The Power of Symbols for your Brand

By Cheryl Hayman, Hayman Strategy

How often do we sit and think about how symbols, pictures and taglines affect our brand? Conversely how aware are we of the effect on us of our favourite brands’ symbols and other visual identity references?

Are you a visual person, and does it matter?

From teenagers wearing Gap and Nike brand logos to adults driving BMWs, we are drawn to incorporate brands into lives. We all draw our personality and self-image from products such as cars, homes, clothing and even recreational activities, and products always have brand logos or symbols of some kind that represent them.

By accident or Design?

Nike probably got the best deal amongst all companies when Caroline Davidson designed its logo for just $35 in 1971. The main part of the logo hasn’t really changed with time. However it was 7 years before they realized that the text and the swoosh were overlapping each other.

As the brand gained recognition, the company name was dropped from the logo, which made it more simplistic and memorable. The company has different variations of this logo for its various departments like Skate, Soccer etc.

Creating a Visual Signature

One of the first steps in creating an identity for an organisation is the development of an effective logo. An appealing logo makes your business special and memorable in the eyes of your clients or customers.

Each element adds unique characteristics to a logo.

It is important to remember that your logo is not your brand. It is just one part of the entire brand implementation process.

Keep it simple.

An appealing logo makes your business special and memorable in the eyes of your clients or customers.

The simpler a logo is the more it is, the more cost effective it is to reproduce. Your logo needs to remain consistent in color, font and proportion where ever it is used.

A brand comprises many elements. These include its name, positioning (reason for being), trademark/trade dress (symbols, colors, typestyle, package configuration), and brand communications. These brand elements, when successfully developed and managed, create a strong identity for a company. Over time, this creates strong brand authority.

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Cheryl Hayman - Hayman Strategy Cheryl Hayman owns and manages a strategic marketing and business consultancy, Hayman Strategy, providing a broad range of business and marketing solutions to corporations. Prior to establishing her own business, Cheryl had over 20 years experience as a senior marketing executive in multi-national organisations spanning Australia, NZ and the UK. Cheryl undertakes a number of non-executive Board roles and sits on several Advisory Boards including the Australian Businesswomen’s Network. Cheryl is a Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute, holding a CPM. Cheryl personally undertakes continuous professional development within her various business roles, as well as attending external courses. Phone: 0408 200 545 or 02 9555 5776 Website: www.haymanstrategy.com Email: cheryl@haymanstrategy.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/cherylhayman Facebook: www.facebook.com/cheryl.hayman LinkedIn: See Cheryl’s Public Profile Member Profile: See Cheryl’s Member Profile