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Can you draw a logo from memory?
An awe-inspiring feature of the human mind is our ability to see, and then recognize later, human faces. Our ability to sort and recall is amazing. However, it seems that this recall ability does not translate as effectively to logos.
Monochrom, an Austrian company, recently attempted to evaluate the actual power of brands by asking Austrian people to recall them from memory – then draw them. They selected 12 logos - 9 of them international (Coca~Cola, Apple, Philips, Peugot, etc) and three European. What they learned is interesting.
Here is a link to their site. I urge you to check it out:
http://www.monochrom.at/markenzeichnen/index-eng.htm
The results drive home some sobering conclusions (at least I felt sobered by them):
Simplicity is powerful. The simpler the logo – the more memorable it appears to be.A company can spend millions of dollars per year for a half-century or more and still not make visual recall bullet-proof.
Building recognition takes time. Organizations must understand that a brand refresh means sacrificing equities that an existing identity has built or acquired.
When people can’t remember, they invent something to fill their recall vacuum.
We can’t assume that someone’s ability to recall and draw a visual identity reflects their ability to recognize one and recall equities. These are different skills. At the same time, this study is useful, especially as it informs brand design – particularly logo development.
Brand refreshment is all too often framed as an all-or-nothing proposition. It is absolutely feasible to reinvigorate and refresh a brand without abandoning hard-won equities. In most cases – unless a visual identity works against the brand, it should, on balance, not be abandoned.
Brand and logo are not the same thing. Branding involves developing and executing a focused array of strategies – and logo identity is one, very small piece of the puzzle.
Posted on April 6, 2006 11:16 AM | Permalink
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