Rob Alan recently sent me a link to an article titled “Logo Misapplication” by Andy Rutledge. I enjoyed the meat of the article and agreed with much of it but I felt compelled to reject some of it. For starters, what I agreed with:

“No, this new logo will not fix your crappy company.”

Right on. While I do feel that a great logo can do great things for a company (which I will get to shortly), I do agree that it takes real work to fix, improve, or grow a great company. It takes more than a fancy logo. It takes time, effort, cleverness, wisdom, vision, and many other things to truly support a strong logo.

Next:

“Your logo is not your brand.”

Agreed. A logo is a pivotal visual representation of your brand, but a strong brand is made up of much more. A strong brand is supported by a clear vision from company management, sincere buy-in and execution by the team, and a commitment to excellence. A company’s brand is made up of its logo, marketing message, print collateral, web site, color palette, customer service, verbal cues, language, culture, personalities, philosophies, reputation, customer experience, and much more.

So where do I disagree?

“It is hard to look across the table at these business owners and explain to them that building an identity that supports an ideal counter to their practice or ability is the wrong move.”

“Of course the best course of action for most of these clients would be to build a healthy, honest, formidable company. Having done that, their current logo will likely work just fine.”

I feel that the spirit of this message is incorrect and does a disservice to a company’s efforts to reach greatness. I have seen numerous examples of logos and identities that actually help propel companies toward greatness when they otherwise might be stuck. While a logo can’t “fix” a broken company, it can be part of an impetus that sparks a rebirth or refresh in the organization.

Oftentimes during a consultation I will encourage my clients to allow us to create a logo that represents where they want to be in 5 years. Creating a logo for today is short-sighted and, in my opinion, a waste of time and money. Instead, a great logo should exude optimism and professionalism that transcends the current situation. It should be a beacon of inspiration that keeps the company pointed in the right direction. When this happens, team morale improves, executives find new inspiration and passion for their companies, and customers take notice. Though sometimes difficult to measure, these effects should not be discounted when creating and executing strategies for company growth and success.

In conclusion, you certainly should not hang on to unrealistic expectations for your logo. However, don’t underestimate the influence a great logo can have when building your brand for the future.