A client wanted their logo “perfect.” We debated font. Discussed negative space. Tested forty-seven shades of blue. The logo looked incredible. Then they launched it on a website with generic stock photos and copy that read like a Terms of Service agreement.
Six months later, they wanted to know why their rebrand “didn’t work.”
The Logo That Nobody Remembers
A new logo feels like progress and that’s the trap. It’s tangible. You can point to it on business cards. Show it to your staff. Put it on merch and call it a win.
But a beautiful logo without a story is just decoration which is the problem most marketing pros won’t admit.
You’re not remembering the logo of the brands that you tell friends about. You’re remembering how they made you feel.
You love Patagonia because they’ll sue the President to protect public lands not because of the mountain in their logo. You admire Nike because they make you believe you can “Just Do It” not because of the swoosh.
The logo didn’t create that feeling. The story did.
Build the Story
Companies start building with the visual identity which is backwards. Pick colors. Design a mark. Maybe throw together some brand guidelines. Then they attach the story later like an afterthought.
Your story always comes first. Not your logo.
Start with why you exist. What you believe. What you’re fighting against. The change you want to create in the world. Get that right, and the logo becomes the ID for something that already matters.
Glossier’s logo is literally just a wordmark in a plain font. But their brand is instantly recognizable. They built a distinct photography style, a conversational tone, and an entire philosophy about beauty first. The logo just marks the territory they already claimed.
The brands that do this well invest in their tone of voice, product design, customer experience, merch, even their email signatures. The logo is just one small piece of a much bigger story.
The logo is the punctuation, not the sentence. Once you know who you are, the visual identity becomes obvious. It should feel inevitable.
Logos Are Not Strategy
Your logo matters. Just not as much as you think.
It’s a symbol. A trigger. A shortcut for something larger. But it can’t carry the weight of your brand alone.
Build a brand people feel something about. Create experiences they want to tell their friends about. Stand for something that matters to them. Then give that story a mark that represents it.
A simple logo on a beloved product is still beloved. But a gorgeous logo on a forgettable product is still forgettable.
At the end of the day, people don’t fall in love with logos. They fall in love with the stories those logos represent.
What’s the story behind your brand that makes your logo matter?
