A logo is the visual expression and representation of a brand’s identity, and behind every great logo is a company that deeply understands its own brand. It follows, then, that a key foundational step in the logo design process is developing a clear understanding of your brand’s identity. Here’s a quick list of things to consider when you embark on this important step of defining your brand.
– Performance. What do you do? What does your company deliver to the consumer? And not only that: What makes you excellent at what you do? It is essential to construct a list of your capabilities, which are at the very root of your brand.
– Emotion. How does your product or service make people feel? Think of your brand as a human being—what are its vital personality traits? Consider this a way of thinking through the style and voice of your brand.
– Beliefs. What’s your fundamental company code? Great and enduring brands have integrity. They have a sense of wholeness and a set of standards—an internal culture—that they stand by and affirm they will never stray from.
– Goals. What are your companies ambitions; how do you plan to grow stronger, better, and smarter? This goes back to and expands upon the dimension of performance, and begs the question of how your brand can change lives.
– Customers. Your customers are loyal to your product or service because your brand fits neatly into how they perceive themselves or who they wish to be. Think about your target customers and consider what kind of person your brand enables them to become.
After you’ve completed this exercise and settled on answers to the above questions, you should begin to see the DNA of your brand take shape. Points of differentiation and key strengths, as compared to your competition, will come forward. Let’s say, for example that you compete on price or believe you have a higher quality product compared to others in your category. In the same way a web developer might promote these elements on your site, these characteristics are essential to your brand identity and should carry more weight during the logo creation process. With a higher quality product, for example, a logo and typeface that suggest excellence in design should be prioritized.
After you have a solid understanding of your brand’s identity, prioritize the most important and distinctive elements of your brand, and let them guide the logo design process.
