MY THOUGHTS ON THE HALIFAX BRAND

Mid April, a great number of opinions were floating around about the new Halifax logo created by Revolve. Folks were weighing in about whether they liked it or not…and especially about the reported price tag of 217K.

One friend sent me a message saying they were appalled by the design…and suggested that I could do a better job!
 
Ummmm…no I couldn’t!
 
Here’s the thing, while I create logos on a regular basis…this isn’t about a logo! If given the Design Brief, I could potentially come up with a similar wordmark using a few shades of blue and a sans serif type…I'd possibly make the X a little different (but when paired with the awesome graphical element they created I see EXACTLY why they made the X that way)...and while I'd potentially not cross the A's either as it's modern, clean and a wee bit edgy…Revolve didn’t create a logo…they created a brand.
 
A brand that, believe me, took a great amount of research and wasn’t looked at lightly. A brand that involved “20,000 people engaged in our consultation process through focus groups, one on one meetings, telephone and online surveys, postcards, website visits and social media channels.” Research that would have involved a great many team members…some who might be fairly new to the business like me...but most who’d have a great many years of experience in the field of Graphic Design, Project Management, Research and Marketing.
 
While I got a kick out of people asking me if I liked the logo, would I have crossed the A’s, did I like the X…the colors…the type...could I have created something similar for far less money...the thing is, I wouldn’t even begin to know where to start with the research on branding one of the most important organizations in Halifax…which happens to be HALIFAX!
 
So, what’s the difference between a LOGO and a BRAND?
 
A LOGO is one simple visual element, the starting point and the key piece in the identity of an organization. A logo helps customers identify and remember the company. It can be a symbol, a wordmark, or a combination of both. It is the visual element that is used in an organization's communications…the element that people recognize most frequently.

The IDENTITY of an organization consists of ALL of the visual elements that make up the company. The graphical elements, the typeface and style guidelines used to create a consistent look. These individual elements are put together to be used when designing business cards, stationary, billboards, packaging, websites, advertisements, office décor and company vehicles to name a few. The identity includes the company logo as well as every other graphical element that forms the “look” of the organization.
 
The BRAND encompasses it all. It’s not the individual pieces, it’s not the color or the typeface or the logo that's been carefully chosen after being sketched…erased…mocked-up... and edited multiple times. It’s not one single element or the sum of all of its parts. The brands is the FEELING…it’s the perceived image and the emotional response behind it all. It’s the communication between customers about the organization and how they choose to share that information. It's what they imagine when they see your product on a shelf. It's what they expect from your services. It's how they feel about your organization and your competition. It's your voice. It's the relationship between you and your customer...a set of memories and stories. The Brand is an organization's reputation and the promises you made. 
 
Revolve didn’t make a LOGO…they created a BRAND. A brand that, in my
opinion, is a wonderful representation of the people, the landscape, the beauty, the friendliness, the culture…all that encompasses this fabulous place we live…Halifax.

Yup, I can make a logo. I can create an identity for your organization and I can work with you to define your brand. With a great amount of experience behind me and a hope for a successful business where I’ll have a great many opportunities to work with fabulous organizations and people…one day…I hope to work on a project as amazing and rewarding as the Branding of an entire city!

Colleen