Logo and Brand Identity

What Is the Difference Between Logo and Brand Identity?

Before diving into the differences between logo and brand identity, let’s take a look at what brand actually means. A “brand,” in its most basic form, is the mental picture that forms when a customer thinks of your business. A brand’s visual identity encompasses the obvious, like your basic logo, but it also includes other elements, like font and typography, logo color palettes, tone and voice of publications and other overarching identifiers. Business success very often correlates with how well a brand relates to its target audience. How consistent branding stays over the years can also make a significant impact.

So, what is the difference between brand identity and logo? A logo is simply one of the primary visual representations you create when you build a brand. As part of your brand’s identity, your logo should be easily identifiable and memorable. Your brand’s identity, on the other hand, utilizes all of your creative assets to influence public perception of your company. It demonstrates the values you hold and how your company interacts with the world around it.

What is Brand Identity?

A brand identity is the collection of all your creative elements — logos, fonts, symbols and other differentiating features — that come together to both shape the public’s perception of your brand, as well as to help you attempt to stand out from the competition. Of course, setting yourself apart from your competitors through a strong brand identity is important, but doing so in a meaningful manner that’s significantly impactful is even more paramount.

Your brand identity probably won’t be static. Over time, it’ll likely change to reflect your growing brand as well as common social values — all while still remaining relatively neutral and consumer-friendly. The overarching goal is usually to create something scalable that has public influence. As your brand’s identity becomes more well-known, your products and services will ideally have better sales.

What is a Logo?

A logo is a unique, identifying picture or symbol that’s uniformly used to identify your company. As a portion of your brand’s identity, your logo should help promote your company and increase your brand identity. As time goes on, logos sometimes become more minimal, going from a complex image to a more basic, yet defined, image.

How Does a Logo Fit into Brand Identity?

Your brand strategy is your company’s long-term vision and plan to promote and enhance your brand identity. Even though logo designs may seem like a small part of your brand, it’s not uncommon if they end up being the most visible part of your consumer-facing identity. With millions of logos in circulation, it’s imperative to focus on creating something that reflects your brand’s overarching identity. Finding a logo that’s easily identifiable yet one that maintains simplicity is a balancing act that can require time and patience.

Your end goal should be to build a brand identity into your logo. In other words, when the average consumer sees your logo, your company’s slogan and identity should immediately come to mind. This is exactly what most very well-known, successful companies have done on their way to the Fortune 500. For example, Target has managed to make a name for itself partially by utilizing a consistent brand strategy. In every modernization, Target made a conscious effort to keep their logo relatively similar, even though their brand grew by leaps and bounds. In short, maintaining the core of your brand through your logo will help keep your company on-track for business success, regardless of how much you grow.