What Does Your Logo Tell Consumers?

They are either forgettable or instantly identifiable; think of logos which are known everywhere in the world: the McDonald’s Golden Arches, Mickey Mouse’s ears, Google’s logo. Your logo is the most visually identifiable aspect of your brand and as such, it has to communicate with the public. It doesn’t necessarily have to tell people what your company is or does, but it should be something people can identify with in a way and feel that they have gotten a sense of the company.

Take Google, for instance. Their branding is perhaps the best example of the maxim “Keep it simple, stupid”. The logo is instantly recognizable as theirs and is memorable, even the company it represented wasn’t the 800 pound gorilla in the room. Its bright primary colors remind one of play and can remind one of one’s childhood – a comforting feeling is what many companies try to convey with their brand and Google has managed to take logo branding to a whole new level with their logo’s merger of comfort and fun in one package – which come to think of it, isn’t too far off, even if you could never guess just by looking at their branding exactly what the company happens to do.

One thing I like to remind companies of is that to the consumer, your brand isn’t just the face of your company – it IS your company, at least in the minds of your customer base. People become emotionally attached to their brands; take for example someone who turns up their nose at anything but Utz (also a terrific example of logo branding) potato chips, avoiding other brands such as Herr’s. People are intensely loyal to their chosen brands and this is why your branding is extremely important. For many companies, this represents one of the only chances you have to make a personal connection with your customers. Of course, forging a personal bond with its customers is something every business wants to achieve.

So how can your business manage to come up with something which is the epitome of logo branding, a logo which communicates to the consumer “this is THE brand”? This of course is a complex question and there is no one right answer here. To a large extent, it depends in the industry you’re in. Nike found logo branding success with a logo which communicates motion – again, simple and incredibly memorable. Some of the biggest brands are those who have kept things simple – it’s something which we as consumers seem to prefer in logos and indeed, in brands. Can you think of many successful companies whose logo or other branding elements such as packaging feature an ornate design? I thought not; simplicity is one of the rules when it comes to successful branding.

Simple equals memorable but keep in mind that simple does not mean that you cannot convey a lot of information within the confines of this simplicity – if you need proof, just ask ten people what comes to mind when they see Mickey’s ears – you’ll hear a lot of different associations, all positive. If you can create a memorable brand, customers will bring their own associations to it and become emotionally engaged with your branding, giving your company a loyal customer for life.

Bruno Auger

Tags: consumers, Google, business, branding, logos, McDonald’s