Brand logos should help users remember the right things

When a consumer looks at a company's brand logo, is it more important that they remember the exact shape and style of it or what it represents? A recent study that appeared in the Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology seems to demonstrate that even the most famous brand image doesn't replicate in the memory exactly. Instead, businesses should develop brand materials that will always have an unmistakable identity and value association with it for customers.

This study specifically challenged 85 students, most of whom were regular Apple product users, to draw the famous computer company's logo from memory. According to a statement accompanying the study, only one person managed to replicate the official design accurately from memory, and fewer than half were able to correctly pick the logo out from a selection of others.

However, it's possible this data tells us more about human memory than anything else. While details and specificity are important, the connection between a person and what the logo symbolizes is also a large part of why they are successful. Apple's logo in particular has evolved and changed to fit the times, from an ornate original design to the sleeker, more modern version constantly seen today. 

By working on a logo that has a classic design to it, one that will always remind the viewer about the best aspects of the product or service, it won't matter as much whether or not viewers can draw it for themselves. The larger point is that logos should sum up a clear message that is valuable to the target audience and easy to absorb.

Pressure Sensitive Products can transfer brand identity seamlessly to physical vinyl signs and print products.