Branding vs. Logo Design: Telling Your Story
“A logo does not sell, it identifies… It is only by association with a product, a service, a business, or a corporation that a logo takes on any real meaning. It derives meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolizes, not the other way around.” — Paul Rand
As many of you know or have experienced through working with us, Portland Design Co specializes in branding—from simple logo marks to full brand identity build-outs—for a myriad of clients. For this month’s blog we’d like to bring you a little behind-the-scenes snapshot of our thinking and process for crafting visual brands.
First let’s look at a couple of definitions, with our own style and thinking embedded in them:
Logo
A logo is a mark that represents a company. Of all the visual parts that make up your identity, your logo is the strongest point of recognition. It doesn’t have to tell the world everything you do. It’s a quick tag or identifier. Here are some examples of logos we’ve created for clients who were either at the beginning stages of business development or who already had brand assets created and didn’t need a full build-out.
Brand Identity
A brand encompasses your logo and also represents everything else about you: your reputation, your relationship with others, your values, products, marketing, customer service. It’s the impression people have of you—it’s comprehensive, both logical and emotional, and is based on the whole universe of whatever it is you’re offering to the world. Thoughtful branding helps you tell an accurate, engaging story about who you are and why your offerings matter.
We’d love to share two very different examples of brands we’ve had the pleasure of not only creating a logo for, but also the additional elements that come along with a brand build out, which are often very industry specific and should align with the brand’s story.
HighByte is solving the data architecture and security problems faced by industrial companies by creating the first DataOps solution purpose-built to meet the unique requirements of industrial assets, products, and processes. From their color palette to their brand patterns, graphics, icons, and product design, they’re communicating a tone of experience and trust, which is fitting for a company focused on secure industrial operations. Using keywords from our initial brand questionnaire, we’re able to craft visual ideas about style and presentation. HighByte wanted an identity that felt young, industrial, new, smart, gender-neutral, precise, and additive yet simplified. Their brand tone is serious, intentional, secure, and trustworthy. This valuable information arrives by way of our brand questionnaire, which is how we begin each project. It helps us take a deep dive into each brand we work with and gives us insight about their services, mission, brand attributes, and so much more. It also helps the client tell that accurate and engaging story about who they are and why their product or service matters to the people they serve.
Maggie Mae’s is a family-owned business that celebrates the importance of real food on-the-go, giving busy people more time and energy to power through their day. When asked about their ideal logo, we heard keywords like clean, fresh, warm, and inviting. Their tone is welcoming, respectful and their values are aligned with a commitment to sustainability and community collaboration. Not only does the logo encompass these brand attributes, the supporting illustrations, patterns, menus, and print collateral are reflective of these keywords. The team at Maggie Mae’s live these principles every day—they are partners with Cooking for Community, use sustainable packaging, and regularly partner with local organizations.
Portland Design Co serves small to medium-sized businesses, organizations, and funded startups who need big-picture thinking to shape and guide their graphic design. Our approach is thoughtful—we ask a lot of questions you may not have considered before, and we can draw on examples and insights that can give you a competitive edge.
Thanks for reading! See you next month.
