Logo vs Branding. What’s the difference?
I get asked these questions a lot in my line of work – “what is the difference between logo design + branding?” and “do I really need branding? Can’t I just get a logo?”
Basically, logo design is the creation of a graphic used to identify your business.
Branding however, is so much more than just a logo.
It is the emotional impact your business makes on your customers (both potential and existing). Branding allows you to build trust with your customers and encourages loyalty. It is also often the reason for a business’s success or failure. In short, it is the who, what, when, where, why + how of your business.
Let me explain…
Who.
Who is your target demographic?
Now I don’t just mean who as a whole are your intended audience, but who is your ideal consumer as an individual?
Are they male, female or non-binary? What is their age? Go ahead and even give them a name! What do they do for work? How do they spend their free time?
Having this ideal avatar will allow you to clearly define your brand’s tone of voice and will dictate how the rest of your branding and marketing collateral communicates to and influences your customers.
What.
What does your brand offer?
Not only should you define if you are selling a product or service, but you should also define what kind of experience your brand offers.
Take Coca Cola as an example; they don’t just sell carbonated soft-drinks, Coca Cola sells happiness in a bottle! So, what does your brand really offer?
When.
When does your brand draw inspiration from?
Is your brand futuristic? Vintage? Modern? Does it trigger a sense of nostalgia from a recent decade gone by? Is your brand more active in certain seasons? Or does it operate all-year-round? What about time of day?
Knowing the when of your brand is also very important when defining your brand tone of voice and visual identity.
Where.
Where is your brand?
Does your brand have a physical location your customers can visit? Or is it a remote-based brand that provides your brand offering to multiple locations? Where are your competitors located? Where is your target audience located?
Does your brand take influence from a particular location somewhere around the globe? Or does it take inspiration from a fictional location such as Wonderland or Atlantis perhaps?
Not only is your brand’s actual location important, but also the location from which it draws inspiration. Communicating a location through your brand can assist in defining and strengthening your customer experience.
Take Storyville for example; a fairytale-themed cocktail bar + nightclub in Melbourne, Australia. Storyville is physically located in the Melbourne CBD – an easily accessible, central location to entice its target demographic to interact with and experience its venue. Once you enter Storyville however, you are transported from the bustling, creative streets of Melbourne and in to a fantastical world of fairytale fiction. Giving their customers this experience of teleportation leaves a lasting impression on their patrons as well as an emotional connection which strengthens their brand and customer loyalty.
Why.
Why should your customers choose you?
What is your point of difference compared to your competitors? What makes your brand special? Why does your brand exist? What problem does it solve?
The why of your brand is usually the reason you decided to start the business in the first place.
How.
How do you deliver your offering?
The how of your brand usually is intertwined with all the other aspects of the brand and ties everything in together.
Does your brand have a location where your customers can physically access your offering? Or an online shop where your customers can access your virtual offering? Does your brand travel to provide your offering? Is your offering available all year ‘round? Seasonally? Or do you only provide your offering as a limited offer? Is your offering available on a self-serve basis? Does your brand provide a particular level of customer service? What is your brand language you use when communicating with your target market?
Having strong branding will not only strengthen the trust and loyalty between your business and customers. It will also strengthen your marketing. This is because strong branding triggers emotional connections with the intended audience and influences customers to choose your brand over a competitor’s.
To establish your branding, or take your existing brand to the next level, send an email to hello@museandmakerstudio.com.au today to see how I can help you.
Karli. x