Logo design versus brand identity, what’s the difference? A question that might seem self explanatory, but, because the two coincide with each other in a lot of ways, can cause a lot of confusion.
In my experience I’ve had many clients contact me needing a logo design and after discussing their needs, wants and objectives, realise that what they’re actually looking for or what they’d benefit from the most, is a brand identity system.
For this reason I thought it would be helpful to dive into these design terminologies and break them down in a jargon-free, easy to understand way.
Check out the video below where I cover this topic in 5 minutes with real world examples.
Think of your logo as the face of your business. It’s the first thing we’ll come into contact with that has a visual association with your business and it’s main purpose is to leave a great first impression.
Appearances matter and if your logo is ugly (or better described, poorly designed) you’ll have a hard time convincing or giving people the motivation to look deeper into your business to discover your service, offering or products.
I challenge you to do a quick search for businesses like yours online. Pick a business, take a look at their logo and ask yourself truthfully, what impression do you get? Would the logo get you interested to learn more?
Now you might not be aware, but a logo comes in many different forms. Some of which include:
One trap that a lot of business owners fall into when it comes to logo design, is thinking that because they have a strong logo, that means they must have a strong brand identity system. This isn’t true. Your logo is a key part of your brand identity, but it’s just one small piece of the puzzle…
We invest our time (and sometimes money) into people because of their unique personalities. Your brand identity’s purpose is exactly the same, to convey your unique character and personality as a business through an abundance of visual elements, including your logo.
The great thing about building a strong brand identity system is that all your visual elements are adaptable and have many uses, the most common being to create marketing materials that are consistent with your brand’s voice, feel and look.
Often visual elements are taken from a brand identity to develop:
During consultation calls with clients when I’m asked to describe what a brand identity is, I often describe it as ‘all encompassing’. Which makes more sense when you know what a brand identity usually consists of!
A brand identity system is made up of key visual elements such as:
Which is why when working with a brand identity designer, they’ll supply you with ‘brand guidelines’ that’ll give you best practices on how to get the most of your visual elements, while maintaining consistency.
Consistent and constant exposure to a particular style, vibe and aesthetic is what helps a business become memorable and in time, recognisable.
Think about your favourite brand for example, if they decided to switch up their colour schemes randomly, you probably wouldn’t recognise them OR you’d perceive them differently, likely not how that brand desires you to.
And to test that theory, let’s play a quick game of ‘spot the brand’. Can you tell me who this business is, just by looking at the colour and pattern alone?
Now let’s take a step back and imagine we’re in an alternative universe where this brand doesn’t use the red we’ve come to know and love. Would you perceive them differently? Would you even recognise them?
That my friends is the beauty and science behind brand identity design!
If you’re looking to alter the way your service, offering or product is perceived and build a more established connection with your target audience, think about the ways and means you can do so through brand identity design. Having a logo might just not be enough.
Understanding design jargon at the best of times, is not the easiest. If you fancy a quick chat, want me to elaborate on any of these points or have a question, freel free to drop me a line at contact@penna.design.
I help take businesses to the next level through tailored logo design & brand identity solutions.
In my experience I’ve had many clients contact me needing a logo design and after discussing their needs, wants and objectives, realise that what they’re actually looking for or what they’d benefit from the most, is a brand identity system.
For this reason I thought it would be helpful to dive into these design terminologies and break them down in a jargon-free, easy to understand way.
Check out the video below where I cover this topic in 5 minutes with real world examples.
What’s a logo design?
Think of your logo as the face of your business. It’s the first thing we’ll come into contact with that has a visual association with your business and it’s main purpose is to leave a great first impression.
Appearances matter and if your logo is ugly (or better described, poorly designed) you’ll have a hard time convincing or giving people the motivation to look deeper into your business to discover your service, offering or products.
I challenge you to do a quick search for businesses like yours online. Pick a business, take a look at their logo and ask yourself truthfully, what impression do you get? Would the logo get you interested to learn more?
Now you might not be aware, but a logo comes in many different forms. Some of which include:
- An icon, symbol or mascot
- Text-based
- A combination of the two
One trap that a lot of business owners fall into when it comes to logo design, is thinking that because they have a strong logo, that means they must have a strong brand identity system. This isn’t true. Your logo is a key part of your brand identity, but it’s just one small piece of the puzzle…
What’s brand identity design?
We invest our time (and sometimes money) into people because of their unique personalities. Your brand identity’s purpose is exactly the same, to convey your unique character and personality as a business through an abundance of visual elements, including your logo.
The great thing about building a strong brand identity system is that all your visual elements are adaptable and have many uses, the most common being to create marketing materials that are consistent with your brand’s voice, feel and look.
Often visual elements are taken from a brand identity to develop:
- Business cards, letterheads, flyers
- Stationery or other corporate collateral
- Pop-up banners
- Billboards
- Packaging
- Social media presence
- Websites
What does a brand identity look like?
During consultation calls with clients when I’m asked to describe what a brand identity is, I often describe it as ‘all encompassing’. Which makes more sense when you know what a brand identity usually consists of!
A brand identity system is made up of key visual elements such as:
- Colour schemes
- Typography
- Brand patterns
- Iconography
- Logo variations (primary, secondary, etc)
Which is why when working with a brand identity designer, they’ll supply you with ‘brand guidelines’ that’ll give you best practices on how to get the most of your visual elements, while maintaining consistency.
Consistent and constant exposure to a particular style, vibe and aesthetic is what helps a business become memorable and in time, recognisable.
I want to play a game…
Think about your favourite brand for example, if they decided to switch up their colour schemes randomly, you probably wouldn’t recognise them OR you’d perceive them differently, likely not how that brand desires you to.
And to test that theory, let’s play a quick game of ‘spot the brand’. Can you tell me who this business is, just by looking at the colour and pattern alone?
Now let’s take a step back and imagine we’re in an alternative universe where this brand doesn’t use the red we’ve come to know and love. Would you perceive them differently? Would you even recognise them?
That my friends is the beauty and science behind brand identity design!
In summary
If you’re looking to alter the way your service, offering or product is perceived and build a more established connection with your target audience, think about the ways and means you can do so through brand identity design. Having a logo might just not be enough.
Understanding design jargon at the best of times, is not the easiest. If you fancy a quick chat, want me to elaborate on any of these points or have a question, freel free to drop me a line at contact@penna.design.
I help take businesses to the next level through tailored logo design & brand identity solutions.
