Typography is not your brand, so don’t steal it
Originally published on October 9th, 2010
When tasked with creating an identity you have to ask yourself, “What will this logo mean to others? What brand equity will it gain?” You can’t do this by merely selecting fonts and playing a badge in or near it.
Typography by itself is a craft that should be respected as so and not used as a tool, but as inspiration when it comes to brand definition. Used in any other way, whether its kerning or resizing certain elements, is chipping away at the creator’s intended purpose. That purpose is to be used as a consistent style for content—not a logo. It is a disservice and unethical to use it in any other way other than inspiration.
Like typography, logo creation is also a craft built on inspiration and logical thought. In the case of a type-based logo, the design should reflect inspiration directly related to the context of a company’s brand. It takes this inspiration and develops its own unique form. In this way, it is ‘crafted’. Subtleties like ligatures, rounding of certain corners, are created from reason and adherence to uniform structure and balance. It may employ certain characteristics of a typeset, and should definitely not be the typeset. It needs to be re-drawn, crafted and refined with intention and an understanding of a brand’s essence. It must be able to stand on its own and be unique in a way that is both subtle and meaningful.
Simply put, a mark should never be able to be reproduced through simple keyboard strokes. Implemented in this way, the brand is reliant on the objectives of the typographer who created the type being used—objectives which are not in-line with a company’s reason for being. It represents a solution. It conveys honesty through refinement. And it reflects directly on the product that’s being sold.
Characteristics of different fonts are often forced to fit in with one another in creating brand identity. So, it surprises me when a client and vendor refer to their identity as a typeface. It should never be represented as such. You will never find a typeface that will feel entirely like your brand because a brand needs to have its own characteristic.
Great brands are built on unique characteristics and their mark needs to be defined by them. The solution will not be found within typefaces which were crafted to solve totally different problems.
