There I said it. A logo is not a brand. It is, however, a very minor part of a brand.

For some reason it gets a big name in branding…probably because it feels concrete. When you think of a business, you think of their logo…like the Nike swoosh or the Starbucks mermaid. Those are giant corporations though, that have years and years of brand recognition built around that one symbol. Also remember–those are product-based businesses, and not service-based businesses, which is entirely different! When it comes to service-based businesses, people focus on how you left them feeling, as opposed to your perfectly curated logo. A logo is barely the tip of the branding iceberg!

In The Photography Framework course, we go over the two main parts of branding–technical and personal. A logo is one portion of the technical side of branding, which we discuss is only a small portion of your overall branding, especially in a service-based business.

Now don’t get me wrong–I’m not downplaying that a logo shouldn’t have thought and care put into its creation. It absolutely should!! After all, it will be visually associated with your business, so it is important. My argument is that it shouldn’t be the thing that you give most of your care and attention to!

Personal branding encompasses all of those intangible things about your business, its personality, and the feelings you leave your clients with. That is going to be what makes people remember you!