Second installment of the (” “s) series is another quote from Paul Rand that has been rocking my brain all day. It’s amazing that one man can have so many insightful thoughts on several aspects of the design world.
“…a logo is a flag, a signature, an escutcheon, a street sign. A logo does not sell (directly), it identifies. A logo is rarely a description of a business. A logo derives meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolizes, not the other way around. A logo is less important than the product it signifies; what it represents is more important than what it looks like. The subject matter of a logo can be almost anything.”
Paul Rand
I couldn’t agree more. Many people associate a logo with the end all be all of a company when they design it. A logo is not a brand. Your brand is people, it’s an image your business portrays to the consumer. For example, Target a company who’s logo is associated with action, riflery, shooting things, and common violence or a negative connotation, has altered that visual meaning to fit their image of fun, well designed, neat and affordable products with great service. It isn’t the logo that defines you, it’s how you use it, how it’s seen, what it’s seen with. For instance recently Blackwater, a company who has been scandalized over and over again in recent years has just rebranded themselves as XE… a nameless, brandless symbol. This allows them to manipulate public perception and somewhat shed their old horrid form to create a new brand that may or may not, depending on the intelligence of the public, allow them to continue doing business as usual.
Thanks to SMASHING MAG for the great quote.
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