Thoughts on logos and branding

Frequently I am asked to help an organization with creating a logo or updating a logo - some paid gigs, many seeking a free consultation.

Based on years of experience and repeated patterns, here are some quick thoughts:

1. A logo is important, but it isn't that important: Having a stellar product and world-class service is far more important. I have worked with numerous executives who fret more over the shades of blue then how they are delivering their service and making sure their products do what it says it will do. Frankly tweaking colors and designing a logo is more fun and easier than building a global supply chain or executing superior customer service.

2. Think small and impactful: A logo is a tool to quickly provide a recognizable symbol of your organization - it's even more important as consumers are spending more and more time looking at small screens. Logos no longer enjoy the mass of a box or a bag - now they need to make an impact that works for Instagram and Twitter. Think small and impactful - you are now competing for attention on a crowded smartphone screen.

3. The Eiffel Tower test: Remember, when the tower was unveiled in 1889 nobody liked it and experts criticized it as a blight on the Paris sky. Now years later it is an iconic, instantly recognized, and a symbol of a nation. So think long-term and don't listen to experts - your logo isn't for them.

4. Your name and the associated letters are powerful: Beyond a logo or brand stamp is your name. And your name is your name. You own it. Take advantage of it. Embrace it. Repeat it. Use it.

5. Keep it simple: You are not some avant-garde artist. Keep your logo simple and remember what matters = a stellar product and world-class service matters more deserve more of your attention and energy.

-Marc

Marc A. Ross specializes in thought leaders communications for global business working at the intersection of globalization, disruption, and politics. He is the founder of Brigadoon and Caracal Global.

Problem Plastics, Charging Infrastructure, Beyond Meat, Bluetooth, Scooter Madness

YouGov finds overwhelming support for banning 'problem plastics': By a wide margin, Brits are more likely to support than oppose a ban on each product. Of the 17 products asked about, for 15 of them a majority of the public supports a ban on the items made either entirely or partly out of plastic. Outlawing disposable coffee cups garners the highest level of support, with 80% of people backing a ban on manufacturing such items with plastic, while only 12% opposing it. Clam-shaped takeaway containers drinking straws, and foam egg boxes are in joint second, with 77% of the public supporting them being taken off the shelves.

G20 to tackle ocean plastic waste as petrochemical producers expand in Asia: Reuters reports, Japan wants to make reducing the glut of plastic waste in the oceans a priority at the Group of 20 summit it is hosting this month as governments around the world crack down on such pollution.

Switch to electric cars hit by ‘poor’ charging infrastructure: FT reports, Parliament’s business, energy, and industrial strategy select committee has described Britain’s charging infrastructure as “poor” and “lacking in size and geographical coverage”, and experts say this is one of the biggest barriers to the widespread adoption of electric vehicles in the UK.

Bloomberg: The race to become the Beyond Meat of fish

Skyrocketing demand is depleting oceans and fueling a problematic fish-farming industry.

@AFP: 86% of internet users admit being duped by fake news: survey

Can bluetooth headsets alleviate depression and insomnia?Brain Machine Interfaces are wearable tech that probe the brain’s electrical circuitry.

Automakers tap VR to banish boredom in autonomous cars.

Margaret Renkl: Scooter madness: Cities are swarming with electric scooters. But this is not the ‘micro-mobility revolution’ we need.

#ESP = End Scotter Pollution

Asian countries take a stand against the rich world’s plastic waste: LAT reports, import bans and stiffer global trade rules are putting a halt to the decades-old practice of shipping scrap to developing countries.

Why business models matter = narration + numbers

“Who is the customer? What does the customer value?” -- Peter Drucker

A good business model begins with an instinct into human motivations, fears, emotions, challenges, and desires flowing into a rich stream of profits.

Business models at their heart are stories which explain how the enterprise works and makes a profit.

When business models fail, they fail the narrative test (story) and the numbers test (profits + loss don’t add up).

Management consultant and writer Joan Magretta explains business models ask the fundamental questions: How do we make money in this business? What is the underlying economic logic that explains how we can deliver value to a customer at an appropriate cost?

Think of a business model like the scientific method - you start with an idea for a consumer need, you then test this need, and iterate as necessary.

Plus business models serve as an exceptional planning tool - a business model focuses attention on how the elements of the enterprise will work together to secure profits.

Business models often fail because they are built on feeble assumptions about human motivations, fears, emotions, challenges, and desires. Often business models are solutions in search of a problem.

Business models are not the same as a strategy. 

Business models describe a system of how the pieces work together, whereas strategy describes how you will do better than your rivals to capture and secure customers.

Sooner or later, if you are good and you have discovered a human need that can be executed profitably, you will foster competition.  Dealing with this competition is how you deploy your strategy. 

Executing the same business model with no strategy to differentiate yourself in terms of what customers and markets you serve will lead to failure. 

Failure not because of a business model, failure because you are trying to be all things to all people - there is no difference in experience, engagement, or effect between your company and the other company.

Being all things to all people has no story, no patina, no folklore. 

A proper business model tells a good story and has the ability to get customers aligned around the same values and same culture your company is bringing into existence.

A good story is easy to remember and is easy to repeat.

A good business model is easy to remember and easy to repeat.

A good business model is a narration that captures the numbers necessary to serve customers and remain in existence for the long-term.

- Marc

Marc A. Ross is the founder of Brigadoon and specializes in thought leader communications for global business executives working at the intersection of globalization, disruption, and politics.

Brigadoon DC | Aperitivo

Thursday, June 27

5:30 - 7:30 pm

Woodward Table

1426 H Street, NW

Washington, DC

An aperitivo is often described as being similar to the American happy hour, but when it's a Brigadoon gathering, it’s much more than that.

This is a free to attend, cash bar gathering designed for meeting old friends and making new friends.