Bigger Isn’t Always Better

Branding. Pause for a few seconds. What was the first thing that came to mind when you read the word? Perhaps it was strategy, color, identity, or imagery. Or you may have thought more along the lines of positioning, typography, or tagline. There’s no right or wrong answer. Whatever it may be, you can see there are tons of components which make up a company’s brand. Most likely, what came to mind is an element you believe stands out as highly important among any other. Let’s get specific and focus on something which was not mentioned in the list above: the logo. It alone carries a lot of weight in a brand, visually representing everything it stands for in a single mark. Logos are designed to be easily recognized by consumers. Recognition can turn into engagement, which can turn into sales for a company. The logo is placed on pretty much anything and everything, and rightfully so. Sounds pretty important, right? It certainly is. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it is always the most important aspect of a company’s branding initiative. If you were driving on the highway and drove past a billboard with pieces of jewelry against a unique blue/green solid background, would you know which company is for? You don’t need to be a jewelry brand expert to know that it is for Tiffany & Co. Their “Tiffany Blue” color is a prominent branding element, probably even more powerful than their logo. Why? Consistency. The advertisements, billboards, website, even their gift bags and boxes have which feature unique color. It proves how powerful non-logo branding elements are when used correctly and consistently. Because we want to have a consumer look at a logo and immediately recognize a brand, companies may feel the need to make it the most prominent part of an advertisement. Perhaps they fear a consumer will not know their brand without the logo, which then could be a loss in engagement and eventually sales. Thus a mindset of “the bigger the logo, the better” develops, and that way consumers will be sure to look at an advertisement and instantly know which company is targeting them. Or so you may think. Put the thought of the logo in the back of your mind for a bit. Now when thinking about an advertisement, what’s left? Well, as you know from what I listed above, there are other important factors which contribute to a brand. Of course, if an advertisement features a product, like an iPhone for example, which is unique to the company, that alone can tell consumers they are probably looking at an ad for Apple. If a company does not have a unique product, or any product at all, other branding elements (color, imagery, typography, etc.) are necessary to develop quick and easy recognition. How can this be achieved? Through consistency in those elements. In addition to the fact that there are simply other branding components, it is important to keep up with design trends. According to this infographic, what’s currently in is larger imagery, improved typography, and flatter creative elements, just to name a few. It is important to be up-to-date, and it may be time to re-consider your company’s overall brand. You should absolutely keep your logo on your creative, but consider giving other elements and trends consistent spotlight and see how much your brand can shine.