Logos and Branding and Identity... Oh MY!

This week I want to talk about something that has so many of my clients confused.

What is a LOGO?
What is IDENTITY?
What is BRAND?

We are starting off with a logo:

See that heart?

That is my logo.

A logo is a symbol or signature used to identify a business.

This is my name with my logo and my tagline. No, the logo doesn't tell what I do. It doesn't have to. My tagline is there to give a clue as to my business. Once you do business with me, you should see my name, see my heart, and know what it is that I can help you with. 

Which leads us to IDENTITY:

I put my heart on everything.  I use the colors interchangeably. I use the same fonts on everything. 

Take a minute to look at the banner here on my blog. My name isn't there, but my heart is. It's used on my: 

FACEBOOK 

TWITTER 

DESIGN SHOP

PINTEREST

and everywhere else you find me. 

(etsy shop avatar)

Identity is the font, color scheme, layouts, style that is used throughout. It's your logo, business stationery, flyers, brochures, signage, and apparel. It's also your messages and actions... think social media here. It's what you stand for. What your business stands for. THIS is where you want your personality to shine through. That's why I say "Be Your Brand"...

Which leads us to BRAND:

So what is a brand? 

Well it's not my logo... and it's not my font or color scheme. 

It's what my customers think of my business. It's their gut feeling after working with me. It's their thoughts when they see my newsletter in their inbox or when they look through my work. It's what they think of my style. 

Your brand is not what you say it is. It's what THEY say it is.

As a designer, I can help you form the identity, mold the foundation. From there, you create the experience for your customer. How your customer or audience perceives your business and your product is your brand. 

If you have any questions, leave me a comment and don't miss tomorrow's newsletter for more on creating your identity.

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PSST! Here's the link to the slideshow I mentioned in the newsletter:

Brand Gap Slideshow