Branding and logos: what are they? And what's the difference?
A quick overview to help you understand these complicated words.
You’re likely familiar with the words if you spend time in the business world, but do you understand them? Hopefully you can get some clarity on these two terms after reading through this post.
Branding:
how you make people feel when they interact with you or your product.
Brand Guidelines (also know as "Brand Standards"):
a comprehensive document that defines your brand foundations and visual guidelines to help you make the right impact and show up consistently for your customers, so you can build trust and increase brand recognition.
Brand strategy:
the foundation of your brand that includes: your vision, mission, values, ideal customer, positioning and more. Helps you get clear on how you want your clients / customers to feel when they encounter your brand in the wild, so you can craft a plan to make the right impression with them.
Logo family:
the set of logos that are created so you can place it on a wide range of spaces with ease. They make your logo more versatile and scalable.
Logo:
an identifying mark that represents a business or organization.
Logomark:
the simplest version of your logo (they don't often include text).
Interested in more easy-to-understand definitions about branding, creative design, and print? Follow this link to my recent blog post.
The difference between a logo and branding? A logo is a single identifying mark that can be seen (on a product, social post, billboard, etc) and tied it back to you, it’s a single piece in a thousand piece puzzle.
Branding is the entire puzzle, only telling the whole story when all the pieces fit snuggly together. Branding includes your brand voice, messaging, company culture, visual identity, logos, and every touchpoint people can interact with. And that is why it is so important to have all these details thought out and defined. So you know you are crafting the right experience, creating the right moments, and connecting with the right people. Leaving the right impression and making memories, so people keep coming back for more. All while spreading the word by telling their friends about how great you are.
Have more questions about branding and logos? Or looking for your next creative partner to help you revive your brand or tackle part of your to-do list, so you can focus on your mission? Schedule a Connection Chat to have a longer conversation.
This is also a good way to reconnect with me if we haven’t talked in a while, friends and potential collaborators are always welcome to book too!
Studio Updates
Quarter one is coming to a close and a new one about to begin. In March, Renee Lynn Creative celebrated it’s forth year!!! Sometimes it feels like I’ve been paving my own way for decades, and other days I still feel like a newbie. I guess that is the nature of business… if I’m never scared or unsure, I’m not dreaming big enough. I’m learning to embrace the uncomfortable, challenge the methods of those that came before, and create something that aligns with my heart and plans for long-term success.
In addition to my business anniversary, I celebrated another big milestone—5 years married to my wonderful husband and 9 years together! We celebrated by driving to the Painted Hills in eastern Oregon and they did not disappoint. The lighting was constantly changing to highlight new patches of color and the chilly weather meant there were few other hikers out. The quiet we experienced between conversation was incredible. Before entering the park, we got to see some pronghorn antelope too!
2025 has some great things in store for me and RLC, I feel the soil stirring where I’ve been planting seeds. Podcast ideas, surface pattern design, and local collaborations are all finding their way to the surface.
Other moments this month that made me smile: baking pie, seeing the first blooms of spring flowers, participating in a global print swap, packing seeds for Rhythm Seed Farm, and getting caught in the hail with Finn (though I wish it would have passed more quickly).
What memories did you create in March this year? I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
Wishing you another beautiful month full of joyful moments.
Renee
Love these descriptions! Going to send to my client who recently wondered about some of these terms.