Logo vs Brand – Are they that different?

As the rate of small business growth (in numbers) is on a continuous incline, more and more new entrepreneurs are coming across this much discussed topic time and again.

When creating a business for the first time most new business owners opt to ‘get a logo’ as oftentimes they are starting up as a lean enterprise. Those that do start digging, however, start to uncover the term ‘brand’ more and more and can be forgiven is assuming that because so many use them interchangeably they are the same thing, however, they’re not.

So…what’s the difference?

Logo

A logo is a simple single visual representation of a brand. It is usually made up of text, colour and often a graphical element, which combine to act as the main visual representative of the brand or the face of the brand.

It acts as a visual queue for the audience to recall the brand as a whole, including memories, experiences, feelings and other visual representations. Unless there is a brand as a whole to support the visuals, creating these memories, feelings, experiences or visual associations, the logo often has little impact in the mind of the audience.

This is where branding on a whole, stands out of the shadows as the engine behind the logo. A logo on its own is like is like the tip of an arrow, without the arrow shaft, the feathers, the bow and the string, it’s pretty ineffective.

Brand

A logo is a simple single visual representation of a brand. It is usually made up of text, colour and often a graphical element, which combine to act as the main visual representative of the brand or the face of the brand.

It acts as a visual queue for the audience to recall the brand as a whole, including memories, experiences, feelings and other visual representations. Unless there is a brand as a whole to support the visuals, creating these memories, feelings, experiences or visual associations, the logo often has little impact in the mind of the audience.

This is where branding on a whole, stands out of the shadows as the engine behind the logo. A logo on its own is like is like the tip of an arrow, without the arrow shaft, the feathers, the bow and the string, it’s pretty ineffective.

Conclusion

Try not to be offended by this one but if your website was designed on or before 2013, it’s time to consider whether or not it helps or hinders your brand. If the background of your website isn’t white or a very light neutral colour and you have chunks of text that you expect your audience to read, you’re likely giving them a headache.

We have moved on (well most of us have) from an age of dark backgrounds with light text, spinning Icons, flashing button and elements on the same page competing with each other and screaming for your attention.

If you want your audience to read some content then you need a light background. Each element must have its own piece of real estate with a bounding garden around it so it can breathe. There should only be one (two at most) call to action on a single page and although it should be obvious, it shouldn’t cause an instant migraine.

If your website is that old then it is not likely responsive. If after all these years you still expect your visitors to use their fingers to zoom in and out of your site by pinching their mobile screens, consider this statistic. 8 out of 10 people would stop engaging with a site if it didn’t display well on their screen – I will go out on a limb here and suggest that the other 2 out of 10 would be likely attacking their screens.

It’s easy to forget, especially within some industries, that your website, if harnessed correctly, can be the single most influential tool to drive leads and sales for your business. Many business owners see it as an inconvenience. They are unconvinced it can have much impact and simply invest in one because of the expectation to have one. We are in a digital age today however and regardless of the industry you’re in, most people do their research online before making purchasing decisions.

If your audience has the choice between your business and a business who has taken the time to harness their website and make the experience as enjoyable as possible for their audience, their choice is made for them.