Let's be Clear. Your Logo is NOT your Brand.

Hi. I was supposed to add in an opening paragraph here. But it’s 3.00 am right now. So, I’m going to cut the greetings and just get to it. This is going to be a short one.

Technically, to say your logo is not your brand would be exaggerating too much. It's a PART of your brand. Imagine this. Your whole brand is like a giant iceberg, and your brand identity - logos, colour system, tagline, jingle, etc. (the physical makeup of your company) is just the tip of that iceberg– there’s so much more going on under the tip. The humongous ice beneath is what’s keeping the tip visible in the first place. This part of the iceberg, what’s below the surface, one that nobody pays attention to (including the crew onboard Titanic) is what we call your brand strategy. It encompasses things beyond the aesthetics – why your brand exists, where is it going, how you’re going to make people remember you, who else is in the game with you and so forth. These elements give meaning to your brand identity and without a solid brand strategy, your brand is merely a pretty brand that’s going to get people’s attention at first, but it won’t be long till they get bored of you.

Okay, recap. You know that your brand strategy is what gives meaning to your brand identity, so it should come firsthand before you sell a kidney to hire a designer with a fancy portfolio. I’ll probably write on how you can begin building a brand strategy for your company for my next post – when it’s not 3 am and my stomach’s not grumbling, and my mind’s not contemplating whether I should wolf down the leftovers in my fridge or just sleep. Till next time. Bye.