‘Brand’ vs ‘logo’: What’s the difference?

We’ve been having the same conversation quite a lot recently. Maybe it’s because the pandemic has left the majority of people a nudge more frugal and uncertain, or maybe there are just more freelancers and general competition in the creative space right now. Both highly possible. Nonetheless, it’s led us to outlining the difference between brand and logo more than normal, the saying ‘bang for your buck’ comes to mind!

So tell me… what’s the difference between brand and logo? 🤔

Jeff Bezos is widely known for explaining brand in super simple terms. His quote “brand is what people say about your business when you’re not in the room” sums it up pretty conclusively.

Branding is a never ending journey of customer experience. Many people think it’s purely a logo - acting as a quick win to building a brand. But it’s just not that simple.

Think of when you walk into a restaurant for the first time…

Did you find a parking space easily? Was the door really difficult to open? What’s the decor like? The seating, the room temperature, how you’re greeted, served and the quality of the food? 

These are all credible touch points that feed your biases as to whether the brand is something you’d want to associate yourself with again. The product (the food) might be amazing, but let’s be honest, if you’re eating it in a cold, dark room with zero background music, it’s going to be a little weird. 

Good branding offers consistency and credibility across all areas of the business, from the guy at the end of the phone when you booked your table, to the waiters recommendation on the wine list. They made you ‘feel’ a certain way. We use the term feeling because brand is more than just the tangibles. All these elements represent the restaurant brand and add or deteriorate from it. 

When we use the word consistency, what we mean is that people know what they are going to get. You go to McDonalds over Miller & Carter, because perhaps you’ve been driving for 3 hours, it’s just started snowing and you’re wearing flip flops (no judgement here, you do you). It’s suits your need and you trust it’s right for you in that moment. We could all whistle the tune and sing “I’m loooovin’ it” - that’s brand.

What about a logo? 🎨

A logo is the visual identity. It’s a critical visual component to get it right, because it’s one of the first touch points that consumers engage with. It’s like the star on top of the Christmas tree, or the tip of the iceberg that consumers digest. It’s super important so it can add to the brand, not detract from it. There are so many touch points that influences how we all actually feel when we see a brands logo, but it’s the logo itself that will trigger thoughts and feelings about the business. It’s the trademark which we will either catch our attention, or it won’t.

Whilst both branding and logo design are closely aligned with one another, there are key complexities that separate the two, especially from an agency stand-point.

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