Is Your Logo Communicating For You?

In an information age where consumers are bombarded with content your logo is essential to linking your message to your brand. Your logo puts a face on your business. Because it often influences first impressions, it must practice good public relations. While the principle function of a logo is to identify it also communicates. If your logo is speaking to consumers, what is it saying about your company, products and services? 

The Form of Meaning

Trying to illustrate your products, services, history, philosophy and mission statement all in one symbol can get confusing. Communication must be clear, concise, and virtually instantaneous. Complex designs often obscure the message and are forgettable. Imbuing your logo with the tenets of your company can be achieved in highly stylized yet effective ways. The encircled, three pointed star of Mercedes Benz, for instance, connotes precision, balance and refinement — all positive associations for a maker of fine automobiles. Apple Computers utilizes a clever and effective visual pun depicting a “byte” having been taken out of their logo. 

All forms do not so clearly imply their meaning. Lucent Technologies’ controversial “innovation ring” was a rough-hewn red circle haphazardly rendered as if in crayon. On the surface, a host of powerful associations with the circle are evident; vision, wholeness, perfection, light, etc. Beyond these connotations, the true meaning of the logo is more obtuse. Lucent intended an abstract representation of the Ouroboros, a mythical self-consuming serpent symbolizing the rejuvenation of life — an appropriate metaphor for the company’s emergence from the restructuring of AT&T. In this example formal minimalism, while elegant, failed to convey the deeper meaning, rendering the mark vague. Despite this shortcoming the logo was bold, and performed well as an identifier.

Eye of the Beholder

The impact of a logo depends largely on how it’s perceived. Perception can only be influenced, not determined. In the end, interpretation rests with the individual. “It reminds me of a chain gang,” commented an IBM executive upon first seeing the now trademark horizontal stripes applied to “Big Blue’s” logo. Feelings of “efficiency and speed” that design luminary Paul Rand sought to convey with that now ubiquitous visual device were misinterpreted, eliciting an unexpected negative association.

A Tale of Too Many Swooshes

Occasionally a brand commands so much consumer mind-share that the logo representing it becomes a product in itself. Such has been the case with the Nike Swoosh. Since its’ unveiling in 1972 the Swoosh has ridden a wave of innovative brand marketing that has made it one of the most recognizable logos in the world. However, Nike eventually began to “just over do it,” featuring the Swoosh ad nauseam in advertising campaigns and on apparel. Commercial saturation soared to unprecedented heights of absurdity when Air Jordan basketball shoes were adorned with 14 Swooshes each (that’s 28 Swooshes per pair for those of you keeping score). Consumer backlash eventually ensued. People simply got sick of seeing the Swoosh. Nike reacted with swift “DeSwooshification” (their term) — unceremoniously removing the sacred symbol from everything and replacing it with a less urbane text logo. This overcompensation confused consumers resulting in brand disassociation. Nike eventually gracefully reintroduced the Swoosh in less pervasive ways. Even in exposure, sometimes less is more.

Adding Excellence to the Equation

Ultimately a logo’s value is only as strong as that which it stands for. If the company it represents is perceived as second rate then it’s own strengths are diminished or even nullified. This combined with the unpredictability of individual perception would seem to relegate graphic design to a superfluous exercise. Not so. Good design is good customer relations. It educates, clarifies, beautifies and rewards. It rises above mere functionality and adds meaning, metaphor, character and beauty to the equation. It’s the difference between mediocrity and excellence. Excellence begets success in business. Always strive for excellence when designing your logo — it’s how the public will identify you.