You Don’t Need a Logo

By Katy

We’ve been doing a lot of branding work lately. It’s one of my favorite things to do.

But usually, it doesn’t start as a branding project. It typically starts like this:

Hey – I need a logo for my business.

Fair enough. Then we start asking questions, and, especially if it’s a new business, the client always, ALWAYS realizes there’s more to it than simply the logo. It’s a much bigger project extending into not only the WHAT of the business, but the WHY of the business.

Your logo is one element of your overall brand. Often, it’s the easiest piece to develop. The bigger piece is WHO is your business? What words and phrases describe who your business is? What words describe who your business is NOT? What are your business’s demographics (the individuals who buy from you)? What are your business’s psychographics (the REASONS individuals buy from you)? What is the voice of your business – are you casual, formal, cheeky, elitist, down to earth…? Why are you in business at all?

What do you know in your gut to be the true, overarching qualities of your business that, no matter what happens in the world or in your industry, will always ring true?

These are a few of the questions we ask our clients as we embark on a branding journey together. Once we nail down these answers, then we’re able to begin talking fonts, icons, color palettes and more. The fun stuff.

When we’ve agreed on the logo, secondary logo, submarks, graphic elements, typography and colors, all the information above is assembled into a living branding guide. It is, for lack of a better term, your business’s bible – it’s who you are and how you present yourself to the world. It can change over time as your business grows and matures, but its base remains constant.

At the end of most branding projects, clients say to us, “I had no idea what I was getting into, but I’m sure glad I did.” And we love that.

If your brand could use a kick in the pants and a roadmap in writing, give us a call! We’ll ask the tough questions, have you temporarily cussing us, and get you on the right track.