How Much Does a Logo Actually Matter in B2B Brand Development?
Not as much as you might think…
If you saw my personal design library you'd see books on books about branding, logo design, and typography. It's an obsession of mine. I have taught classes on logo design. Webinars. Coached countless creatives on how to design a world class logo.
I've probably created hundreds of logos in my lifetime. Some of them have been featured in global design publications. Our team's brand identity work at Forrest has won awards for our clients. So fun!!! If there's one thing I love, it's a great brand mark. If there's one thing I will relentlessly always try and fix, mentally, in my brain when I see it on a sign or billboard, it's a bad one! 😂
But you know what I have learned? (This might be a shocker 😬)
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A great logo is not that important to your brand’s success.
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A great logo can’t save a bad product, a bad offering, or a tech-enabled service the market doesn't really want OR need. 😬 (It’s just the truth!)
I wish this weren't the case, because we all know we've seen some BAD logos. Nonetheless, most people overthink the logo when they need to be over-thinking the other elements of their brand.
3 brand elements that matter so much more than your logo...
01
Your GTM Strategy
How will you generate demand with your shiny new brand? What GTM motions do you need to double down on? Who is your ICP? How will everything work together to actually help you grow? A brand should be a holistic piece of a connected GTM strategy, not just the creative visuals that get slapped on top of it. A great logo won't help or save a bad or incomplete GTM strategy!
02
Your Messaging
Clear messaging + a crappy logo = sales and I'll die on this hill. Clear messaging + great brand identity = EVEN MORE sales and i'll die here too. Do not invest in any sort of strategic brand work that only promises cool or meaningful visuals if you know your messaging isn't dialed in and CLEAR!
03
THE Story!
Notice how I didn't say, "your story." No one cares about YOUR business. THE story should show a powerful before and after that your buyers get to experience when they buy from you. The sales team needs to know the story. The marketing team needs to know the story. The janitor who empties the trash at 7 pm needs to know the story. Everyone needs to know the story!
🎉 BONUS 04
Your Positioning!
What gap(s) in the market do you fit so nicely in that you're obviously the go-to for your buyers? What is the business value attached to the things that make you different from X company your buyers already know about?
We this happen all the time… 👇🏼
We have helped create award-winning visual brand identities for lots of businesses, non-profits, and organizations who did NOT see the value in clarifying these other four things I have listed. You know what happens each time?
Nothing.
No growth. No momentum. No clarity. No funding secured. No change in revenue. No increase in buy-in from the team. No retention problems solved. No client turnover metrics changed. Marketing doesn't really change because if you keep saying confusing things with a better logo then, well, no one buys.
Does your logo matter? Yeah. But not more than these things.
The goal is to bring to market a brand that checks ALL OF these boxes: The logo and visual identity included.
Your B2B tech or AI brand should be the tip of the spear for your marketing and sales leaders, and should be the fuel that drives demand for all of your ABM and demand generation efforts.
Strong and strategic brands will always be the ones buyers demand. Make sure you're investing in strategic brand services that are wholistic, and set you up to actually grow, not just look great.
For the love of humanity,
BT
We offer 4-6 week brand sprints where you literally get the strategy, the story, and the visual elements needed to bring a world class brand to market.
See if you’re a fit >
Every brand + GTM strategy project our clients invest in comes with logo design. We make it part of the outcome, not a one-off deliverable. Why? Because they are deeply connected. The logo must be a reflection of the narrative you’re inviting your market into. We work with talented designers who know B2B tech, and have been designing brand identities for a LONG time. You NEVER get the C-team with Forrest.
We do this because the strategy matters more – how your brand fits into your GTM plan, and how you're going to drive demand WITH your brand are the most important pieces your brand needs.
Learn more about how we do this in weeks, not months with B2B brand sprints…a service we created for tech + tech services firms who need to grow yesterday.
Learn more about what you get, and how much it costs.
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