Your Logo Means Nothing Until You Make It Mean Something

2007_06_06londonolymp.jpgWhen it comes to logos, marketing guru Seth Godin says the image you pick doesn’t really matter. The meaning comes not from the logo itself, but what your company actually does.

“A great logo doesn’t mean anything until the brand makes it worth something.”

He uses the example of Starbucks, Nike and Apple. The logos of two of those companies have nothing to do with what they actually do (I don’t think Nike’s swoosh supports Godin’s claim–as abstract as it is, that feeling of movement actually goes pretty well with an athetlic shoe company). So the lesson here is don’t sweat your logo–just pick something and then give it meaning by what you do. Interesting approach. And it takes some of the intimidation out of picking a logo.

All of which is of course inspired by the announcement of the London Olympics logo (Godin: “That’s why spending $800,000 for a logo is ridiculous.”), which is being reviled and revered across the web.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *