Would you still buy a pair of Nike shoes if the logo looks like this?
Or would you still buy an iPad if the logo for Apple looks like this?
All the answers for the above questions are probably, “NO WAY!”
So apparently, the logo matters. Here’s a real life example… When the Gap debuted its new logo as an update on its 20-year-old original logo, customers weren’t very happy. In fact, some are even planning to boycott the brand if the Gap continues to use the logo. Marka Hansen, president of Gap North America, defended the new logo saying that the company is “proud of the new logo and that their efforts were to bring the company forward while still honoring their heritage.” …..Really..? Bringing the brand forward? This is true if by “forward” she means having their sales fall 2% in September.
So what does the above incident tell us? It shows that the logo DOES matter. A logo, by definition, is a symbolic way to express a brand. It has the power to give a brand a certain identity that customers will fall in love with, or hate with deep passion. Personally when I am not familiar with a brand, I will look at its logo first. I will only consider the brand if I like the logo. Some people might probably say that quality is the only thing that matters when buying something, but to many other people, image is a really important thing. Say, do you really want to be seen using an “iPhone” with a rotten apple core logo? Not really. What would people think of you? Will you still look professional and tech savvy? To me, I don’t think so.