Brand consultancies are a weird bunch.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s some very smart people in them, but as an industry – like advertising – they spout an incredible amount of shit.
If I see one more ‘case study’ that implies their new [or let’s face it, updated] brand logo is solely responsible for a particular companies “double digit” growth, I swear to god, I might have an aneurism.
[I know … I know … they do more than that, but am I the only one who finds it funny they always seem to suggest the development of a new logo is a vital component to making all their hard work, work. Cynical? Me? Never]
Maybe my blood pressure would feel a bit more inclined to calm down if the logos they designed were interesting, distinctive, progressive or differentiated – but no – most of the time they follow the blueprint for blandness and beige.
Now I appreciate that for all the talk companies give about being ‘different’, the fact is many have a compulsion not to stand out [living in fear of that they might alienate potential customers rather than thinking about how it could attract] … but seriously, some of these designs that are created could make magnolia coloured, woodchip wallpaper look exciting.
A while ago I wrote a piece for MTV about what brands could learn from bands, well if I was going to update it, I might call it, ‘What Brand Consultancies Learn From Rock Bands About Logo Design’.
What am I going on about?
This.
Yes, it’s a range of ‘logos’ from a bunch of bands.
Now I appreciate you might not recognise all of them, but I bet you know more than you thought … or certainly more than you’d recognize if I’d put up a bunch of margarine brand logos instead.
However, if you were a Rock music fan – which I know you’re not – I’m pretty sure you’d recognise all of them, even if you’re not really a fan of that bands particular music.
So what am I saying?
Well, in each case, they are distinctive, instantly recognisable and represent a key characteristic of the brands attitude or attributes.
They’re not trying to blend in … they’re not trying to appeal to everyone … they don’t ‘relaunch’ every 12 months … they’re doing exactly what a logo is supposed to be, be distinctive and recognisable, regardless of the category it operates in.
Sure, you could argue some look a bit dated and in need of a freshen up – but I would say most, if not all – are still more interesting and differentiated than most company logos out there, even the ones produced by the amazing proprietary tools that Branding Consultancies love to bang on about.
While the music industry is dying, bands are very much alive and many, arguably, can look forward to a more prosperous future than many of the uber-researched, mass-spending, brand-onion-or-pyramid-loving brands out there.
We should all take note, especially the brand consultancies.