In a world that doesn’t stay static, neither should your logo. In fact, it could be the difference between you and your competition in consumer purchasing decisions. Our latest blog post explores the differences between a static logo and a flexible branding system and why it might be time to join the movement.
Now more than ever, our world is moving and shaking. Everything we see, process, etc. is constantly vibrating at an alarming rate. Naturally, this has made our attention spans shorter and shorter and has given life to an insatiable need to see things with greater intrigue.
As a brand, it’s time to take notice and incorporate this into your strategy if you want to remain competitive, relevant, and interesting. Starting with the emblem of your entire operation – your logo.
What is a “Flexible Branding System?
The term “flexible branding system” sounds more daunting than it actually is and it’s a hot-button trend among brand strategies.
A “flexible branding system,” also known as a dynamic logo, refers to having motion-graphic, interactive, or responsive logos. While we’re taught that our branding needs to be consistent, a flexible branding system allows you to stray slightly from your traditional logo in order to drive engagement, stay playful, and ignite interest. PLAY is one of PUNCHY’s core brand values, so a vivacious, playful, flexible system was the only choice for us. The PUNCHY logotype is simple enough to act as a vessel to all the motion and animations we utilize to further visually communicate the flavor of our brand identity and values. Doing this successfully means while our logo houses movements, color changes, and more it still feels on-brand and is widely recognizable.
Another classic example of one of the first flexible branding systems is MTV’s logo. While the logo itself has changed much since the inception of its static logo back in the early eighties, the playful presentation is ever-evolving. Now, you’ll find the logo looking more like mini-motion pictures inside the “M.”
Experts in graphic design agree that flexible branding systems have been on-trend in modern logo conception for the past few years now. As consumer spending continues to grow at a steady pace year over year, a challenge for brands has been differentiating themselves among audiences in order to grow their market share, igniting the need for more dynamic, functional, and cognitively more effective branding solutions.
Flexible Branding Systems vs. Static Logos
There are a number of reasons why adopting a flexible branding system is preferable over the traditional static logo.
Recognition
As the consumer market has become more competitive than ever, brands are vying for the attention of their target consumers. This has creative, innovative ways to subtly position themselves first in the minds of their ideal audiences.
Experts agree that an animated logo is more easily comprehensible, making it a more memorable staple. Being that a fun, responsive, interactive logo drives memorability, it provides a leg up over static logos when it comes to brand recognition.
Personality
Consumers have so many brand options when making purchasing decisions. That being the case, it’s become imperative that brands invest in differentiating themselves to build relationships with their audience beyond the competition. An interactive, dynamic logo gives ample opportunity to inject personality, vibrancy, and storytelling into branding.
Additionally, a dynamic logo helps avoid copyright infringement, as was the case with MetLife when they unveiled their new logo back in 2016. Many speculated that it looked too similar to Differen’s logo which resulted in a lawsuit, easily preventable by adding flexible design.
Engagement
There are a lot of MOs when it comes to branding, a prominent one being driving customer engagement. A static logo is seen once, processed, and never again really given much thought. There’s no new information to be processed when looking at a static logo. Dynamic logos, on the other hand, trigger a cognitive response to process new information which drives consumer engagement through curiosity and intrigue.
Take Google’s ever-changing logo for example. Often, the Google logo on the search engine’s homepage changes the design to accommodate notable dates with accompanying interactive features such as games, animations, etc. One of the many reasons why the tech giant is one of the most widely used search engines in the world.
Emotional Triggers
Adding animation, movement, etc. can breathe personality into a static image. Logos that incorporate animals can instantly add personality triggering a warm, interested, or joyful response to the user.
UX Planet, a media outlet by Medium, emphasizes the importance of flexible branding systems on the end-user, stating
“if a logo can bring some positive emotions to the target audience, there are great chances that they will remember a brand and associate it with something pleasant.”
Where the True ROI Lies in Flexible Branding
The most critical reason to incorporate flexibility into your branding – and what the ROI of flexible branding can be attributed to in general – is your first impression.
According to Business Insider, you only have seven seconds to make a lasting first impression. Brands have even less, only a few seconds to resonate in the minds of their target audience in order to influence their purchasing decisions further down in the customer journey.
Perhaps that’s why companies spend millions on their logos – to make a bigger impression over competitors during this critical touchpoint.
In a world that isn’t static, and becomes less-so over time, neither should your logo.
Outside of the fact that more and more brands are adopting flexible branding systems, making it a necessity in the near future, it could be the difference between you and your competitor in customer purchasing decisions.
Precisely why most graphic design experts report that responsive, flexible branding is the number one logo design trend that’s expected to last well into 2020.
All talk of competition aside, flexible branding systems provide an opportunity for brand development.
UX Designer by Medium further drives this point by stating “A logo is like a heart of a brand identity. It presents a personality of a company or a product and plays a significant role in a branding strategy. If graphic designers do their job right, a logo establishes an effective brand image which serves as the foundation of a successful marketing strategy.”
Adopting a Dynamic Logo
Spoiler alert: adopting a dynamic logo is much easier than you think. There are countless entities whose sole purpose is to drive your bottom line through effective brand strategies.
Queue PUNCHY.
PUNCHY is dedicated to punching up your brand by sparking interest and intrigue through innovative design strategy. Our team of highly-skilled designers is on standby ready to create a dynamic logo that differentiates you from the competition and position you first in the minds of your target audience.
Sick of static growth? Ditch the static logo. Contact us today.
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