Remington BeggIf somebody asked you to describe the difference between a logo and a brand, would you be able to answer them? Throw in the idea of an brand identity package, and many of us end up even more confused.
Any brand marketing itself should be prepared with the tools needed to communicate to their customer base effectively. Starting with where their logo fits into their overall corporate identity. Fortunately, Google is your friend, and learning the difference between a logo and a brand is as easy as an image search.
The graphics included below range from simple to in depth, but all of them hit on the same point: a logo design is only part of a brand identity, but plays an important role as the visual representative of a business in it's simplest form.
This first graphic comes from Creative Market's article on creating a brand identity. It's a thorough primer for getting started with identity design and does a good job of outlining how each piece relates to a bigger picture. The logo design you choose to go with should be a good stand in for your entire brand identity. A logo will come to mean so much more than what it looks like. Things like brand tone of voice, and your company's competitive advantages will be what people think of when they see your logo.
Takeaway: A logo is often not enough. Your business needs a complete brand identity and unified vision.
Designing a Brand Identity | Creative Market
While cute, this graphic from Raine & Mankin is just the tip of the iceberg - or mountain in this case. It does do a good job of illustrating the weight you should put on the different parts of your corporate identity.
Takeaway: A logo without branding strategy will never withstand market demands.
Why Your Logo is Not Your Brand | Raine & Mankin
Logo design is just a small piece of your brand. Go Media's graphic above presents a simplistic view of this concept. A logo should be unique, but it must fit into every piece of marketing you do - from digital to print - it must represent your brand successfully.
Takeaway: A logo helps customers recall previous experiences interacting with a brand.
Logo Design vs. Branding – what’s the difference? | Go Media
While a bit more abstract, Inbound's graphic provides a little more context for deciphering between a brand, a visual identity, and a logo. In a very simple way it answers the question: What is Branding? Branding can be summarized as being the sum of all parts. On one hand you have feeling and emotion (brand) and on the other recognizable visuals (logo). If you were to design a new corporate identity, you would want to consider everything from voice to visuals before even thinking about what your logo design will look like.Takeaway: A logo doesn’t necessarily have to describe what a company does.
Do you know the difference between Brand, Identity and Logo? | Inbound.co
Jacob Cass from Just Creative uses a similar graphic to that of Inbound's to explain the difference between a brand and a logo. In his article, Jacob outlines the differences fairly quickly:
- The Brand: The perceived emotional corporate image as a whole.
- The Identity: The visual aspects that form part of the overall brand.
- The Logo: A logo identifies a business via the use of a mark or icon.
Takeaway: A logo should identify a brand in a way that is recognizable and memorable.
Branding, Identity & Logo Design Explained | Just Creative
Perhaps the most in depth of all the graphics I discovered from Google-ing belonged to Stone Soup Creative. They've offered enough of an understanding in one shot, that you don't have to read their article on the subject. Though I highly recommend you do. In fact be sure to check out all the links I've shared here. However, if you were looking for an easy way to answer what is branding for an inquisitive colleague, this would do the trick.
Takeaway: Brand identity is the whole picture and its made up of various parts including logo design, and a solid brand marketing message.
What is the difference between a logo, identity and brand? | Stone Soup Creative
If you didn't read the articles linked above, or do a Google search of your own, you're probably still confused about the difference between a logo and a brand.
