your logo is not your brand

July 21, 2006 by Mark Rovner

Here’s to all the innocent non-profit execs who spent a bazillion dollars on graphics folks and self-styled brand consultants to produce a magically powerful logo that will cause the world to beat a path to your door:

I am so so sorry.

This is a particular obsession of mine, so forgive the shouting: YOUR BRAND IS NOT A LOGO. For the vast majority of you, your logo will in even the best case only play a minor (if not downright trivial) role in conveying your brand.

Don’t take my word for it, take it from the gray-beard guru of branding Ed Ries:

A great deal of effort has gone into creating elaborate symbols for use in logotypes….For the most part, these efforts are wasted. The power of a brand name lies in the meaning of the word in the mind. … There are only a handful ofsimple symbols that make effective trademarks. At this late date, if history hasn’t willed you one of these simple symbols, it’s probably too late to create one on your own.