Logo = Brand ?
My way of simplifying an equation
Many times, my students, including clients confuse with some of the design terminology and conveniently use those terms loosely in our discussion. One good example is the difference between logo and brand. It is crucial for a design students to get the correct meaning right at the start. Apparently, both the branding process and logo design process are totally different. So, how do I explain the differences to my students?
“Who is he?” I showed a picture of myself and asked the group of undergraduates and they replied, “Cavvy!”
“How do you know he is Cavvy?”
“Of course, we recognise our lecturer.”, they started giggling immediately and continued with their opinionated description of me for a while, which made it look like they had known me for years.
I followed up with the next question where the students started to take sides based on their own encounters.
“What do you think about Cavvy?”, I asked.
“He is strict in his grading”.
“But he can be flexible at times…”, another one responded.
As expected, this part of the engagement is normally short due to several reasons. However, they were good enough for me to bridge to the next part of the rationale.
I explained.
I got them to visualise an organisation called Cavvy. The picture of myself represents the logo of the organisation and my role as a lecturer depicts the nature of my business. What they think about me, whether good or bad in personality or ability, is the brand of the organisation.
Thereafter, I got them to share their experiences of our local Telco companies, in terms of their customer service. The engagement made a deep impression in their mind and eventually cleared their doubt on the “equation”.
Brand creates an emotional relationship between the target audience and business while logo is a graphical element that represents the brand. A brand is a combination of all tangible and intangible aspects of an organisation. It is part science and part art. Without a brand, the logo has no real meaning. When combined, a well-designed logo and a sound branding strategy connect your target audiences in an effective way.
I use metaphor regularly as a teaching tool to explain convoluted ideas and insights. Metaphor teaching strategy helps to make connections between two things by recognising the common traits. It is great for creating impact and making something memorable. I often encourage them to use the same method in their presentation, speeches and even in everyday discussion as it captures the essence of their idea. This indeed is another skill they could explore as a designer.
On the other hand, getting to know your students better before using a metaphor is necessary. We need to dig deeper than its superficial acquaintance, such as the communication lingo amongst their social circle, etc. Building a good rapport with the young minds allows you to understand them better, manage the class better and unknowingly, make you feel younger.
With the information, resources and knowledge at our fingertips, we have the ability to provide different way in delivering the content. The above is just one of the techniques I use in class and I look forward to share more.
