What is a logo?

What is a logo? And why it is so important.

Put simply, a logo is an identifier.

Logos help differentiate one company or organization from another. To better describe what a logo is, it is best to look at what a logo is not.

A logo is not an identity. Though a logo is an identifier, it is not an organization’s identity. The identity is all of the graphic visual elements that represent an organization.

A logo is not a brand. A brand is the overall impression of an organization from the combined use of the logo, visual content and all marketing content.

A logo is intended to help an organization stand out from the crowd and represent it in the simplest visual format.

This brings us to the next question. Why is a logo so important?

A logo is the foundational visual element of an organization. Logos are used to influence the graphic design of advertising and marketing content to keep a consistent and appropriate look and feel for an organization. Logos are the necessary starting point to create an organization’s identity.

Logos have a powerful feel or persona about them. Logos are what people are willing to wear on their clothing or put stickers of on many of the things they own. They are the boiled down image of a powerful brand.

Not only do people use logos to differentiate one organization from another but people can use a logo as a symbol of who they are or what they are interested in. This is the amazing power that a logo can have.

So how does a logo gain its power?

First in foremost, a logo must be well designed. This can only be achieved by adhering to strict time tested design principles. The result of principled design will lend a logo to be Simple, Memorable and Versatile. This kind of logo will be able to stand the test of time and to be effectively recognized.

A well designed logo is only as good as the product or service an organization provides. A logo should be a reflection of quality not a compensator for the lack of it. Organizations that do not provide legitimate value will never be saved by even the greatest logos.

The primary way that a logo gains its value is through continuous and appropriate usage. 

This is achieved by always using a logo correctly. A logo should never be altered by stretching it or using inappropriate colors.

Additionally, a logo needs to be incorporated into every form of visual communication. This doesn’t mean that the logo needs to be the focal point of all visual marketing content but it does need to be a part of every element. 

Most importantly, a logo should be used continuously throughout the lifespan of an organization or for as long as the logo appropriately represents it. With every year that passes that a logo is used to represent an organization, the value of that logo significantly increases. This is because of the effect of association. People will more easily make the visual association a logo has to an organization the longer it is in use.

This is why a logo is an organizations most valuable visual asset.