Kindling 43: What a good logo does

A thought from me

On its own, a logo means nothing. It doesn’t attain meaning until three things are true:

1. It identifies. A good logo identifies; it doesn’t explain. Nothing about the Apple logo suggests they sell computers. Nothing about the Golden Arches suggests that McDonald’s sells burgers. These logos simply identify the company, repeatedly, everywhere.
2. It’s unique. If you can change out the name beside the logo for your competitor’s, the logo isn’t yours yet.
3. It’s memorable. People might not be able to draw it (most people can’t draw, and who can draw the Starbucks logo anyway?), but they should be able to recall it. 

The logo attains meaning only if those three things are achieved. The logo isn’t a brand, but a bad logo sometimes indicates a deeper brand problem. And a brand problem is really a self-identity problem. 

It’s not merely an identity problem for your business. It’s an identity problem for your audience. They identify themselves with your brand, and may take pride in being the sort of person who associates with you.

If your logo doesn’t identify you, isn’t unique, and isn’t memorable, you might need clarity on who you are, where you’re going, and what you’re saying to customers along the way.

A rebrand is psychological, not corporate.

Things worth sharing

1. Shortly after Sam wrote about thoughts and feelings around Claude Design and encouraged Figma and Sketch to think differently about the purpose of their tools, Figma announced shader fills, motion animation, and more at Config 2026. (Funny timing.)
2. I love the brand work How & How has done for Bristol Dockyards.
3. New to me, but not totally new: Tofu’s 2022 rebrand of the Tokyo National Museum is excellent.
4. Illustrated and interactive illustrations explaining how everyday products work.

A question to ponder

Your website has to achieve a business goal. Having a lot of traffic or great engagement without financial results is a business failure disguised as a success metric. So what do you need? More leads? More sales? More users? What’s the one business metric you can focus on to make your site better?

Until next week,

Nathan

What you should do next…

1. For more insights like this, subscribe to the weekly Kindling newsletter.
2. To see people walk the talk, explore my case studies.
3. Schedule a free call to review your brand and website. Get a one hour consultation where we discuss your brand, your current marketing problems, and potential next steps. If you’re not ready to work with me, I won’t attempt to sell you, but I’ll point you to the right next step.