A classic activity in any marketing class is the brand recognition game. Show a famous logo on the screen and have students call out any and all words that come to mind when they see that logo. Apple: sleek, innovative, simple, clean, efficient. Brands and logos are taught hand in hand and the common misconception is that the logo generates the brand, instead of just representing it.
You would never be able to describe a stranger’s personality just by looking at their face. The same goes for a logo and a brand. Its easy to describe brands like Coca-Cola and Apple when we see their logos, because we know the brands so well. But what about companies we have never heard of before? We could never describe their brand just by looking at their logo.
A company’s brand is its personality and character. And just like a human’s character, it is built by the choices the company makes, the endeavours it pursues, and the ideals with which it associates, not the logo.
Logos are used to represent a brand that the company has worked so hard to develop, just as you remember your best friend’s personality and the experiences you share, when you look at their face.