Branding is much more than a pretty design

Working, as we do, in the branding industry, it often not long after first meeting someone that they’ll say, “Oh, so you design logos”.

And they’re right. We do design logos (original, attractive and effective logos, we like to think). But, contrary to popular belief your logo is not your brand. And your brand is not your logo.

Sure, your company or product’s logo contributes to your brand, but it’s far from the be-all and end-all.

It helps to consider what we call your brand bottom-line. Think of your brand as a corporate asset, a line item in your annual accounts. Now consider all of the individual elements that contribute to that bottom-line.

Certainly, your logo will be one such element. After all it is (or at least should be) a visual manifestation of everything your brand stands for.

But alongside your logo, there are a host of other less tangible assets that make up your brand.

Your company’s personality (and like it or not, every company has one) is part of your brand. Your people and the way they deal with customers are part of your brand. Your office, its decor, even your reception furniture, they are all part of your brand.

Even the way your receptionist answers the telephone is part of your brand.

With so many disparate elements influencing how people perceive your company, the challenge becomes clear — as does the real role your logo plays in defining your brand identity.

So what exactly is that role? And if your brand is not your logo (and vice versa) just how important is it?

The answer, of course, is that it’s very important.

The aim of any branding exercise is to communicate your company’s ethos — your beliefs, practices and approach to doing business — with one single, coherent voice. Your brand is your message, and your logo is a summation of it. It’s the glue that binds together the many pieces that form the whole.

This means that any branding or rebranding exercise begins with an agency listening carefully to what your company has to say for itself. That will often include interviewing staff, from the top on down, and taking on-board their views about where the brand is currently and where it is heading.

Crucially though, the process must not stop there. As part of a full brand audit, all of the aspects listed above must be examined and positives and negatives of each taken into full consideration.

Only when the brand is fully understood, and all parties are confident of where it needs to go, can an agency put pen to paper and begin to formalise the new corporate identity. Throughout this process, one must work closely with the client to ensure that all other elements of their brand messaging — yes, including how they answer the phone — are both in line and also up to scratch.

If we do our job well, it will be years, or even decades before the company’s corporate identity needs to be re-examined and refreshed. But the brand is a different story — looking at (and listening to) your company’s brand message should be something you do on a regular basis, constantly refining and strengthening it.

So take the time to listen to your brand. Conduct your own audit. Make sure that every element is speaking in the same voice to clearly communicate the benefits of your business.

And if, as part of the process, you discover that your logo is in need of a redesign, well, you know who to call.

Credit: The writer is the Creative Partner at North55, a branding and web design agency.