Why Brand Logos are Even More Important Today

Brand and logos have become interchangeable terms and inextricably linked. The visual representation of a brand and its logo, can inspire powerful emotions (good, bad and ugly) based on a person’s interaction with the brand. 

Some of the world’s most iconic brands share an essential DNA to remain relevant, drive business success and maintain their iconic status. 

In every case, the logo is the ‘voice’ for a motivating vision ­– visually connecting audiences to the heart of a brand’s purpose, so that the ‘Go Create’, ‘Think Beyond’ or ‘Everyone is an athlete’ becomes tangible, believable and meaningful. 

Looking beyond the logo, the brand experience is delivered with a purposeful simplicity that satisfies both the functional and emotional needs of the audience, intuitive, seamless and entertaining, no matter where an audience experiences it. 

Here are three examples that achieve that balance…

Don’t forget your past: MINI

How do brands achieve longevity and iconic status?  For some brands, it’s about the past and their heritage. Brands that can powerfully leverage heritage in a modern context are the ones that will go the distance.

UK heritage brand, Mini, was bought out by BMW in 2000, but they quickly understood the value wrapped up in the Mini name and marque. In a clever move, BMW has enabled Mini to live slightly outside the monolithic brand architecture of the 'Series'.

The refreshed logo pulls the past forward with the simplification of the wing-marque. It’s an iconic rendition of 'Mini' and at the core of the brand is a well engineered, beautifully executed brand experience with a playful sense of adventure - total modernism with some inherent DNA of the original. 

Success lies in the tonality of the brand, where playful adventure tempts you at every brand touch point, from social to showroom and everything in between. In a time-poor, technology-fuelled world, the brand reignites our desire to live a ‘mini adventure’.

Curate, don’t broadcast: Netflix

No matter when they are created, brands become iconic by keeping it simple and real. More often than not it's the system built around the brand that enables and drives a connection with the audience more profoundly. The success of Netflix is its elegant design created with real purpose. It works within the parameters of diverse ever-changing content without the need for heavy management from the global brand ‘police’. 

With over 83 million users in more than 190 countries, the Netflix brand (refreshed in 2015) is an example of channel branding at its best. The designers have resisted the overly playful generics of the sector to simply adopt 'The stack' - a powerful graphic compliment to the iconic Netflix identity. This graphic content system is intuitive, playing to the strengths of the channel in which it appears. The new system implies both selection and curation, powerfully surfacing the content, delivered with a confidence and simplicity that becomes easy to implement and own.

Home is where the heart is: Airbnb

The founders of Airbnb recognised the role that brand can play in transforming their unique business model. They seized the opportunity, investing in a creative solution that was rigorously implemented, achieving iconic standout overnight. 

We all know the story – a 2008 start-up, Airbnb, outgrew the original logo pretty quickly due to its success and rapid growth. Allegedly designed by one of its founders, Airbnb’s logo is an excellent example of a dramatic change from the original to a well-considered graphic emblem and identity system. Even though it has been met with mixed reviews, what lies at the core of the redesign is a great positioning, 'Belong Together', which serves to inspire both the identity evolution and the visual and verbal tone that lie at the heart of the brand’s social community. 

The brand identity, known as The Bélo, while it’s not one of the most original of brands created in the last 50 years, its friendly iconic form is clever – making its home everywhere perfectly, regardless of country, culture or channel – a brand experience that continues to reach a diverse audience.

Its real appeal, however, lies beyond the craft of the identity. It is a brand that encourages participation, inviting users to create their own version of the logo – some great and some terrible! Nonetheless, this personalised approach means it lives within the hearts of the home-sharing community, bringing both consumer engagement and commercial success for the business.