A Brand Is More Than A Logo
Posted by: Carl Smith on Monday March 16, 2009
Recently I was in a conversation with a prospective client and they told me their company’s brand needed a lot of work. I asked what they thought the problem was and the consensus was their logo felt dated.
Unbelievably there is a lot of confusion, even among industry professionals, as to what a “brand” is. Yes, branding involves elements of design in terms of how your company looks to the outside world. However, no matter how amazing your logo is, it’s just a lie if the company’s personality doesn’t fit the mark.
My personal definition of brand? A brand is the experience of a company. It’s your initial reaction when you first hear about them. It’s the perception you have when you log onto their website. The feeling you get when you talk to them on the phone. The way someone greets you as you walk into their office. A good brand is about trust, comfort and fun. A bad brand is about concern, frustration and anger.
When a company is concerned about their brand, they shouldn’t worry about their logo first. They should put themselves in the shoes of their customers and ask these questions:
- How does it feel to work with us?
- Do we present an honest picture of this experience in our communications?
- Does the entire company understand who we are and who we want to be?
- Does every employee know how to communicate who we are to the outside world?
- Are we consistent in treating both employees and customers in a positive manner?
Many companies don’t want to ask these questions because the answers can be painful. But when you tackle the real issues that hurt your company you have the best opportunity to improve your brand.
With every site we build at nGen Works we are making a promise about the experience of working with our client. We ask our clients tough questions. We need to know that we aren’t setting them up to fail. That we aren’t making promises they can’t keep. Because at the end of the day our job is to start a positive conversation between our client and their customer. So while bad logos and color schemes can definitely stop a prospect in their tracks, the best design in the world can’t overcome a bad customer experience.
Comment RSS Filed under: Business, Design, Process
Russel Quadros
03.16.09 at 3:59pm
Right on the money! …and your personal definition of brand is exactly what brand is. My favorite quote when I try to explain it (and I forget where I stole it from) is: “It’s not what YOU say you are, it’s what THEY say you are.” The experience is key to changing perception.
Carl Smith
03.16.09 at 9:22pm
Thanks for the quote Russel. That’s brilliant.
Michael O'Connell
03.24.09 at 8:08am
Spot on Carl! Next you need explain the difference between a font and a typeface!
Peter de Jager
04.03.09 at 5:58am
A brand is a consistency of action, service and intent – not a smear of colourful ink