Brand > logo

For many, to “brand” something is to put a logo or mark on it. They are correct up to a point but a brand is greater than a logo.

A logo represents the brand. A logo’s function is to trigger a recall of our perceptions and memories we have of the brand. It uses our innate mental ability to instantaneously categorize and compartmentalizes vast, disparate pieces of information into a response.

Your brand is the perception or understanding that the public has of it. This perception is influenced not just by the individual’s interaction with you or your company but also by his or her culture, history, life experiences, tastes, environment and memories. The act of branding is the process of influencing perception.

Over the years I have discovered that when a company can be well defined in terms of what they are, what they do and why they exist then it is an easy task for me to create a logo that fits and becomes them.

Why? Because with a clear understanding of the corporate personality and goals, I can find effective triggers that stimulate a correct representation of the company. It is this alignment of understanding between the public and corporate perception that is the essence of a memorable and valuable brand. Over the next few days we are going to explore this concept.

My gift today is that you discover the emotional basis of your brand. Ask yourself “What do I really offer?” Start over if it is a list of nouns. Ask what you satisfy emotionally for your customer.

Let’s play a game. For each emotion you gave imagine it as a color, a smell, a texture, a weight. For example if your clients derive “confidence” from you then is it red hot or cool blue? Maybe it is contentment like the smell would be of tangy, barbeque sauced ribs slow-cooked on a hot summer day. Maybe it feels like the smooth, cool assurance of an art deco dresser’s laminate top.

Your imagination is now all warmed up. Step into the emotion and feel it. Associate a time that you genuinely felt this way yourself to each of the emotions you satisfy. Write it down. Capture it for tomorrow we will continue.