The Curse of Logoitis
I have a great story to tell about what happened to an organization a few years ago. This company spent hundreds of thousands of dollars developing a new logo. Countless consultants were called in. Many hours were spent tweaking and re-designing the thing. Everyone got very involved in the process.
No one spoke as the audience of employees and board members got their first glimpse of the long-awaited logo.
Finally, someone yelled out from the crowd, "My God. It looks like an uterus and fallopian tubes!"
Now, granted this was a health care company, but no one on the branding team had ever intended for the logo to look like female organs. The greatly anticipated logo creation had become a disaster.
What lessons can be learned? We need to all be more mindful of the perils of logoitis. By logitis, I mean the state of being ridiculously pre-occupied with icons and typefaces – to the point that everyone forgets the true meaning of the brand.
Brands are about putting an organization's ideals into action. It's the "living out" of these ideals that can make or break a brand. Problems occur when a logo or silly icon becomes more important than acting on the brand.In the end, your customers really don't care if you use Palatino or Times Roman. They care that they get great service and a terrific product. That will tell your story much better than a funny looking uterus.
