What Is The Purpose Of A Logo? – 47 Reasons Why It Matters

After many years in the branding industry and thousand of logo iterations later, I am still amazed at how often I need to convince my clients about the importance of their logos and why they should invest the necessary time and effort into getting it right for their brand. So do logos have purposes and if so, and what are they?

A brand’s logo is a visual representation of its brand identity and serves many important purposes that all help to improve the image of the brand and drive the growth of the brand.

Here are 47 reasons why logos have a purpose:

Represents brand identity

Probably the most important purpose of a logo is that it is a visual representation of a company’s brand identity.

Technically a logo is part of a brand’s visual identity, which is part of a brand’s brand identity. But it is safe to say that a brand’s logo design will be a fair representation of its brand identity and core vision and values.

For a more in-depth look at how to create a brand identity, feel free to check out my post on it here.

Creates recognition

This point might seem quite obvious, but your logo is one of the things that will be seen by most of your audience and potential customers in the market. So your logo creates the recognition of your brand in the marketplace.

Customers will essentially identify and differentiate brands based on the logo that appears on an item, shop, website, and various other online platforms.

Having a good and memorable logo can greatly enhance the recognition of your brand.

Builds trust

A logo builds trust.

When your customers engage with your brand and pay for your products or services, the logo they see on the items reminds them of your brand promise and builds the trust they have in your brand and your products or services.

Builds loyalty

A logo builds loyalty.

Once a fair amount of trust has been established among your customers in the marketplace, loyalty is a natural step to follow and can be an immensely powerful thing for any brand.

Apple vs Samsung, Mercedes vs BMW, Pepsi vs Coca Cola, and the list goes on. These brands have built up a very strong, loyal customer base that would rarely support a competing brand.

Increase value

A logo increases a brand’s value.

A logo in itself might not be worth much on paper, but because of the fact that it encapsulates an entire brand and everything the brand represents, along with the powerful market value that the brand has built up over the years, makes a logo equally valuable.

Just imagine how much the Nike brand identity and logo is worth?

Supports advertising

A logo supports advertising.

When brands advertising their products and run marketing campaigns, the logo is the one thing that ties the advertising to their brands and lets people know who they, along with what they have to offer.

Another great reason to have a well-designed, memorable logo to create recognition and more recall value for your brand.

Inspires employees

A logo, as far as it represents your core values and vision, can inspire your employees.

They will most likely wear it on their uniforms and see it everywhere around the workplace and office and can be a powerful force of reminding them of what your brand represents and stands for.

Inspires customers

Similarly, your logo can inspire your customers.

Nike is a great example of this. When Nike launched their “just do it” campaign, they essentially inspired a nation to be more active and include some form of physical exercise as part of their daily routine, and the Nike shoes they had on, empowered them to do just that.

Unites

A logo unites many things within an organization, from the staff to the products or services, to the advertising and marketing campaigns, to the entire brand itself.

It can also unite your customers around your brand and its values.

Represents values

A logo represents a brand’s core values.

Everything you believe and stand for as a brand should be reflected in some way within your logo and overall brand identity.

Other brand elements like color, shape, and font also play a big role in this.

Represents mission

Your logo also represents your core mission as a brand.

Your core mission might be broken down into a simple tagline that captures the essence of your brand mission, and your logo will, completely or in part, reflect the same.

That’s why it is important to understand how all of the elements in the brand identity process work together, in order to create the best brand identity and logo for your brand, reflective of who you are and what you represent.

Represents vision

Similarly, your logo is also a representation of your brand’s vision.

Your vision is the big idea that you work towards achieving as a company and brand, and your logo should reflect the same along with the other elements within your brand identity.

Represents promise

A logo represents a brand’s promise.

When customers engage with your brand, what they can expect is what you sell them in terms of your promise.

Your actual product or service and brand experience should match your promise in order for you to build up the brand image that you want within the marketplace, and your logo is the visual representation of that promise.

Think of it as a stamp of approval.

When you go out and buy an Apple product, you buy into their brand promise of an exceptional product with exceptional quality. Their logo, the half-eaten apple, is the mark of approval delivering that brand promise to you and also the way you know what it is that you are buying.

Tells a story

Your logo also tells your brand story.

Stories are powerful ways of connecting with customers, and it has become more true than ever.

Social media has exposed so many vulnerabilities for brands that are not authentic and have forced brands to “open up” more about who they are and what they stand for.

Your brand story is a great way to authenticate your brand and connect with people on a more personal level.

Emotional connection

A logo can create emotional connections with customers.

Building on trust and loyalty, when your loyal, passionate customers see your brand logo, it can elicit power emotional responses in them.

