Last episode, we looked at the cost of a logo and how you’re not paying for the minutes it took to draw it, but the decades it took to get it perfect. Which brings us nicely to today — episode ten, double digits. I want to say I planned some big cake-and-balloons moment for this, but honestly, I just want to talk more about logos, so let’s move on.
What actually makes a good logo? Four things: simplicity, memorability, longevity, versatility. Say it with me, and try to remember it.
Think about a famous logo that’s burned into your brain right now. Give it just a second, without Googling anything. I’ll call out a brand, and you picture it in your mind. Audi. Apple. McDonald’s. So in your mind’s eye, you saw them, right? The rings, the apple with a bite, the golden arches. None of them are complicated, none of them need a caption, and none of them are trying to win an award for the most detailed illustration. They’re all, in their own quiet way, ruthlessly simple. And they sell.
These are just some of the brands that have gained one of the most coveted achievements in branding: unaided brand recognition. A brand mark that can stand entirely on its own.
Now, everyone expects me to trot out Apple, McDonald’s, Nike, Coke at this point — the Google top-ten list, if you will. But let’s have some fun with this one instead, and look at some alternative billion-dollar brands: Metallica, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles. And yes, I said it — brands, not bands.
Metallica is a brand worth well over a billion dollars. 183 million records sold, an estimated 120 million t-shirts. Think about that number for a second. A hundred and twenty million people don’t just want to wear your logo — they pay for the privilege.
The Rolling Stones logo, the lips-and-tongue mark, doesn’t even say “Rolling Stones.” It doesn’t need to. Show it to anyone in the four corners of the world, and they know exactly what it is.
So from Apple to Metallica — different eras, different industries, wildly different audiences — same rule every time. Simple, memorable, timeless, versatile. It needs to identify itself clearly and keep doing that for the next twenty years, without getting tired.
And here’s the part that might trip you up: simplicity isn’t the lazy option. It’s the hardest one to actually pull off. Anyone can add another line, another gradient, another flourish. Taking things away and still having it work — that’s the real skill, the real talent.
Let’s take a quick break from the show. Everything on BRAND:NEW comes from somewhere. This podcast is an extension of a book I’ve spent the last year writing. It’s called The Business Owner’s Guide to Branding — 150 answers to the questions you’re actually asking. Written for business owners, it’s a book that finally translates what goes on inside a brand designer’s head, so you know exactly what you’re paying for and why. Available soon on Amazon, in hardcover, paperback, and Kindle. Now, back to the show.
Let me hit you with a bonus point. This is a very important question, and another clear divider between a cheap logo and a professional logo: does my logo need to show what my business does? No. In fact, it’s usually better if it doesn’t. Apple doesn’t sell computers with a picture of a computer on them. Nike doesn’t sell shoes with a picture of a shoe on them. A logo identifies you — it’s not a product photo.
Let’s take a DeLorean back to the future for a second. It’s 1865. A dusty gold miner stumbles out of a frontier town with a toothache that would drop a mule. He needs a dentist badly. The only problem — like many people of the time — is that he cannot read. So the hand-painted sign above the door that reads “Dr. William H. Carmichael, Dental Surgeon” means nothing to him. The giant tooth hanging next to it, now that he can understand.
But that was 1865. Your customers are not illiterate frontiersmen. I’ve worked with more dental clients than I can count over the years, and without fail, every single one wants a tooth in the logo. Sometimes two.
Once — and I mean this with sincerity — a molar wearing a top hat. I took that particular client out of that top hat and the molar. We had a proper conversation instead about what they actually wanted to be known for — not what they did, but how they did it. The calm, the care, the fact that a nervous patient walked out feeling looked after, not just fixed. That conversation gave them a logo that told their story, rather than just illustrating their equipment.
Your logo doesn’t need to explain what you do. It needs to tell people who you are. Do not insult your customers’ intelligence with a pictogram. They’ll figure out whether you fix teeth, sell coffee, sell shoes, or whatever. Trust them with that much.
Quick one before we wrap. In Episode 6, What Is A Brand Audit, we discussed the importance of a brand audit. So we’re opening up a brand audit slot for your business — or, if you will, a referred friend — live in a future episode of BRAND:NEW. Real brand, real audit, real on-air results. Interested? Reach out. Details are in the show notes of this episode.
In our next episode, we get into the different types of logos and which one is actually right for your business.
