cars. Why? Well, it would be a bit redundant to have the logo of a car on a car right? And these brands are aware that they stand for much more than just cars. They value the craftsmanship, work and effort that goes into their product and honor it with a symbol that embodies those values.
Unfortunately, this scenario also plays out when a brand does many things and wants the logo to express ALL of those things. The reason why this is less than ideal is that it’s the equivalent of a lot of people talking at the same time but in the shape of a logo. Sure, everyone gets to speak, but you don’t understand any of it.
2. Second scenario: the client just wants something simple that won’t take too much time. They then proceed to tell me about how nice it would be to have something simple like Nike or Apple.
Why this is not the right approach: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry once said: « Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. »
When designing a logo, a designer’s goal is to find the right graphic expression of the brand’s reason to exist.
Imagine having to design one icon that best represents you as a person. And I’m not talking about what you like or what’s your favorite hobby. I mean to say, design an icon that represents your very essence, what you stand for. This icon will then have to be used for the entirety of your lifetime (and after) to represent you. This is what people will think of when they think of you.
How long do you think it will take? What skills do you think it will require? What type of knowledge about yourself would you have to collect, process, and analyse?
This is what a good logo should do for you and it has to do so in the most simple and impactful way possible for people to understand it.
Designing a simple logo takes time and/or a lot of experience. Sometimes the right idea comes right away but sometimes it requires many iterations to hit the nail on the head. There is nothing simple about the process that goes behind developing such a logo.
III) But then again, do you even need an icon?
It might seem obvious but so many people don’t even question this. Isn’t your brand better off with a typographic solution?
Sometimes, no matter how I think about it I can’t justify the use of an icon when a beautifully designed typographic rendition of the name of your brand will do a better job. I think the reason why people insist on having an icon is that they have a sense that they’re getting their money’s worth.
« If this designer spent time drawing, which is something I don’t know how to do, surely I will get my money’s worth. »
I’ll say this, and many people might not like it but, you don’t pay a designer to spend all his available time on your brand. You pay them to find the right solution for it- no matter how long it takes. It requires trust and communication. Depending on their skills and how fast they work it might even take them more time to develop a great typographic logo than a « proper » icon. Typography is beautiful and impactful. Good designers know how to use it. Don’t see it as just someone randomly picking a font they like. Many times, I personally spent hours drawing icons and whatnots to end up with a very simple looking solution that only included typography (digital or hand-drawn).
There are many typographic solutions to consider from hand-lettering to custom font making. Working with letters is, in and of itself, a discipline within design.
Ultimately, it all depends on what you want your brand to do for you and the type of business you have. If you have a business that sells sneakers or clothing, I would usually advise to use an icon - if you intend to use it a lot and create a community around it. If you have a service business that mostly works thanks to mouth-to-ear and you don’t think you’ll be using your logo a lot, an icon might not be necessary. Of course, all this depends on your individual case and can never be answered by a general online article like this one. For all I know, you might even need both.
IV) Your logo is NOT your brand
I meet many people who come to me « just for a logo » when what they really need/want is a full visual identity. A brand’s visual identity is composed of the visible elements of a brand (logo, colours, typefaces combinations, layouts, photography style, and so-on) that identify and distinguish the brand in the consumer’s mind.
But when we start talking about their brand they quickly realize that to determine those elements and make them work for their brand, we have to talk about the brand’s values, mission and everything it aspires to do and be.
A logo is one part of your brand’s identity. On top of that there are two other things that I want you to consider when developing your visual identity.
1. Colors and typography
If you think of Coca-Cola I’m sure the first thing that comes to mind is the color red.
While it’s not an easy task to own a color so skillfully, colors are a great ally when it comes to designing your brand and building brand recognition.
Tiffany&Co. is another good example of a brand owning a color.
Typography, on the other hand, is the element that will give the tone. Are you classy, bold or maybe poetic? Modern or traditional? Using the right typefaces (font) together with the right colors shows you know what you’re doing and is pleasant to the eyes. What is pleasant to the eyes sells.
2. Why, what and how?
Last and certainly not least, your brand is the why, what and how of your company.
Appearances can do the job for a little while but if your messaging and the way you execute it are not aligned with the visual, people will quickly start to notice and you’ll have trouble making long-lasting followers. Think Fyre festival. They mastered the communication part and miserably failed to deliver (they did get a Netflix documentary though!).
Building a brand is exciting and sometimes stressful. There are many things to take into consideration and the visual part is often the first step that’s going to make you think “Wow, my business looks legit!”. As a brand designer it’s a privilege to be able to be part of this process, create brands from scratch with my clients and see their reaction when everything is starting to take shape. The visual is important and for many, your logo is going to be the crystallization of all the work you put into building your business. So I would kindly advise you to take your time with this process. Ask yourself if a logo really is everything you need or if you actually need to build a brand identity.
/ Recap’ /
Your logo, while very important to the image of your business, is just a part of it and doesn’t hold the responsibility of things going well for your company.
Keep it simple but don’t overlook the process that goes behind designing a simple logo.
You may or may not need an icon for your company. The icon you need might « just » be a beautiful typographic rendition of the name of your company. Typography is powerful and can hold its own.
A logo alone might not be enough, you probably need a full visual identity system depending on the needs of your business.
