Why You Don't Need a Logo, and What I Recommend Instead
“Do you design logos?” I get this question a lot.
The short answer is yes, but the truth is, that “just a logo” isn’t going to do anyone any good. A logo design is just a piece of what’s really required to set your business apart with a unique look and feel.
A logo alone lacks strategy. It is like putting on a nametag without getting dressed. Kind of useless, how are you going to show off your name tag before you have something to pin it on? A bit difficult right? Not impossible, sure, but definitely not ideal.
In this post, I am going to go over why “just a logo” is not a good investment, and why I recommend investing in a brand identity design instead.
This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase using one of my links, I may receive a small commission.
Why “Just a Logo” is a Waste of Time + Money
Having just a logo designed, in my opinion, is a waste of time and money.
If money is tight, it would be wiser to create a very simple typographic logo (text only), choose a color palette, pick imagery that is of a similar style, and then create rules for how you use them together.
Here’s why:
A logo doesn’t add quality to your business, it only identifies it. It’s like your name tag. By itself it doesn’t have any context.
“A logo derives its meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolizes, not the other way around.”
— Paul Rand, world renowned Brand Designer
A logo is meant to represent the spirit of your business, but its significance will be determined by how it is ultimately perceived by others. That perception is shaped by how well you fulfill your brand promise.Your brand promise is pretty much what it sounds like, it’s the promise you make to your clients and customers, and how you tell them what to expect from you.
In other words, how well you meet the expectations of your clients and customers, based on the promise you’ve made, will mold the way that your brand is perceived and give significance to your brand’s logo in the process.
A logo becomes a reminder of how your business fulfills its brand promise.
A logo alone cannot give a clear picture of what your company is all about. It may try, but it won’t succeed. It is not meant to tell a complete story, it is meant to be a reminder of how you fulfill your brand promise.
Over time, your logo can become a symbol that reminds current, past, and future customers of the level of service your business offers. But alone, it simply can’t work as hard as you need it to to become that symbol. Even brands without a logo use a variety of other elements to help them tell their story and show people what they are all about.
So here’s what I recommend instead:
Invest in a Brand Identity Design Not Just A Logo
While you might gain some attention wearing just your name tag, eh hem, it probably won’t make the impression you hope it will.
But if you pin it onto your dress (or shirt), do your hair, brush your teeth, put on some matching shoes (and pants if you weren’t wearing the dress - just covering all the bases here), maybe some jewelry if that’s your style, and then walk out of your house, now you are showing the world something more akin to a brand identity.
A brand identity includes, not just a logo but, a variety of other elements, such as typography, color, and imagery, to create a cohesive look across every interaction you might have with a potential client or customer.
It is applied to something as small as your business card, to something as big as your website. Packaging, social media, print collateral, you name it. Forming a consistent look across all interactions makes a far better impression than a logo alone.
And, in the world of business, we aren’t talking about the nametag thing here okay, it is much more memorable to your audience.
When working with a graphic designer, here is what a brand identity design package might include:
Logo
Submarks and/or Brand Architecture Marks
Typography
Color Scheme
Imagery
Animations, Sounds, Interactions
Brand Identity Style Guide
Brand Strategy
Your distinct needs will vary from others, so not every brand identity system will have the same elements. For example, packaging design might be included depending on the client’s specific needs, or perhaps a menu design, yum. (Yes, I’m a total nerd, menu design sounds like fun).
Logo
Okay so after all that, yes brand identity systems do include a logo design… generally. Very few businesses get away with no logo at all, spelling out their name in plain text that is not altered or otherwise designed in any way.
A logo design can be purely typographic meaning it contains only textual elements. Text based logos can be relatively simple, or more complex. The thought process behind the end product can be the same for a text based logo as for one that includes both text and image.
For the DIYer or business just starting out, or on a very tight budget, I recommend starting with the typographic route. Keep it simple. There are also a lot of really great pre-built brand elements available on Creative Market to help you get started.
Submarks and/or Brand Architecture Marks
Submarks are alternative logo marks that get used in place of your primary logo. For instance, you might require a horizontal logo for your website, but generally use a vertical logo for all of your other marketing materials.
Submarks might also include a watermark, or another alternative mark that can be used when the full logo isn’t needed.
Brand architecture marks won’t be needed for all businesses. Think of Google. They have Gmail, Drive, Docs, Sheets, all of those and others are a part of their brand architecture.
If your business has many products, services, or departments that must be distinguished in some visible way, then brand architecture should be considered.
