The difference between a brand, brand identity, and logo explained

Introduction

Brands, logos, and brand identities are all crucial parts of a business, but they mean different things. Understanding these differences is essential for business owners, whether you're just getting started or have been established for years. Every business needs some visual identifier to communicate what purpose they serve, what problems they solve, and to attract their target markets. So what do these terms mean?

What is a brand?

Let's start big. A brand, or branding, is a customer’s entire experience with your company, specifically how you make them feel. This can include your brand imagery, logo, and colors since all those things evoke feelings and convey information, but it isn't limited to those things. If you're familiar with the saying "your logo is not your brand," that's why. It also includes:

• The way customers interact with or experience your products and services

• The way employees interact with customers and users

• Corporate actions, behaviors, and policies

All these aspects create an overall impression of your company for customers and competition alike. Branding, or the actions you take to establish all those facets of a brand, should be purposeful and clear to your target audience. It is a crucial step that can make or break your business.

Take REI for example. In the Pacific Northwest, they're not just the place you go to buy camping equipment. They sell products for various activities centered around a way of life: exploring the outdoors. REI even stands for Recreational Equipment, Inc.

“We love being outside, and we believe that being outside is a right for everyone. The gear we make is designed to improve your time outside, no matter who you are or where you go.”

You can learn a lot about their brand from their corporate website and open-source design system.

REI tells a complete story about its origins, founded in 1938 by a group of 23 climbing friends, who wanted to source quality, affordable equipment for other outdoor enthusiasts. Their mission is clear: they believe that enjoying the outdoors is good for everyone and want to make that experience as accessible as possible.

Because REI's mission is to help everyone enjoy the outdoors, they also take action to preserve the outdoor environments they love by fighting climate change and making products more sustainable. As a coop, they don't answer to shareholders and instead focus on a direct, personal relationship with the customers who support them. All these choices and behaviors point back to their core mission: to help everyone enjoy the outdoors.

Visual design cues support these philosophies through a logo, colors, typography, imagery, and iconography. All these parts come together and create a widely recognizable brand for customers who shop there.

Now let’s take a deeper dive into those visuals I mentioned.

What is a logo?

A logo is a symbol, a visual summary that identifies your brand. Often, logos seek to communicate what a business does to its target audience. Many dentists incorporate teeth into their logos, and it's easy to understand why. And while "your logo is not your brand" is still true, a logo is still a crucial part of your brand.

Let's look back at REI's logo. It includes a pine tree and mountains, which symbolize the outdoors. It used to only include "REI," but a redesign in 2015 prompted them to add "Co-op" because it's an integral part of their values. It most often appears in black, a common color in retail that symbolizes power, elegance, and sophistication (think black tie events). This adds an authoritative feeling to their brand, telling customers that their products are high quality.

REI logo as of 2015

What is a brand identity?

We have established your logo as a symbol that identifies your business. That means your identity is the larger design system that your logo lives within. I often see services from designers that only include a logo. While that might be your only option as a new business owner on a limited budget, it doesn't tell the whole story and can put you at risk of sending conflicting visual messages to your target market.

I prefer to create a complete identity, often called brand guidelines, that include the following:

• your mission statement and values

• logos for different use cases (full logo, text only, image only, etc)

• colors

• typography

• tone of voice

• photographs, illustrations, and iconography

Even though this is a visual system, you might notice that it includes a mission statement, values, and even tone of voice. That's because all three of those pieces contribute to the visuals within your brand.

Let's look back to our example of REI. We already know their logo usually appears in black, evoking sophistication and authority - somewhat formal concepts. Their website copy includes informal language that contrasts that formality, making them feel a little more casual (see below).

A screenshot of REI's membership page that ties into their core values

“Whether new to the co-op or already a member (thanks!), your benefits are the best way to experience REI Co-op.”

Their use of parenthesis containing an exclamation evokes a friendly tone, making them feel relatable and fun. After all, their mission is to have fun by experiencing the outdoors. You'll find other cues like this throughout their website and other platforms, and this is an excellent practice to have. Consistency goes a long way to attracting the right customers and making them loyal to your brand.

Strategy ties them all together

All three concepts - a brand, its identity, and its logo - are purposeful and strategic. Running a successful business depends upon knowing who you are, what you value, what problem you want to solve, and who will benefit from your solution.

A business plan is a great place to start that strategic thinking. It will help you figure out those essential parts of your brand that we talked about here. That plan should also include buyer personas — research-based representations of your target customers.

I highly recommend doing this work yourself or hiring someone like Vibrant Voxel Studio to guide you through this process. It may feel daunting or unnecessary, but a strategic foundation will set you up for success in the long run.

TLDR takeaways

Let’s summarize what we’ve learned throughout this article:

- A brand is how your customers experience your products and services, specifically how you make them feel.

- A logo is a small component of your brand that acts as a visual symbol, helping customers identify your company.

- A brand identity is the design system that complements your brand, giving visual cues that speak to your target audience. Your logo lives within this system.

- Strategy is a big part of a successful brand, so avoid cutting corners wherever possible. Set yourself up for success by either writing your business plan or hiring someone to help you through that process. All this information will help inform your design direction and define your brand for future customers.