Something I am very passionate about and one of my favourite things to design is logos or better still the whole branding campaign.
Everything starts with a logo mark and is then fuelled by that brands ethos, nature and personality, get that right and you are solid.
So, what creates a strong brand? Being simple, bold, timeless or just good design? You have to really drill into the core nature of what a company may stand for and how to show that in a graphic device. If I said to you what strong brands can you name off the top of your head and any reasons why they come up first, I’d be interested to see what comes to mind.
Straight off you can easily say brands like Google, as they are everywhere so no surprises there. Apple because again they are everywhere and even Coca-Cola which has remained largely un-changed since the 1900’s. This one is particularly interesting because through being unchanged it has created a strong brand through staying familiar and stood the test of time because of the success of the product, so you could argue that familiarity builds a strong brand.
Usually, a logo I believe has a seven-year lifecycle because of the influences that drove it to be designed at that point in time, these would then need updating to current standards and influences in order to compete, unless a retro look is what you are going for. A good logo though would see past this and try to strive for longevity which is why simple and bold would potentially be timeless in its approach.
A strong brand is not just a nice-looking logo, you have to have all the brand elements of support to elevate it and keep it there. It’s what the company stands for, the nature, philosophy, core, outlook, vision what-ever you want to call it comes into play with a strong brand. It’s no easy thing and takes years to master because a lot of it is based on trust, transparency and integrity which you build over time through consistency and delivery.
When I design a logo or brand I generally think along these lines, you are going for impact, originality and longevity. Your brand is only as strong as your business and visa-versa so don’t just necessarily design a logo try to build a brand and the support network behind it.
Of course, designing just a logo is fine too. It gives you an immediate identity and business confidence which are geared towards building that trust and integrity. As long as your logo is sharp and consistent in application then you have all the strength you need from the start.
