Let’s examine why Logos are not brands and never were.
- The myth of the all-powerful logo.
- Symbols don’t build brands. Systems do.
- Recognition isn’t the same as meaning.
- No one is loyal to a logo.
- Too much pressure on too little real estate.
- So what actually builds a brand?
- Where logos *do* matter.
Speak to a Branding Expert Today
The myth of the all-powerful logo.
Let’s start with this: logos matter. But they’re not your brand. And they never were.
Too often, we hear things like “We just need a new logo to fix the brand.” That’s like saying your company needs a new shirt because sales are down. A new logo can tidy things up, but it can’t fix what’s underneath.
A logo is a signal. A shortcut. A prompt. But it is not the brand.
“A logo is a symbol. A brand is a system.”
Symbols don’t build brands. Systems do.
A brand is not a mark. It’s a system of ideas, behaviours, beliefs and experiences. A logo is one way of expressing that system. But it only works when there’s something behind it.
If your business has no clear offer, no distinctive tone, no sense of who it’s for or what it stands for, then the best-designed logo in the world won’t help.
A strong logo reflects brand strength. It doesn’t create it.
“People don’t trust a logo. They trust what stands behind it.”
Recognition isn’t the same as meaning.
Yes, great logos are recognisable. They become familiar. Think of the Nike swoosh, the Apple apple, the McDonald’s arches. We know them instantly.
But that’s not why they matter. What matters is the meaning behind them. The promise. The associations. The experiences that made those brands stick in our heads.
The logo didn’t create that. The brand did. The logo just carried it.
“If your strategy is ‘change the logo’, you don’t have a strategy.”
No one is loyal to a logo.
People don’t stick with a business because they like the logo’s shape. They stay because the product works.
- Because the experience feels right.
- Because the messaging resonates.
- Because the values align.
The logo might help them recognise you on a shelf or an app screen. But it’s everything else that earns trust.
If your strategy is to “refresh the brand” by simply redrawing the logo, you’ve missed the point.
Too much pressure on too little real estate.
When brands get lazy, they start asking the logo to do too much. It has to be “playful” but “professional”. “Modern” but “established”. It has to somehow tell the full brand story in a 24-pixel favicon.
That’s not what logos are for.
Good logos do one thing well: they act as a trigger. A signal that everything the brand stands for is here.
But that only works when the rest of the brand is doing its job, consistently, confidently, and clearly.
So what actually builds a brand?
Brands are built by actions, not assets. They grow when people have clear, repeatable experiences that match the promises made.
That includes:
- A clear positioning and purpose
- Consistent messaging and tone
- Strong product or service delivery
- Distinctive visual and verbal identity
- Internal culture that backs it all up
Do all of that well, and the logo becomes powerful by association. Do none of it, and the logo is just decoration.
“Strong logos reflect strong brands. They don’t create them.”
Where logos *do* matter.
Let’s not pretend logos are meaningless. When done well, they’re a powerful part of your identity system. They help with recall. They anchor visual recognition. And they add credibility, especially in crowded markets.
But their power is dependent, not independent.
The best logos don’t carry the brand. They cue it.
If you want to fix your brand, start with strategy.
- Then build systems.
- Then develop consistent behaviours.
- Then, and only then, worry about the logo.
It’s not the brand. It never was. But when everything else is in place, it becomes something much more valuable: a symbol of trust.
