You DO NOT need a logo
You DO NOT need a logo to have a brand. I say this begrudgingly because I love to make logos. Let's break it down.
Let's start by asking: What is the bare minimum you need to have a brand? In other words, what is a Minimum Viable Brand (MVB)?
Well damn, now we need to ask: What is brand?
I always say that brand is "a company's business reputation." It's not perfect, but I think it works. So for now, we're going with that.
Okay, back to MVB.
It seems that to have a brand you need at least two things: 1.) Something worth remembering or having an opinion about and 2.) A way to remember and/or recall #1.
So, it's something like memory + trigger = MVB
Or maybe: perception + trigger = MVB
Let's test this by putting it in a dumb, not-at-all-biased example inspired by a previous post about Koozie:
Person 1: "What was that thing you were telling me about that kept your drink cold at the lake?"
Person 2: "They called it a koozie"
Person 1 has a memory about a novel product they've only heard about (something worth remembering led to a memory). Person 2 talks about it, either by product, experience, brand name, etc. (a memory of something worth remembering compels them). The memory is funneled into the product and name (trigger).
Hopefully, that makes sense to you. I'm pretending to be smart here so this might be getting a little out of my range of intellect. But to me, this is a good enough hypothesis to run with and keep thinking about (for now at least).
Now, if the bare minimum required to have a brand is: [something worth remembering] + [trigger to access memory], then a logo is not an essential asset.
That's why you DO NOT need a logo to have a brand.
So, which brand assets are most important to create an MVB?
Lucky you, I made a list. But that's for my next post, muah ha ha.
✌️Rvw
P.S. I gotta give credit for this big ponderous brand question to my pal in branding, Emily Penny
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