That’s it for this episode of BRAND:NEW. Thank you for spending a few minutes with me. I don’t take your time for granted. If this helped you, share it with a business owner who needs it. And if you’ve got ten seconds, please leave a rating — it would really mean the world to me.
I’m Donovan. This has been BRAND:NEW.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD LOGO?
What actually makes a good logo? After years of doing this work, I can narrow it down to four things: simplicity, memorability, longevity, and versatility. Say it with me, and try to remember it, because those four words do more work than almost anything else I can teach you about a mark.
Here’s a quick way to test it. I’m going to name a few brands, and I want you to picture each one in your mind, without Googling anything. Audi. Apple. McDonald’s. In your mind’s eye, you saw them, right?
The rings. The apple with a bite taken out. The golden arches. None of them are complicated, and none of them need a caption. None of them are trying to win an award for the most detailed illustration. They’re all, in their own quiet way, ruthlessly simple. And they sell.
None of them are complicated, none of them need a caption, and none of them are trying to win an award for most detailed illustration. They’re all in their own quiet way ruthlessly simple. And they sell.
UNAIDED BRAND RECOGNITION
Those three brands have gained one of the most coveted achievements in branding: unaided brand recognition. A brand mark that can stand entirely on its own. Everyone expects me to trot out Apple, McDonald’s, Nike, and Coke at this point — a Google top 10 list, if you will.
So let’s have some fun with this one instead and look at some alternative billion-dollar brands: Metallica, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles.
And yes, I said it — brands, not bands. Metallica is a brand worth well over a billion dollars, with 183 million records sold and an estimated 120 million t-shirts. Think about that number for a second. A $120,000,000 people don’t just want to wear your logo — they pay for the privilege.
The Rolling Stones logo, the lips and tongue mark, doesn’t even say “Rolling Stones.” It doesn’t need to. Show it to anyone in the four corners of the world, and they know exactly what it is.
From Apple to Metallica, different eras, different industries, wildly different audiences — same rule every time. Simple, memorable, timeless, versatile.
A logo needs to identify itself clearly and keep doing that for the next 20 years without getting tired.
A 120,000,000 (million) people don’t just want to wear your logo — they pay for the privilege.
SIMPLICITY IS THE HARDEST SKILL
Here’s the part that might trip you up: simplicity isn’t the lazy option. It’s the hardest one to actually pull off. Anyone can add another line, another gradient, another flourish. Taking things away and still having it work — that’s the real skill. That’s the real talent.
Simplicity isn’t the lazy option. It’s the hardest one to actually pull off.
Does My Logo Need To Show What My Business Does?
Let me hit you with a bonus point, because this is a very important question, and it’s another clear divider between a cheap logo and a professional logo: does my logo need to show what my business does? No. In fact, it’s usually better if it doesn’t. Apple doesn’t sell computers with a picture of a computer. Nike doesn’t sell shoes with a picture of a shoe. A logo identifies you — it’s not a product photo.
Picture this for a second. It’s 1865. A dusty gold miner stumbles out of a frontier town with a toothache that would drop a mule. He needs a dentist, badly. Only problem — like many people of the time, he cannot read. So the hand-painted sign above the door that reads “Dr. William H. Carmichael, Dental Surgeon” means nothing to him. The giant tooth hanging next to it, though — that he can understand.
But that was 1865.
Your customers are not illiterate frontiersmen. I’ve worked with more dental clients than I can count over the years, and without fail, every single one wants a tooth in the logo. Sometimes two. Once — and I mean this with total sincerity — a molar wearing a top hat. I took that client out of the top hat, and out of the molar entirely. We had a proper conversation about what they actually wanted to be known for: not what they did, but how they did it. The calm. The care. The fact that a nervous patient walked out feeling looked after, not just fixed. That conversation gave them a logo that told their story instead of just illustrating their equipment.
Your logo doesn’t need to explain what you do. It needs to tell people who you are. Don’t insult your customers’ intelligence with a pictogram. They’ll figure out whether you fix teeth, sell coffee, or make shoes. Trust them with that much.
Your logo doesn’t need to explain what you do. It needs to tell people who you are.
This article is a companion to Episode 10: What Makes A Good Log of BRAND:NEW hosted by Donovan Fourie — you can listen to the full conversation, including the audio version of this transcript, above.
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