Branding Simplifies As Awareness Increases

In a recent meeting with a company that offers a cross-platform e-commerce subscription application, I observed a presentation regarding brand identity and customer retention and engagement efforts. One slide in particular touched on their iterative process as it pertains to branding and design. They explained that over the past 10 to 15 years, they have made significant design changes approximately every 3 years. On the next slide, a graphic displayed the progression of these branding and design changes.

When the company first started, their logo was quiet complicated. They incorporated multiple colors in an effort to help new users understand who they were and what they did by the design of the logo alone. As the company progressed from hundreds of thousands to millions of monthly active users, the design became simpler with each new iteration. As the brand grew to be widely recognizable, the logo switched to a single color, and illustrations were subtly reduced. In essence, the company optimized their logo over time as brand awareness increased.

Unsurprisingly, they are not the first company to do this. A quick image search for the original Starbucks or Apple logos reveals a similar design progression. It's an often overlooked yet essential part of a brand's growth and customers' familiarity over time.

Regularly assessing your brand in this way, just as you would brand messaging, can help clarify and solidify your brand's direction and keep your users engaged.