July 15, 2005
A logo isn’t a brand - not even close.
….as I often say (rant?)…and, I actually once had a scary-smart entrepreneur say to me, “I’m branded! I’ve got a web site!” Uh-oh. The poor guy spent thousands of dollars and didn’t even have a company yet - much less a brand. For more perspective on this - via Seth Godin - Before you spend a lot of time and money on a logo.
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July 20th, 2005 at 2:52 pm
What is a logo worth?
This is the latest from Seth (Purple Cow – Free Prize Inside – Tell a Story) Godin. He states, “all a logo needs, is to be GOOD ENOUGH� when just a few weeks previous he wanted you to reject “good enough�.
Ok – perhaps he meant to say that your brand is built (or not) regardless of logo design. If that’s what he meant, I agree, but not at the expense of great design.
Let’s make this clear:
A logo is your Brand Identity. It matters. The identity becomes the symbol for your brand image in the mind of the customer. “Good enoughâ€? is a well designed logo that will feel fresh for a long time. It’s one you and your customers won’t tire of in a few short years – let’s say the first 10 - 20 years or so. A “good enoughâ€? logo is one that differentiates itself within its category and begins to tell the story before you know what that story is. It’s memorable. It’s distinctive. It’s representative.
Nike is a great example. That swoosh was commissioned for $35 (they have since upped that payment significantly) but price doesn’t always dictate quality. The swoosh logo gives the viewer a feeling of activity and motion before we begin to know the story of the brand. In “Godin speakâ€?, it fits the brand story. I chose Nike because it’s such an obvious example but there are many good ones: Kodak, Amtrak, Cotton, or I Love (heart) NY.
A distinctive, well conceived and designed logo is worth every penny you can spend, but ultimately, it’s only going to be as good as the brand you build around it.
July 20th, 2005 at 3:21 pm
Bruce,
Good points all, particularly your ending sentence. And, I completely agree that a good logo is memorable, distinctive, and representative. But, most just aren’t - they’re meaningless, overpriced pieces of creative hoo-ha.
Your examples of Kodak, etc. - well, I think I recognize them - but I could be looking at a close (or not so close) approximation and not know the difference.
My pet peeve is that people often think building and maintaining a brand starts and stops with the logo. I do advise clients that sometimes good enough really is good enough. A small business with a very limited budget has to make smart choices, for maximum impact. After all, customers don’t buy (or stay) just because the company has a cool logo.
All that said, I’m finally going to get a logo of my very own - and no, I won’t be settling for “good enough.”