On redesigning an existing logo (Part 1 of 2)

From a design perspective, my understanding of logo design goals are to communicate uniqueness and speak to how a particular product is not only different from other products, but better. There was a piece recently on NPR's Morning Edition that captured this goal in a nutshell, which I have been unable to uncover since, but was highly relevant. It discussed the purpose of logos in terms of recognizability, and what a logo is intended to communicate in that recognition.

Logos highlight a company name and the services it has to offer to it customers, and most importantly, creates recognition of its goods among the consumer and client community. Companies and purchasers visually associate logos with a brand identity, much as we associate a picture of our house as the place we live, our office as the place we work, without having to read the address every time. Logos create identity, and at the core of identity is the idea of specificity and uniqueness; I live here and not there, I work here and not there, and I want this product and not that one, because this one is better. And all that is communicated not in the text, but in the context and subtext, and completely visually.

So, it’s a unique opportunity, to say the least, to develop an existing logo in a new direction. As with all major design projects, the most important question to answer is, what do you want to accomplish. It’s not to make a cool logo. At least, not that alone. The answer lies in answering, what is the purpose of the redesigned identity? What is it trying to present?

If the logo is to create an identity that says "this product is the same as these other products, just with another name," then the purpose of the logos, and the communication, might be served through mimicry. But that’s seldom a worthwhile design goal. A better way to think about echoing an existing logo is to define why it’s supposed to be like something else. Pepsi is like Coke-look at the logos side-by-side and you’ll see the similarities-but different. The similarity is in that they are selling the same idea, smooth cool refreshment, good taste, good times. But it’s the distinguishing differences that make all the difference—the how they present those ideas-that creates identity and specificity.