The Difference Between a Logo & a Brand Identity
- Design Hour
- Apr 4
- 4 min read
When you think of a business, the first thing that often comes to mind is its logo—the most recognizable visual element of the brand. But here's something many business owners discover too late: a logo alone isn't enough to build a lasting impression with customers.
If you're a new business or looking to rebrand and just think you need a "logo design" then you need to rethink your business goals, how you want to be perceived by your clienteles, and where you see your business in the next 5-10-20 years!
In this guide, we help you understand how a brand identity goes beyond just your logo to create connections and trust with your future clients.
You'll Learn:
What a logo really is and its role in your brand.
How a full brand identity system strengthens your business.
How to build a brand that your customers will recognize and trust.
What Is a Logo?
A logo is a visual symbol that represents your business. It can include a combination of:
Text (like your business name)
Symbols or icons
Colours
Fonts
Think of your logo as the first handshake with your audience—something simple enough to recognize at a glance yet meaningful enough to make an impression.
The True Purpose of a Logo
A common misconception is that a logo must fully explain what a company does. In reality, a logo’s primary role is to capture the essence of the brand and become a recognizable symbol over time. Here's what you need to know:
Designed for the Brand: A logo should align with the company’s brand attributes and values. It’s a starting point—not the full story.
Power Through Perception: The ultimate strength of a logo depends on how customers perceive the company, shaped by its actions, products, and services.
Examples: The most iconic logos don’t literally depict their businesses:
McDonald’s golden arches don’t represent hamburgers.
Apple’s logo isn’t a computer.
Target’s bullseye doesn’t scream “retail.”
Instead, these logos are part of the businesses brand identity that include colours, typography, imagery, and more—all working together to tell a cohesive story.
What Is a Brand Identity?
Brand identity goes deeper - it's the complete look and feel of your business. This includes:
Your logo and variations of your logo
Colour palette
Typography
Imagery style
Patterns and textures
Marketing materials (business cards, packaging design, signage, apparel, etc.)
Your brand identity also includes:
Having your logo prepared in different file formats (e.g., PNG, JPEG, SVG) to suit various uses, from web to print.
Understanding how to use your logo—and how not to—including maintaining proper file sizing, ensuring clarity, and adhering to guidelines for placement and scaling.
Knowing the different variations of your logo and when to use each one. Example: A simplified or icon-only logo can be ideal for social media profiles, favicons, or smaller applications where clarity is key.
Your brand identity creates a consistent experience across everything your customers see and interact with - from your website to your social media, packaging, and ads.
Understanding the Difference
What It Includes:
A logo is your business's signature mark.
Brand identity is the collection of all visual and verbal elements.
What It Does:
A logo helps people recognize your business quickly.
A brand identity creates trust, builds connections, and makes you look professional.
Why It Matters:
Consistency builds trust, making your customers more likely to choose you over competitors.
In other words, a well-designed logo makes your business easy to recognize and a brand identity ensures everything—from your website to your social media looks polished and professional.
The Pepsi Brand Redesign Example
Pepsi's 2023 brand redesign is all about staying current and relatable. The updated logo keeps the familiar Pepsi globe but with a modern twist—using bold typography and a fresh, vibrant blue. This wasn't just a cosmetic change; it was a move to keep the brand relevant in a changing market and to appeal to a new generation of consumers.
Pepsi wanted to refresh its look while staying connected to its history. The redesign helps the brand stand out in a crowded market, especially as digital platforms and consumer preferences evolve. It's about making sure the logo and visual identity feel fresh, but still recognizable.
The point of all this is to make Pepsi's brand stronger, more consistent, and more engaging for customers. By updating its look across all platforms, Pepsi ensures that the brand stays top of mind and can keep up with the times.
Why Both Matter
Think of your business as a person. Your logo is like their face—distinct and recognizable. But your brand identity is everything else: their personality, style, and the way they communicate. While your logo helps customers spot you in a crowded market, your brand identity is what keeps them coming back. Without this complete picture, your logo lacks the emotional connection needed to make a lasting impact. It's the difference between being just another business and becoming a brand people choose and trust.
Ready to Build Your Brand?
Whether you're starting fresh or ready to evolve your existing brand, Design Hour can help you create a distinctive identity that connects with your customers and grows with your business. Have a look at our work.
Every hour spent designing should be purposeful.
Let’s connect and make it happen!