Your brand—so much more than your logo

Your brand—so much more than your logo

Many things comprise your brand, above all the associations people have with it: feelings, experiences, perspectives, and distinguishing characteristics. Let’s look at brand associations broadly.
Recently, the State of Colorado was rebranded. As part of an extensive process, the brand COLORADO team spoke with residents statewide, exploring cities, industries and people, all to understand what makes Colorado, Colorado. The result? They learned that Colorado’s defining characteristic is its nature: great mountains, steep canyons, stretching valleys, roaring rivers, and mountain lakes. The rebranding of Colorado was not just about creating a logo. It was about capturing and defining Colorado.
CO Brand

Brands are found everywhere.

You see them in clothing, people, companies, ideas, products, services, and yes, even states. Logos are sometimes confused with brands, but a brand is made up of more than just a logo. It includes the colors, fonts, and design style, which then contribute to communications pieces like presentations, brochures, and sales collateral, as well as digital marketing tools like websites, email, apps, and social media. Before you begin to design the visual elements of your brand (like the logo), you need to understand your brand. It is your company’s product or service or “solution,” and it is what sells (or at least you want it to). So, define it. Map it out so that you know your brand inside and out—strengths, weakness, competition, marketplace, history, future, etc.

What does your brand say to the world?

This is your brand identity, and it shapes how people think and feel about your brand. Think of it as the personality of your brand. A strong brand identity will create consistency and loyalty. Employees, business partners, and consumers all recognize brands by visual design, but they remember them more often by the feeling they have toward the brand. This comes through the connection they have with the brand identity.

Your logo is important.

Logos are often the first glimpse of your brand people see. Professional logo designs are thoroughly researched and discussed. The design is effective, creative, and well executed. Your logo will become a mark that is repeated and reused, so it is important to give it full attention.
Think about these recognizable logos. What are you first thoughts about each one?
Corporate brand logos
You may have had an experience with each one that gives you that feeling. Or maybe you’ve heard people talk about it or you’ve seen it used in some way. This initial feeling is very important because it is how consumers view your brand. It is the front door to your brand. Your brand identity is the inside decor of your house. It sets the mood for your whole brand.

Treat your logo with care but don’t leave the inside bare.

Remember, your logo does not fully define your brand, so you must establish your brand identity. Building your brand identity will take time, commitment, and a great deal of consistency. If you establish a strong identity from the beginning, it will only strengthen your brand.

Share this post

Facebook
Twitter

More from the category

slack logo purple background
Effective communication, essential collaboration: How groupware can help your teams
women's soccer team
Reaching Millions with the US Women’s National Team
Soccer Ball
Meet the World Cup Partners that Make the Biggest Game in the World Possible
bull horn against pc screen logo and other logos against light blue background
Marketing Technologies
social media icons such as facebook and twitter
Social Media: A must-have for Modern Businesses
light bulb logo against blue-green background crowdsourcing
Is there a future in crowdsourcing?
Woman in occulus VR gear
Facing the Future with Virtual Reality Marketing
film strip with play sign
Top tips for creating marketing videos
10 tips logo house and grid icon against blue-green background
10 tips for working remotely
quickstyles logo
Part 2: How to create your own Quick Style in Microsoft Word
formatting with quick styles part 1
Part 1: Why you need to use Quick Styles in Microsoft Word
event template against pink background
Building a Successful Event Experience: The corporate PowerPoint template
event theme cursive logo against green background
Building a Successful Event Experience: Event Theme
kickstarter logo against hot pink background
Creating a successful Kickstarter campaign
computer in purple/pink flashy setting
Web Design Wizardry: Graphic Design Trends
whitepaper against orange background
What a quality whitepaper can mean for your business
2014 B2b titled notebook paper
Ringing in 2014: B2B Marketing Resolutions
2014 ring soundwave logo
Ringing in 2014: An Agency’s New Year’s Resolutions
typography logo with many terms
Trendy Typography: Graphic Design Trends
staff please use caution when burning customers using hallway note against red-orange background
Is your message getting the wrong kind of attention?
lightsource foosball magazine against blue-green background
Product review: Studio App, the next design and ideation platform?
ugly smiley face with pencil versus a perfect smiley face with cursor pointer
Illuminating Illustration: Graphic Design Trends
Green Printing with a leaf against purple background
How to “green” your next print project
colored rectangles shaped like computer screens
Is your website responsive?
many hands using office tools
Are you monitoring your social media?
Website management: Benefiting from a CMS