Tesla is a very powerful example of this. They have a very passionate and loyal fan base, and the Tesla logo can create very emotional responses in their fans and other alike.

Builds confidence

A logo builds confidence.

It builds confidence in customers, reassuring their choice in purchasing your product or service, and also builds confidence in your staff, reassuring them of the product or service they are selling.

Gives direction

A logo gives your brand direction.

It is a representation of your vision and shows your customers and staff where our brand is headed in the future. It gives your staff a direction to believe in and your customers a direction to follow.

Generates growth

A logo can generate growth for your brand.

Once you have established an identity and created your logo to represent that identity, putting your brand out in the market place, and engaging with your customers will help your brand to grow. Your logo is the one thing that customers will recognize and recall your brand, and it is one of the main factors that differentiate you from your competitors and drives growth.

Builds credibility

Your logo helps to build credibility.

This is another situation where your logo can be seen as a “stamp of approval” on your products or services.

Once customers have engaged with your brand and you have delivered on your promise, you will build more credibility in the market. Customers are then more likely to engage with your brand again when they see your logo on a specific product or service.

Delivers a message

Your logo delivers your brand message.

Your logo tells your customers who you are as a brand and what you stand for. People usually tend to support brands that have similar values to themselves.

Your logo is also instrumental in delivering your marketing and advertising campaign messages to your audience.

Motivates customers to buy

Logos motivate customers to buy certain products or services.

The vast majority of consumers will buy a product from a brand they are familiar with or at least heard of, compared to a brand they don’t know.

Your logo can also motivate your customers to try related or other products in your product range than what they are already buying from you. This is mainly because of your brand, and the trust they have gained through your deliverance on your brand promise and your logo is the reinforcement of that.

Asset

A logo is one of the biggest assets a brand could ever have.

A logo represents everything about a brand and can become an extremely valuable asset for any brand. Some of the biggest brands on the planet have a logo trademark worth in the tens of billions of dollars.

In 1971, Nike paid $35 for its “swoosh” logo design, and today their brand is worth in the ten of billions of dollars. That being said, they did invest a lot of time, effort, and money over the last 30 years to turn that “swoosh” into the valuable asset it is today, but it an extremely valuable asset nonetheless.

Drives sales

Your logo will dive sales for your brand.

Your logo represents your brand promise and your “stamp of approval,” which will encourage consumers to buy your products over your competitors.

Perception

Your logo is a visual representation of your brand identity and the perception that you want to create about your brand in the market place.

It is also important to reiterate the perception you want to create about your brand in your brand promise and then to ensure that you deliver on your promise in order to…

Strengthens brand image

… strengthen your brand image.

That’s how your logo reinforces your perception and promise and strengthens your brand image.

The flip side is also true that your logo if misrepresented compared to your actual delivery of products or services, can damage your brand image.

Extension

A logo is an extension of everything about a brand.

Your logo represents so many different aspects of your brand, and it’s essential to keep all of this in mind when creating your brand identity. It is vital to ensure that your logo is consistent with your identity and all of the aspects of your identity.

Differentiates your brand

Your logo differentiates your brand from your competitors.

This may seem like an obvious point, but your logo separates you from your competitors, not only on face value but also in a deeper sense. Your logo represents a different value to your customers, a different quality, a different experience, and gives your customers a different feeling than that of your competitors.

This can be a powerful tool for any brand to capitalize on, and many brands spend an enormous amount of time, energy, and money in this area to differentiate themselves from their competitors.

Protects your brand

Your logo protects your brand.

When you trademark your logo, it offers your brand many legal protections to ensure that others can’t take advantage of your success without facing legal consequences.

If you want to know more about how to check if your brand name is taken and what to do if it is, feel free to check out my extensive article on it here.

Attracts new customers

A logo can attract new customer for a brand.

Your logo is a representation of your reputation. When people are sharing stories about your brand and recommend your products or services to others, that word-of-mouth can lead to more customers engaging with your brand and buying your products or services.

Gives clarity

Your logo gives clarity to your brand, your employees, and your customers.

Your logo tells the story of precisely what your brand is about, what you represent, and where you are headed. Having this clarity expressed through your brand’s logo will give the same to your employees and your customers.

This is especially important in a competitive marketplace where any uncertainty and confusion about your brand, products, or services, can simply cause consumers to engage with your competitors instead.

Represents personality

A logo represents a brand’s personality.

A logo is a primary indicator of your customers as to your brand’s personality and the type of experience that they can expect from your brand.

People are drawn to and tend to associate themselves with brands that have similar personality traits to themselves.

Attracts talent

Your logo can attract very talented individuals who want to be a part of your organization.

