I recently explained to a client that unless they’re in the design business, no one cares about their logo. They seemed offended, likely because they confused their logo with their brand – a common misconception.
It’s easy to assume that iconic logos like the Nike swoosh or McDonald’s golden arches are key to a company’s success. But your logo is not your brand, just as your clothes are not your personality. A logo is merely a visual representation, a small component of your overall brand identity. Your actual brand is far more complex.
As Amazon’s Jeff Bezos said, “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” It’s about the overall perception and reputation of your company. Marketing guru Seth Godin echoes this, stating, “A logo is not a brand unless it’s on a cow.”
Your brand encompasses the total customer experience – from product quality and customer service to reputation and emotions evoked. The logo is just one piece of that puzzle. As Marty Neumeier, author of “The Brand Gap,” puts it, “Your brand is not what you say it is. It’s what they say it is.”
A great logo can’t save a company with a mediocre product, poor service, and bad reputation. But a company with an incredible offering and exemplary service can thrive even with a lacklustre logo. As entrepreneur Mark Cuban says, “Your brand is your reputation. Guard it closely.”
Even legendary designer Paul Rand understood a logo’s limits, calling design “the silent ambassador of your brand” – not the entirety of the brand itself.
A well-designed logo is valuable, helping make your brand memorable and conveying attributes. However, consumers care more about what your brand delivers than how pretty or visible your logo is.
We often hear, “Can you make the logo bigger?” In fact, we have a sign in our office stating, “No, I won’t make the logo bigger.” It’s not that we don’t value our clients’ input; quite the opposite! We simply want them to focus on what matters for their brand’s success, and an oversized logo on their website that’s visible from outer space isn’t it.
So, at the risk of repeating myself; unless you’re in design, people don’t care about your logo beyond a cursory glance.
Do billionaires like Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk fret over their logos’ size? No, they focus on innovating, delivering value, and building trusted brands. Logo size is a secondary concern at best.
When we push back on a request to super-size a website logo, it’s to help clients direct efforts where they’ll have the greatest impact – refining their product, enhancing service, and crafting a memorable customer journey. Those things truly set a brand apart, not a massive logo.
Invest in developing a strong, cohesive brand identity. But don’t neglect the myriad factors that truly define your brand in favour of logo design. Focus on delivering an exceptional experience that keeps people coming back.
Build a great product, provide outstanding service, and cultivate a stellar reputation. That’s how you build a powerful brand your logo can proudly represent. The logo may be your brand’s “face,” but the substance behind it is what matters.
So, the next time you stress over your logo’s prominence on your website, or if you find yourself investing a ridiculous amount of time and energy torturing your logo designer with revisions, refocus on the bigger picture – delivering an exceptional product and customer experience. That’s what we do with your website. It’s what the billionaires do, and it works pretty well for them, logos notwithstanding.
