People and Logos

The ability to recognise people and remember how they behave transfers easily to symbols.

A brand acquires a character: reliable, prestigious, bold, green. A politician becomes a familiar face, though the voter has never seen him off a prepared stage. A sports club is felt almost as a relative, one who admittedly does not know we exist.

This is not necessarily deception. A brand’s reputation can contain real information about quality, design and service. A politician’s public image is also partly based on his decisions.

But a symbol compresses a complicated reality into a convenient set of expectations.

Buying a thing, a person acquires not only a function but a message to everyone around. Sometimes the message matters: clothes help you fit a professional setting, the make of equipment says something about compatibility, a well-known company reduces risk.

The trouble starts when the symbol replaces checking altogether.

An expensive brand does not guarantee quality. A familiar face does not mean a familiar person. A handsome social initiative may exist mainly for a handsome report.

It helps to ask:

• what function does the object perform;
• what exactly is the premium for;
• who built the image;
• what data supports the promise;
• would I choose this with no visible logo.

Someone who identifies with a brand does not necessarily want to look like someone he is not. He may simply like the car.

Sometimes a cigar is a cigar. Sometimes a whole character for the owner is sold along with it. It is good to know at least which part the bill is for.

The logo test works literally. Someone choosing a rotary hammer can usually say honestly how many holes he will drill in a year. If it is five, the difference between a professional make and a domestic one goes into the cupboard along with the tool. If he uses it every day, the same difference comes back in the first month as service life, servicing and spare parts availability. The question “how many holes a year” answers the brand question more precisely than any review and takes less time.

A brand neither lies nor tells the truth — it answers a question about the average buyer. The bill goes to a particular one, and it helps to understand which part of the purchase is paid for by function and which by the message to everyone around.