A logo is not a brand

What do you consider when designing your brand?

A brand is more than a logo.

In fact, it goes beyond logos, typography and colour palettes entirely. A brand is the emotional connection, experience created, reputation and promise of an organisation.

If someone asks you a question you don’t know the answer to, what do you tell them to do? “Google it.” But Google isn’t a verb; it’s a brand. That’s what a strong brand identity can do for an organisation.

So how do we get there?

In order to create a strong brand, leadership needs to be aligned on: what matters, where the organisation is going, how it wins, what it stands for and what needs to change for growth. In order to define your brand, spend some time answering these four questions:

1. Why do we exist?

• Beyond making money, what is your organisation’s purpose?
• What is your long term vision; what do you hope to achieve?
• What is your mission; what steps will you take each day to achieve your vision?

2. Who do we exist to serve?

• Who is your ideal audience?
• Who are your stakeholders?
• Who may have indirect interest in your work?

3. How will we show up?

• What is your point of view; how will you convince your audience your vision matters?
• How will you present yourself; what character will your organisation take on?
• What are your personality traits; how will you express your character?

4. What will we offer?

• What is your descriptor? The statement describing what your brand does.
• What is your differentiator? The thing you do differently or better than any other brand.
• What is your promise? The value you will deliver, communicate and acknowledge in everything you do.

Defining these four areas allows an organisation to communicate why they do what they do, not just what they do and therefore, set themselves apart from their competitors.

In a recent project with one of our clients, Eustafor, what started as a 20th anniversary project evolved into a rebrand that will last beyond the celebrations. ACW refined their primary logo, developed a new color palette and typography, and designed three core publications informed by conversations about the purpose behind their brand.

Our strategy paid off, as Josep Milà-Puigdomènech, Policy and Communications Officer at Eustafor, shared:

“Thanks a lot for your great work and the very interesting concept you prepared for us on the general brand and also the 20 Year anniversary. I am happy to communicate that we got very positive feedback on the overall proposal and that the board has approved the rebranding, the anniversary brand and logos. Congratulations.”

At ACW we don’t start with colours or logos, we start with conversations. Every time we work on a client’s brand we don’t stop at learning about their company’s function, we seek to understand their purpose and their stakeholder’s needs. This approach paired with our range of expertise is what it means to be a full-service agency; because our goal is not just to meet your expectations, but to exceed them.

The brand of each organisation is unique. It’s important to be intentional about the choices that are made when designing a brand; this is why our approach to brand work at ACW is highly collaborative. We believe that working closely with our clients is how we get the best out of each other.

When the purpose behind an organisation’s work is understood it creates a compelling brand that not only resonates with their ideal audience, but inspires strong internal culture.

Don’t let your brand be limited to just a logo; define your organisation’s purpose and create a brand that stands out.