Logo Design Visually Defines Brand Identity
What
is a logo, really?
If this sounds confusing, it's not. Developing a
long-term, recognizable brand image involves the use of several design elements: font, colour, the spacing between
letters, the relation between all the elements and positive and negative space.
A logo does not need to have a graphic
element, known at a logo mark, to be successful.
Developing a brand image that concisely and accurately
represents a company well over time takes careful
consideration and skill.
L.L. Bean, for instance, has no logo mark but is a very
recognizable logo. Their design simply uses a distinctive font in their special
shade of green. The letters are close together and proportioned in a way that
is unique to their brand identity.
If you look closely at other major brands, they rely
heavily on their choice and use of fonts and colour to capture the essence of
their company and to create a unique
and recognizable brand image. You could say the font captures the
essence of the company while a graphic element complements or completes the
message.
What
is a logo mark?
A logo mark is a graphic
element used in a logo. Brands that have developed strong recognition
in their marketplace can, in time, use only their branded graphic in
advertising and their customers will recognize the brand immediately.
A case in point would be Nike and their now famous
"swoosh." The "swoosh" is an updated
"checkmark" turned into a graphic element and used in the Nike brand
image. The "swoosh" is so associated with the Nike brand that customers instantly recognize the
graphic as the Nike brand: It's become interchangeable with a company name.
So while a logo doesn't need a graphic element, a logo
mark needs the logo type to be complete. To check out this theory, look at the
logo for Panera Bread. Cover up the graphics with your finger, then move your
finger over the words (logo type). Which is more recognizable as the Panera brand? The font or the graphic?
By the way, do
you remember the logo mark Nike used before the "swoosh?"
Neither do I. Nike has done such a great job of promoting their current brand
image that most of us remember only the "swoosh!"
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Article Source: EzineArticles
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