Why Your Brand Is More Than Just Your Logo
You’re probably familiar with the phrase “Your brand is more than just your logo”. Typically you’ll hear it from designers, content writers, and business coaches, like us. Today on our blog I want to dive deeper into what this phrase actually means, why it’s a phrase that we truly believe in, and how you can use it as inspiration to expand and develop your own branding.
Now, I know our blog has readers who are all at various stages of their branding process. However, no matter what stage you are at, having a full understanding of why your brand is more than your logo, or why it’s more than just your website is essential to fully understand your brand.
We can think of our full branding in layers. Let’s start at the top. Consider an iceberg and the phrase “it’s just the tip of the iceberg”. From the surface, you can only see a small bit of ice. Think of that small bit of ice as your logo and the visual elements of your brand. Your logo, colors, and website are at the top of the iceberg that your customers can see. What really draws your customers in, and keeps them coming back isn’t floating at the surface; it’s deeper than that.
We aren’t saying that your logo doesn’t matter because it sure does! Your logo at the tip of the iceberg is what attracts attention, and then your brand’s supporting visual elements and messaging tell your unique brand story and engage your customer on a deeper level.
The deepest and largest part of the iceberg is your Why. This part of your branding tells your customer why you are passionate about what you’ve chosen to offer to your client and uniquely skilled to offer it , whether it be a physical product or a service you are rendering.
When we first start working with our clients, we send them a detailed questionnaire to fill out. In the questionnaire, we explore topics like what inspires you, where you’ve been challenged and obstacles you’ve overcome, and your favorite advice you’ve ever been given. Sometimes we get comments back from client’s saying things like, “these questions were personal and made me realize things I didn’t know about myself and my business”. Recently, I personally went through a rebrand for my design business. I followed the same steps we take our The Look & The Feel clients through, and I noticed that I felt the same feelings as our clients do when filling out the branding questionnaire. By asking questions about your personal life and not just the business side of things, we are able to start to understand what you value in life, why you do the work you do, what drives you and gives you a sense of purpose. The personal experiences you’ve had, your personal and professional values, and the creative journey you’ve taken along the way—they all help tell your story and make you and your services or products stand out from others in your field.
After our clients complete the questionnaire, we’re then able to help you write your brand story. Shelly works on developing this with you during your 1:1 business coaching session(s), then she uses it to craft compelling copy and I am able to take that story and create graphic elements for your brand. I develop your logo, business card, marketing materials, and website around that story so that you not only have the visible portion of your iceberg but the deeper, unseen portions as well.
Without any depth behind your branding, your brand can come off as superficial, shallow, and it can even appear to lack trust and credibility. That’s why your brand story and your Why is absolutely the most important part of your brand; It makes you stand out and it tells your clients why they should choose you over your competition.
We know how challenging it can be to write your own story. That’s why we’ve created The Look & The Feel. Let us know how we can support you in your branding journey!