Brand vs Logo

13th September 2017

What is the difference between a brand and a logo?

If you are an entrepreneur or are starting out your business and are interested in branding your company then this question might have come up a few times. From an outside perspective a brand and a logo seem like they’re two of the same thing. However, this is far from the case. Both of these have different roles to play in representing your company and both need to be effectively implemented together for the branding process to run smoothly.

What is a Logo?

A logo is a simple shape and style of typography that a company will choose to represent them across all platforms. Famous examples of these include the red background and Spencerian script for coca cola and the three feathers for Adidas. Each of these have a stand out logo, which instantly let you know whom the products belong to.

What is a Brand?

The brand however includes all other aspects of the company, how the customers experience the company and in turn how they remember the company. In order to have an effective logo you must have established a memorable and effective brand. The customer will see the logo and instantly be reminded of the brand, then based on how their previous experiences with the brand went they would decide whether to pursue with spending money on the branded product they had seen. The brand represents the personality, tone of voice and values of your company so ensuring the consistency of your brand is essential if you want the customer to receive the same experience across all touch points. When the brand consistency is disjointed the company suffers, with platforms such as social media allowing bad reviews to become easier to make, it is detrimental that the brand is embedded in truth and depicts the company in the way the audience understands, wants and needs it to. Prior research to the development of the brand is crucial – it is no coincidence that the most successful companies have the strongest brand.

What to do now you know the difference?

After identifying the difference between these two you can begin to implement them both effectively to support each other. The desired effect of a well-designed logo throughout all of your products won’t be achieved if the typography, tone of voice, design, colour and message of your brand are all inconsistent. Ensuring your brand and your logo are equally as consistent throughout your company is a vital step in establishing a successful brand campaign. Simply designing a logo will always end in failure.