The difference between branding and a logo.

This is a subject I love to discuss!

It’s one of those topics I sometimes hear when I get an inquiry via my website or word of mouth. I’ll usually get something like “I just need a logo, not a full brand package” or my favorite “We just need something quick and aren’t ready to invest in full branding until we up and running.” Oof.

The difference between a logo and branding is an essential distinction to make. A logo is important, but it’s not everything.

How many times have you seen something online, clicked the page to view more, and realized “oh no, I’m not buying/trusting/using this.” Maybe the logo was pixelated or none of the images in the feed were high quality. Whatever the reason is that you leave that page/feed, it most likley has to do with a lack of branding.

With these little computers that we constantly cling to, it seems everything in our world is now visual. Our phones are constantly showing us (and more importantly selling us) a variety of brands, personas, ideas. If you see something you don’t like, on to the next. If you don’t like the price, find another seller. If you are confused about the company’s mission or their business plan is non-existent, keep scrolling. Everything is online, and the market is over-saturated.

Donald Miller has a beautiful quote I use all the time in conversations with my clients. He says, “People don't buy the best products. They buy the products they can understand the fastest.” If there’s ambiguity, you’ve lost their attention (if not a sale). If you’re trying to wear too many hats, people will tire of trying to discover your niche.

A logo is a small mark, a tiny piece of the puzzle. A logo doesn’t communicate your unique business, or even the story of your business the way branding does. Not to mention, that little graphic alone is representing your business 24/7. While you sleep it’s online representing you. A logo can’t effectively do its job without help. The help is branding. 

Branding is everything from your logos, fonts, branded patterns, graphics, colors, icons, keywords, all the pieces of a detailed puzzle that is your business and brings it all together in a consistent and cohesive way sparking emotion and creating an experience for your customers. It’s your visual identity. It tells your story; Who are you? What do you have to offer? How do you stand out from your competitors? And most importantly, it evokes and builds trust which simply put, a business will not succeed without.

Below is an example of a juice company that completely lacked branding. They had a logo, but often typed out their name “Jude’s Juice” without showing the logo itself. There was no consistent visual identity. Everything from the store exterior signage to the product labels lacked consistency. The result was chaos. The business looked far from professional and instead communicated a haphazard, outdated business model.

Below is the redesign of the Jude’s Juice logo. As you can see below, it’s more updated to today’s contemporary design standards. It’s a great start, but on its own, it’s not a complete visual identity.

Below is the entire brand with color options, logo variations, fonts, buzzwords (to communicate “who they are” as reflected in the graphics), and professional photography. We get a real sense of what this business offers, the level of professionalism, the quality of their product (which instills trust), and the experience you could expect as a customer doing business with them. The colors, fonts, graphics online, and graphics in their exterior/interior signage, are all united beautifully.

Do you see it? Here’s a breakdown of the difference.

FINAL ARTWORK/DELIVERABLES

Gone are the days of asking for a logo and getting one file. Even if you use Fiverr for your logo design, you’re doing a disservice to yourself by not having logo variations. Where is your brand going to live? You’ll probably have business cards, a social page (either Facebook, Instagram, or both), you’ll have a website, and maybe even a product (coffee, food product, t-shirts). Is your single logo going to be applied in all of those places? A shocking truth for many, is that a logo should never be singular. Having logo variations that can be applied in different scenarios is crucial. I always give clients a primary and secondary logo as well as a few branded marks (icon versions of your logo that can be used in places like the back of a business card, the footer of a website, etc.) The goal is to have variations of your logo to create brand consistency. You want your viewers to still know it’s you whether they see a brand mark or your primary logo. This way your business lives on your website, Instagram, business cards, and brochures simultaneously, creating recognition earns trust, which is key for business.

VIBE/AESTHETIC/MOOD

Have you ever heard of color psychology? A lot goes into choosing colors and fonts. Your company’s success is determined by the immediate “feel” and “mood” people get when seeing your brand. Here’s an example. What’s fascinating here is that we’re also using the same 2 colors, but how they’re presented creates an entirely different mood.

We’ve talked before about your visual presence and how so much of your brand is working (or not working) for you 24/7 online. Graphics, Instagram posts, web ads - it’s all contributing to your brand’s overall mood. Do you have a favorite brand or company? How does their output make you feel? Nike has a much different vibe than Starbucks. One of my favorite brands is a cafe in Texas called La La Land Kind Cafe. When I click on their feed, I immediately get a warm, sunny, friendly vibe. All of their colors, fonts, videos, and posts contribute to that sun-shiny aesthetic. What emotions do you want your company to exude? Everything you post, sell, and market contributes to that mood.

STRATEGY/BUSINESS PLAN/GOALS+OUTCOMES/MISSION

Strategy in design is the data the designer is collecting in order to determine the why behind the design, which is incredibly powerful and necessary for creating a brand that will not only attract your ideal client, but last. Strategy isn’t usually included in logo designs because it’s a completely separate service, typically seen and implemented when clients are ready to brand their business. So, when strategy is brought into the design process, key factors that will dictate the outcome of the design are determined like who the ideal customer is and what special skills the business owner brings to the table. This puts the brand in a strategic place amongst its competitors. It also speaks specifically to the brands ideal clients which will drive profits. And as you saw above, knowing that information before the design development stage begins can have lasting impact on your business.

The logo is an incredibly important part to any business, but the key thing to understand is that it’s just the beginning, the stepping stone to all the other parts of your brand that are equally as important. When every element is brought together, it creates a voice for your business, an experience for your customers and sets your business up for success.