Why Logos Still Matter – 12 Years Later

I’m sure you all probably remember designRoom’s very first blog, 2012’s smash hit, Why Logos Matter. 

No? I didn’t either – and I wrote it. 

We’ve been revisiting our blogging past this year to celebrate our 100th newsletter. My first thought after uncovering that first blog was … “12 years ago! Really?” I looked up the top Billboard song that year and it was Somebody I Used to Know by Gotye. If I had to blindly guess I would have said that song was five or six years old. Time flies. (Somebody I used to know… that sounds about right, thinking about myself and the world of 2012.)  

Anyhow, my next thought was, “Do logos still really matter?” 

Of course they do. Did you think I was going to say they don’t?  Twelve years later and what I wrote still rings true. In case you missed the link above, here it is again. OK, so it may not be a chart topper, but it has a catchy message. 

What has changed?

There is more of everything of course; more competition, more channels, more technology, more distractions, more logos, more ways to create logos, and more, more, more. Which means organizations have to work even harder to stand out.  To help do that, your logo needs to reflect and promote your unique position in the market. That is the one thing I did not emphasize in the original blog… your logo is the flag-bearer. It helps differentiate your organization.

In the last blog I said, “Its job is to represent the essence of a business.” But your logo also needs to reflect the heart of who you are as an organization and what makes you special. 

More ways to create logos today.

What was true back then is still true today: you can easily find an online resource that will design your logo for you for $45 in less than a week. You can find some decent-looking designs by going that route too, but they will most likely be cobbled together from templated or altered preexisting designs and won’t stand out. That isn’t very special, is it? 

We now have AI that can “design” a logo for you in about five minutes. There are dozens of free and paid AI logo generators out there. I believe AI can be a useful tool for the development of a logo in the hands of a skilled designer. But on its own? Well, just look at these beauties: 

I fed this particular AI generator with our name and key words: “brand identity / design / branding / for behavioral health and mental health organizations.” I particularly enjoy the rolling box of fruit. 

What is missing with AI-generated logos?

1. The ability to trademark the logo.  This is an evolving and murky area at the moment, and I am not an expert in trademark law, but this should be a deal breaker to anyone serious about protecting their brand identity.  
2. Your unique identity. As seen above the results are often literal, generic or just plain weird. Any good logo design starts with hours and hours of research (interviews with leadership and key stakeholders, staff surveys, competitive research, etc.), that will define your organization’s unique position, before pencil is even put to paper. AI has no real understanding of what makes your organization unique, no matter what information you feed it.

There are plenty of talented designers out there who have the skill and understanding to create an impactful logo, and who can help position your organization properly. Logo design is and always will be a challenging task, but because of that, it can also be the most rewarding. A good logo takes legwork and the knowledge that, in today’s world of rapid yet mediocre turnaround, logos still truly matter—maybe now more than ever. Pair your impactful logo with a Digital Business Card to ensure that your brand makes a lasting impression.

Chad

(Keep an eye out for the third installment in this blog series in 2036)