It doesn’t have to be as involved as creating separate logo marks for each business line necessarily. Color is a great way to distinguish between product types or services, assuming you don’t have hundreds.
For example: kittyShark keeps brand architecture quite simple by using different colors for different services. Brand services and brand related blog posts use a Raw Sienna type hue, while Squarespace related services and blog posts utilize a blue-green color to distinguish them.
Typography
Typography is an absolute game changer for defining a brand identity as unique. The typography rules for your brand identity system will determine what fonts are used and how they are used.
Your graphic designer will establish rules for what fonts to use for headings and body copy as well as scale and spacing to help create clear hierarchy for your text-based content. Typography can also serve as a design element, and add a truly custom look to your brand helping to identify your marketing materials as belonging to your brand.
Color Scheme
Choosing a color palette Is another major transformer for your brand look and feel. You should always consider your ideal client when developing your logo, and the same goes when you choose colors.
Think about what would appeal to your client. Going for an earthy vibe? Choose warm colors to represent your brand, like oranges, muted reds, and browns. Or would bold vibrant color connect better with your audience? How about bright yellow, citrus orange, and caribbean blue? Your colors should reflect what appeals to your ideal client, not just your favorite colors.
Consider the meaning of color and consider the culture in which it will be used.
Some brands have become synonymous with the color that represents them. Think of McDonald’s, do you even need to see the golden arches? Or are you pretty sure that it’s a McDonalds ad just when you see the bright red and yellow?
I saw a photo of someone the other day, and without any logo, I could tell that the photo was taken inside Target. Why? That red! Target is ultra-consistent with its application of color.
A good color palette usually consists of a small number of dominant colors and a limited number of accent colors. Too many colors can lead to an incoherent look across branding materials.
Imagery
All strong brands use some sort of imagery to support textual elements and color. Photos, icons, illustrations, patterns, other design elements.
Let me ask you, if you saw an illustration of a polar bear on a red background, with maybe a white curvy line somewhere, who would you guess that brand was? Ummm, if you guessed Coca-Cola, ding ding ding, you, my friend would be correct!
Creating a consistent look and feel with a similar style of images will help create a cohesive look across all branded materials like social media, printed materials, and website, among others. The look and feel of your brand identity can also become synonymous with your business, so even when people can’t see your logo, they know it’s you!
If professional photography is not an option, choose a consistent look across all stock photos or icons. Choosing one direction and sticking to it is best practice. You can change the direction over time, but don’t mix styles together creating a disjointed look.
Animations, Sounds, Micro-Interactions
Animations, sound bites, and micro-interactions should snuggle nicely beside your brand imagery. Keep a consistent look and feel across all interactions that your brand has with a client or customer, no matter how small. Adobe Stock offers unique sound bites that can provide that little something extra.
Brand Identity Style Guide
A brand Identity style guide defines the rules for how the elements in your brand identity system should be used. Your graphic designer will set rules for what colors to use, what typography to use, and what types of images to use.
Some brand guides will go into greater detail on how to use each element and may show examples of collateral pieces for additional guidance.
Brand Strategy
A brand identity style guide pairs nicely with your brand strategy, which sets the groundwork for your brand story. Brand strategy covers how you talk about your business, how you handle customer service, who your ideal client is, and who your competitors are.
Your brand strategy is a living document that is like a blueprint for your business. I listed this last, but really it leads the way. Without it, we’d just be putting together a pretty logo and color palette. It might look nice, but when those things are informed by strategy, that’s when they can truly take on meaning and be developed with your ideal client in mind.
You can learn more about branding and strategy in my post What is Branding? And 6 Reasons Why it is Important.
In summary
“Just a logo” is not branding, and truly, it will do very little to help you level-up in your business. If you’ve got nowhere to put your name tag, pinning it on is just going to be awkward, however you do it.
Ready to invest in a brand identity that will help you reach the next level in your business? Why didn’t you say so. If it’s time to hand over the reins to a pro, head over to my Signature Brand Experience page to learn more about how I can help you up-level your business!
If investing in a full brand identity isn’t in the cards just yet, keep it simple with a text based logo, 2 typefaces (no more), and a custom color palette. Make rules for your headings and body text and decide what kind of images to use. Or, get started with a brand or logo template from Creative Market.
And, don’t take off without snagging a copy of my Free Ideal Client Discovery Workbook. This workbook will help you get clear on who your ideal client is before you dive into design.
Did this post help you? Or do you still have questions? Please leave a comment and let me know! I’m always happy to hear from you!
