Logo
Content and brand
Content and brand
A logo is the mark of your brand: a wordmark, a symbol or a combination, meant to make you recognisable at a glance.
A logo does not have to explain what you do. That is a stubborn misconception: meaning comes from use and repetition, not from the symbol itself. What a logo does have to do is work in every size and context — favicon, letterhead, embroidery, video bumper.
In practice that means simple shapes, enough contrast, a variant for dark backgrounds, a horizontal and a compact version, and delivery in vector format (SVG or EPS) alongside bitmap files. Without a vector file you will hit a wall on print or large formats.
A logo is the starting point of a visual identity, not the end. The colours, typography and imagery around it shape perception at least as strongly.
Tip
Judge a logo on usability and distinctiveness versus competitors. That way you choose based on what works, not on who likes it most.
Related terms
- Visual identityYour visual identity is the fixed visual system of your brand: logo, colours, typography, image style, shapes and how you combine them.
- Brand identityBrand identity is how your brand looks, sounds and behaves: logo, colours, typography, imagery, language and how you treat customers.
- Brand bookA brand book documents how your brand must be used: logo, colours, typography, imagery, tone of voice and examples of right and wrong.
- RebrandingRebranding means renewing your brand: sometimes only the design (a restyle), sometimes also the name, positioning and message.