They’re not the same thing
I’m asked this question a lot, and there are many schools of thought throughout the design industry that inform the answer. Here are my thoughts.
First, what is a product or service brand?
The term “brand” in marketing originates from the practice of branding livestock with a hot iron to signify ownership. This fact may leave you thinking; do I own a Stanley? or does Stanley own me?
By the late 1800’s companies began using the term to represent not just the product itself but the identity and values associated with it.
Coca-Cola, originally a cocaine-laced fizzy tonic, was developed as a medicinal drink to cure various vague ailments. Don’t worry—they stopped using cocaine in 1929, which coincides nicely with the start of the Great Depression.
The “contour” bottles, signage, typeface (that iconic Spencerian script), and the messaging used to sell Coca-Cola became the recipe for its success—and none of these elements have changed much over the years. Every detail of the Coca-Cola brand is micromanaged.
A brand encompasses everything about the product or service, and the goal of a brand package is to control every detail. If you’re a caterer, I’ll make sure the shade of your table linens matches the green on your menus, which in turn matches the green in your logo. If you sell necklaces, I’ll ensure consistency in whether you use the American or Canadian spelling of “jewelry” (spoiler: two L’s is the way of the North!). Managing a brand is a lot of work. When I collaborate on a brand package, I expect to be considered a controlling perfectionist, and perhaps even a hater of fun. But once we’re done and you have a comprehensive guide outlining how to communicate your message and maintain visual consistency, you’ll be able to take a vacation without worrying about social media missteps or losing customers to a generic competitor.
Do I own a Stanley? or does Stanley own me?
When a client asks for a “brand,” I start with three key questions:
- How many of your products or services do you want to sell?
- How many people will be managing your service or product?
- How many competitors do you have?
If the answer to all three is “more than ten,” then we’ll dive right in. If it’s “not sure,” I recommend starting with a thoughtfully designed logo and color palette rather than a full brand package. At this stage, you likely just need business cards, a website, social media graphics, and maybe some signage. There’s no need to bring a firehose to a water fight. Many iconic companies started with a simple logo and only developed into brand powerhouses when they needed to scale up.
So what’s a logo?
The word “logo” is derived from the Greek word for “imprint”, a graphic mark to symbolize something, or someone (I’m looking at you Superman!).
Perhaps you’re a therapist starting a private practice—it’s just you. You’ll need a symbol that represents yourself and a set of colors that work together seamlessly. Your logo will go on your business cards, your website, and your social media profiles.
A logo and color palette is like a fashion capsule collection—a group of items that can be mixed and matched effortlessly. The perfect trousers, blouse, coat, skirt, and sweater.
A logo is the typeface, the color, and the graphic representation of your business. A timeless logo can eventually become the foundation of a brand as your business grows.
If you’re answering “yes” to these three questions, you probably just need a logo:
- Are you in a rush?
- Is it just you, and maybe 2-3 other people who will be managing your product or service?
- Do you have a limited budget?
Remember, all brands include a logo, but not all logos are brands—yet!
– Sarah Deschamps, Lead Designer at Violet Webworks
