logo for M-S-M

by Kenneth Rudich

This post will likely be of only average length.  And yet, ironically, the story behind it may well have consumed more of my time and energy than any other I’ve written to date.

I’ve been trying for some while now to come up with a logo for Marketing Strategy Management.  I’m especially keen on having one that neatly captures what I want it to convey.  I’ve been quite particular about that point (to an extent that surprises even me), and it has made the process of putting together a singularly effective image more like a journey than a task.

At present, I have a collection of probably thirty different logos to choose from.  Almost all of them have merit, and perhaps any one of them would have been perfectly suitable if I had simply remained rational while making a decision.  In retrospect, it might have been a better use of my time if I had.

Instead, I decided to go for something that felt right from a visceral standpoint.  You know, something based on a gut feeling or a strong instinct.  Something that made me stand up and shout, “This is it!”

And that’s why it has ended up taking so long.   

what’s a business or marketing logo?

In plain business terms, a logo is an intangible asset.  If you think about it, the phrase “intangible asset” is a peculiar combination of words.  It might even be construed as an oxymoron.

Intangible means not readily discernible to the mind.  You can’t physically pick it up, turn it over in your hands, smell it, or taste it.  It’s what’s called impalpable.

An asset, on the other hand, seems rather to imply the exact opposite.  If you were to seek a personal loan, for example, you’d likely be asked for some kind of material collateral to back it up.  Something like a car, a house, or a yacht.  I mean, can you imagine asking a lender, “How about my logo?  Would you be willing to accept it for collateral?”

So what is an intangible asset?  You take the word “rational,” combine it with “real,” maybe add in “statistically proven,” and you throw every single bit of whatever sense they seem to make straight out the window.  Objectivity doesn’t stand up well when something is entirely based on subjective opinion.

An intangible asset is a visceral thing.  It’s the emotion, gut feeling or instinct people attach to it, as long as it puts that intangible thing in a positive light.  Without the positive light part, it doesn’t qualify as an asset per se.

what’s the marketing value of a new logo?

A newly unveiled logo is unlikely to be immediately seen as an asset.  It has to be invested with value before it can be regarded as such.  That requires time, and the ability to endow it with an appreciable amount of personal appeal.  Until that happens, it can hardly assume the status of an intangible asset.

But even though it’s not an asset straight out of the box, it still serves a meaningful purpose.  After all, it represents the future of the enterprise – the hope, the vision, and the aspiration for it.  It makes a statement that says, “I dream of the day when this logo will become everything an intangible asset can possibly be.”

And that is the reason it has taken so long to decide on a logo.  I wanted one that could move me to make it everything it could possibly be.  The one up above does that for me.  It is, at least in my mind, consistent with everything I’d written in the About M-S-M page, only it expresses it in a visual form. 

What do you think?  Does it seem to do the job for you?

Related posts:

1. choosing a logo for marketing purposes-can you help?