People want to work for brands and companies they believe in, and if your logo represents a brand they believe in, they will want to be a part of your organization.

Just imagine the kinds of talented individuals who want to be a part of the innovative organizations like SpaceX, Tesla, Apple, etc.

Sets expectations

Your logo sets the expectations for your staff and customers alike.

For your customers, your logo represents your brand promise and the quality products or services they can expect from your company.

Similarly, your logo represents your core beliefs and the internal culture your employees can expect working in your company.

Generates referrals

Your logo is a powerful way of generating referrals for your brand.

Your logo is a representation of the brand that you have built up, and if it is something that people are moved by. If you deliver products and services that exceed expectations, consumers will refer your brand to others in the marketplace, giving your company the chance to grow and expand.

Word-of-mouth marketing and referrals is a very powerful tool that can help to elevate your brand to new heights of market growth and generate a very positive brand image.

Represents a strategy

A logo represents a brand’s strategy.

Just as your logo is a representation of your brand story and where your brand came from, it is simultaneously a representation of the future and where your brand is headed.

It is important to show your customers and employees where your brand is headed and to encourage them to join in your journey in getting there.

Face of the brand

Your logo is the face of your brand.

Your logo is the visual representation of your brand in the marketplace where consumers will interact with your brand. It is essential to keep this in mind and to ensure that your logo accurately and fairly represents who you are as a company and that it creates a good impression on consumers, especially consumers that engage with your brand for the first time.

Creates impression

As just mentioned, your logo creates an impression on your potential customers.

Just like you have an impression of someone when meeting them for the first time, consumers have an impression of your brand when engaging with it for the first time.

Your logo is your visual representation of that, and being able to create a good first impression, can significantly increase the likelihood that those customers will engage with your brand again and buy your products or services.

Influences decisions

A logo can influence the decisions of consumers.

Consumers are faced with a barrage of options daily, and your logo could be a deciding factor whether why they would choose your brand and buy your products or services over your competitors.

That’s why it is crucial for your logo to send the right message to consumers and create a good first impression.

Draws attention

Your logo draws attention to your brand.

Having a unique logo can quickly draw attention to your brand, simply on the face value alone, which can be a great way of getting consumers’ attention.

Just imagine the kinds of attention a bright pink Ferrari can draw, driving through busy city streets and the number of heads that will turn to get a glimpse of it.

Your logo can similarly draw attention to your brand if it is unique enough to stand out the same way a pink Ferrari would.

Creates recall value

Your logo creates recall value.

When customers engage with your brand for the first time, your logo is one of the primary visual elements of your brand that they are exposed to in the market and one of the primary means of recognizing your brand again in the future within a crowded marketplace.

Having a memorable logo helps to increase the recall value of your brand, and it can make a big difference in differentiating your brand from the competitors.

Promotes your brand

A logo is one of a brand’s primary means of promotion.

Your logo is one of the main ways in which your brand is promoted to consumers. Consumers active online or in the market place will be exposed to many visual aspects of brands, but logos are most prevalent and the primary visual element that consumers are exposed to, which helps to differentiate your brand from your competitors and promotes your brand in the market place to all it is exposed to.

Builds online appeal

Speaking about online, your logo can help to build the online appeal of your brand as it gets exposed to more and more consumers online.

It has become increasingly important for brands to build an active online profile where customers can engage with their brands.

Your logo is the visual representation of your online brand and the clearest indication of what your brand is all about and what customers can expect when engaging with your brand and buying your products or services.

Gives meaning

Your logo is a representation of your brand identity and gives meaning to your brand.

Your logo gives meaning to your customers and to your employees. It gives your employees a brand to believe in and your customers a brand they want to be associated with.

Instills passion

Your logo instills passion.

Your logo can be a powerful force in rallying employees and customers around a cause and what you stand for as a brand, or simply just representing a product or service that people are very passionate about.

Apple, Tesla, and Nike are great examples of brands that have spawned extremely passionate employees and customers around their brands.

Symbol

Your logo is a symbol of everything that your brand represents and everything that your brand stands for.

Represents commitment

Your logo represents the commitment your brand makes to its employees and customers.

Your logo is a representation of your brand promise to your customers and the quality, commitment, and experience they can expect when engaging with your brand.

Your logo also represents your core vision, values, and commitment to your employees when they choose to be a part of your organization.

Conclusion

A brand’s logo is, in essence, the primary representation of its brand identity and an extremely important, foundational part of any brand. Getting your identity and logo right from the start can help to grow your brand and elevate your business faster than if you don’t spend the time to get it right.

I hope this article cemented the importance of your brand’s identity and logo in case you had any doubt, and that you will invest the time, energy, and money into creating the best identity representative of what your brand is all about.