Branding can be very overwhelming for most business owners, especially when things like, sub-mark logo and logo variation get mentioned by designers. But branding is more than just one logo variation. It is a visual representation of your vision, mission and marketing strategy. It is what creates a cohesive experience for your audience and attracts your ideal client, which ultimately helps your business become profitable.
All the elements for your brand need to be thoughtfully curated so that it can be used in almost any instance. Having only one logo, also known as your primary logo or main logo, isn’t enough.
Branding should dig deep into the “why” of your business and who you are targeting so that all these elements help you visually portray this.
BUT Let’s first talk about what these elements are:
1. MAIN LOGO / PRIMARY LOGO
This is the obvious one. Your main logo is the logo that gets used the most and can be seen as your complete logo version.
2. SECONDARY LOGO
The secondary logo, also known as an alternative logo, is a shorter or variation of your main logo. It could be the main logo without the icon or tagline or it could be a blocked or horizontal version of your main logo.
3. SUB-MARK LOGO
A sub-mark logo is a compact version of your primary logo. Sub-mark logos are most commonly used as watermarks on social media posts or as the social media profile image. The reason for creating a sub-mark logo is so that you have an icon that can be used in areas where your primary logo wouldn’t be as legible. Think of luxury brands like Chanel that brand their bags with the double C sub-mark logo, it is so distinctive and much more stylish than using a full logo design.
You might feel quite overwhelmed at the prospect of having so many variations, however, it is extremely important for business owners to understand the impact that these brand elements have on the success of their businesses.
Here is what a well-strategised brand does for your business:
1. It creates brand recognition
As I’ve mentioned before, branding is a lot more than just a logo. In fact, the logo is just the tip of the ice-berg. Your brand is your visual identity and speaks for you when you are unable to. If you are dressing up to make great first impressions, so should your brand. All of these elements create a user-friendly experience for your customer and they start recognising you without you having to be present all the time.
2. It enables versatility
It’s important to have variety within your branding and for it to be well-considered and designed. Our businesses are so complex it is impossible for us to convey every aspect of it in one logo, therefore using more than one logo or brand element leaves room for growth and versatility.
3. It promotes long-term growth in your business
Branding is often pushed aside while business owners focus on their product or process and even client experiences, but very few business owners realise that the visual side plays a big part in these experiences. Your brand adds so much more value to your client’s experience as the visual elements can portray sophistication, trust, professionalism or even fun. This ultimately leads to attracting your ideal client which directly converts to growth in your business.
Having these logo variations and brand elements is an important step in creating a strong brand identity and ultimately a successful business. My goal is to offer my clients a well-strategised and cohesive brand development experience from start to finish. If you would like to find out more about my services click the button below.
