People put a lot of pressure on a logo, but let’s give the little guy some credit. There’s just too much stuff that brands want to convey through a simple illustration or typographical choice. And I’m here to say that the logo isn’t the only thing that can do some of that heavy lifting.

Purpose, commitment, personality, etc. can all be communicated whether or not you have a kick ass logo. (But having a kick ass logo doesn’t hurt.) So how does that happen? How does a brand convey to their intended audience all of the important things that make them unique?

I believe the answer lies in a consistent and comprehensive brand presentation. If your brand messaging and overall visual identity is aligned and undeviating, your logo could be as simple as a smiley face and your brand can still be memorable and have an impact on customer memory retention.

One of our clients asked us to give them an identity refresh, but didn’t want to change the logo. “Too many mugs are floating out there with our logo on them to want to change it now.” they said. “Totally get it.” I said. So how did we update their outward facing visual identity to expose their new inner brand identity without touching their logo? It’s just like I said above – a totally consistent brand presentation that effects all brand touchpoints.

So if you feel like your visual brand identity is falling short, be sure to consider all aspects and not just the logo itself (though that might need to change too).