Branding Mistake #1:
thinking your logo is your brand.
Branding is one of the most important aspects of a company. It can make or break a customer experience and it's not something to take lightly. But branding doesn't always go as planned, and some branding mistakes are more costly than others. In this blog series we will discuss some branding mistakes that many companies make - like thinking their logo is the brand!
One of the biggest branding mistakes that many companies make is thinking their logo is the brand. A logo design isn't intended to distill and hold every intricate detail of an organization. That's a tall order for a graphic expression that should be readable at one inch in size. A logo's job is simple: To be a symbolic representation of an organization or business. Your brand strategy, on the other hand, should define the things that make you special and help you to carve out your unique place in the market.
Plain and simple, a logo design is a simplified symbol that represents an organization and what surrounds it should be tailored to enhance the experience. These elements of logo design can include colors, typography, photography and icons that pair well with and complement the logo.
Likewise, when displaying the logo on products or promotional items such as apparel, choosing appropriate products will steer brand perception. For example, an identical logo can be embroidered on a patch and stitched onto a canvas button-up work shirt, and in contrast, heat transferred on a sporty synthetic full-zip soft shell. The style of the apparel will, without a doubt, represent the style of the brand more than the logo itself can steer. Therefore, choosing brand-appropriate styles for apparel or promotional products can create more impact than you may imagine. If you’re able to pair the style of promotional products with the style of the brand’s identity and make intentional decisions to steer emotional triggers, you’ll be creating a more consistent and impactful representation for your brand.
Brand mistakes like these tend to happen when branding decisions are made by people or committees who don't have experience or expertise in brand development. Having an established brand strategy documented prior to starting new initiatives or investing in promotional items will provide guidance and make decisions easy and consistent.
Branding mistakes happen all the time, and logos aren't the only aspect of branding that can be flawed. In future blog posts we will discuss more branding mistakes companies make - so stay tuned!
Do you think you brand is relying too heavily on your logo, or just not as well strategized as it could be? Let’s talk! Set up a free consultation with our team to learn more about how your brand could be improved!
