Is the logo dead?

Recently there has been much talk in certain circles about whether the logo is dead. Naomi Klein, an award-winning journalist, even wrote an international bestseller entitled ‘No Logo’. This book was aimed firmly at corporate brands and their perceived bully-boy tactics.

‘Was the logo ever alive?’ is the real question. So many businesses think of branding in terms of their logo. What do they really expect from an inanimate object? Yes it can look great but do they really think that this represents their brand? True brands elicit an emotional response. Think Apple or Nike. How many truly achieve that? For the majority of businesses, their brands will never be household names, but that doesn’t mean that branding can’t play an important part. The important thing is recognising the role it can play. Branding is about the experience. It embraces every aspect of interfacing with an organisation – its people, business premises, the services provided or products offered. Prior to experiencing the brand it’s all about the promise – what will it be like to work with this company? This is when communications, language and image play an important part alongside the people delivering the message. And the logo? Well it’s a signature that reminds people of these things. But please don’t expect it to do too much on its own.