“In 1971, the iconic Nike logo was designed by a student named Carolyn Davidson for just $35”
The above is a common rebuttal by those looking for great branding work but are confronted by the costs associated with stunning and innovative design. This strongly stems from the misconception of a logo being the brand and that your brand is your logo – which simply isn’t the case.
Hear us out, logos and brand marks are a fundamental part of branding, however, they are not the entire team. Branding projects involve colours, fonts, design elements such as custom shapes, lines, iconography, brand patterns and composition rulings as well as visual tone and nuances – and this is simply the visual component of branding.
Which is why $35 (a little over $300AUD in today’s money) for a logo only design created by a then inexperienced student whose rate was $2USD an hour makes sense. If paying a couple of hundred dollars was the way forward, Nike wouldn’t have spent large, albeit undisclosed amounts in years past revamping the Nike logo as well as developing an iconic brand image that extends past the notable swoosh.There is a legion of wealth to be obtained from brand and business success stories, however, it’s important to contextualise this information to truly benefit from it. On the topic of Nike’s brand, did you know that when the now-iconic Nike swoosh was launched, Phil Knight, Nike’s co-founder initially didn’t love the logo and picked it simply because it was ‘the least terrible’.
In summary, branding is a multifaceted investment that is fluid and intended to grow and evolve, just as your business does. Like many romantic comedies, you may not fall in love with your branding immediately, but there’s no denying a happy ending with stunning and innovative design..Identity Marketing is a borderless agency based in Adelaide.
Comprising socially aware, boundary-pushing, multifaceted marketing and design professionals who deliver end-to-end marketing solutions. If you’re looking to begin a branding journey, whether it be a brand creation, brand refresh or brand alignment – we’re your first call.