# Branding Sharp Edges

Critical mistakes that create weak brands, dilute identity, or waste resources.

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## 1. The Logo-First Fallacy

**The mistake**: Starting with logo design before brand strategy is defined. "We need a logo" as the first step.

**Why it happens**: Logos are tangible. Strategy is abstract. Stakeholders want to see something. Designers want to design.

**Why it's devastating**: You're designing a symbol for something undefined. Logo won't reflect strategy because there is no strategy. Multiple rounds of subjective feedback with no anchor. End up with a logo that looks nice but means nothing.

**The fix**: Strategy before design, always. Position, values, personality defined before first sketch. Logo visualizes strategy—can't visualize nothing.

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## 2. The Crowdsourced Logo

**The mistake**: Using logo contests, spec work, or design-by-committee to create identity. "Let's see what the team comes up with."

**Why it happens**: Cheaper. More options. Everyone feels included.

**Why it's devastating**: No strategic foundation. Judged on surface appeal, not brand fit. Winner picked by popularity, not expertise. Often derivative or generic. Relationship with designer ends after delivery—no system thinking.

**The fix**: Work with qualified designers who ask strategic questions. Pay for their expertise, not just their output. Build relationship for ongoing brand evolution.

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## 3. The Trendy Identity

**The mistake**: Creating identity based on current design trends. "We want that minimalist flat look." Gradient everything. Whatever Dribbble celebrates this year.

**Why it happens**: Trends look fresh. Easy to show examples. Clients ask for it.

**Why it's devastating**: Trends date rapidly. In 3 years you look outdated. You look like everyone else following the same trend. No distinctiveness—the opposite of branding's purpose.

**The fix**: Design for longevity. Ask "will this feel right in 10 years?" Look at enduring identities (Nike, Apple, Coca-Cola) and understand why they last. Trends for campaigns, not for identity.

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## 4. The Unscalable Logo

**The mistake**: Creating logos that don't work at small sizes or in limited contexts. Intricate details that disappear. Wordmarks that become illegible.

**Why it happens**: Design on large screens. Fall in love with details. Don't test applications.

**Why it's devastating**: Favicon is a blur. App icon is unrecognizable. Embroidery is a mess. Social avatars fail. The most common uses of your logo are broken.

**The fix**: Design small first. Test at 16px. Test in monochrome. Test on backgrounds. If it doesn't work small, simplify until it does.

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## 5. The Restricted Color Palette

**The mistake**: Colors that only work in limited contexts. Colors too similar to distinguish. No clear hierarchy or system.

**Why it happens**: Pick colors that look nice together in one composition. Don't think about system needs.

**Why it's devastating**: No accessible text colors. No way to show hierarchy. Colors muddy when combined. Can't create variety within brand.

**The fix**: Build a color system, not just a palette. Primary, secondary, accent, neutral, and functional colors. Test accessibility combinations. Provide clear usage guidance.

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## 6. The Unclear Guidelines

**The mistake**: Brand guidelines that don't actually guide. Vague rules. Examples without principles. "Use good judgment."

**Why it happens**: Rushed delivery. Assumed understanding. Writer knows what they mean.

**Why it's devastating**: Everyone interprets differently. Inconsistent application. Guidelines become shelfware nobody follows. Brand erodes from a thousand small deviations.

**The fix**: Write for someone who's never seen the brand. Every rule has a reason explained. Good and bad examples. Specific enough to follow, flexible enough to enable.

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## 7. The Unchangeable Logo

**The mistake**: Treating the logo as sacred and untouchable. Minimum size rules that prevent legitimate use. No flexibility for context.

**Why it happens**: Protecting the brand. Fear of dilution. Designer attachment.

**Why it's devastating**: Teams work around restrictions instead of with them. Brand appears rigid and outdated. Can't adapt to new contexts and channels.

**The fix**: Build flexibility into the system. Responsive logos that adapt. Clear permissions for adaptation. Trust trained teams to apply judgment.

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## 8. The Verbal Afterthought

**The mistake**: Focusing entirely on visual identity, neglecting voice, tone, and verbal identity.

**Why it happens**: Visuals are more tangible. "Branding" seems visual. Copywriters come later.

**Why it's devastating**: Brand sounds different everywhere. Voice inconsistency undermines visual consistency. Incomplete identity system.

**The fix**: Verbal identity is half the work. Voice and tone defined alongside visual. Writing guidelines as robust as visual guidelines. Words and images designed together.

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## 9. The Impossible Name

**The mistake**: Choosing names that are unavailable, unpronounceable, unspellable, or legally risky.

**Why it happens**: Love the sound. Don't check availability. Rush to commit.

**Why it's devastating**: Domain unavailable or costs fortune. Trademark conflicts. Customers can't find you. Constant "that's spelled..." conversations.

**The fix**: Name strategy before falling in love. Check domain, social handles, trademark database. Test pronounceability. Legal review before commitment.

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## 10. The Stakeholder Sketch

**The mistake**: Executives providing sketches of what the logo should look like. "I was thinking something like this..."

**Why it happens**: Everyone has opinions on logos. Sketches seem helpful. Stakeholders don't understand design process.

**Why it's devastating**: Constrains exploration. Designer becomes executor of amateur ideas. Design quality suffers. Professional expertise wasted.

**The fix**: Stakeholders define strategy and objectives, not solutions. Provide attributes, not sketches. Trust designers to design. Evaluate work against strategy, not personal preference.

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## 11. The Franken-Brand

**The mistake**: Piecing together identity from multiple sources over time. Different designer for logo, another for website, another for packaging. Each with different interpretations.

**Why it happens**: Budget constraints. Different projects, different vendors. No brand owner.

**Why it's devastating**: Incoherent identity. Styles clash. Nothing feels like it belongs together. The opposite of brand consistency.

**The fix**: Single identity system before extending. One designer/team for core identity. Guidelines before application. If using multiple vendors, strong central governance.

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## 12. The Premature Rebrand

**The mistake**: Rebranding before the current brand has built equity. Changing identity because leadership is bored.

**Why it happens**: New leadership wants to make a mark. "Fresh start" mentality. Blame the brand for business problems.

**Why it's devastating**: Discards whatever equity exists. Confuses existing customers. Signals instability. Wastes resources on optics instead of substance.

**The fix**: Rebrand only for strategic reasons: M&A, market repositioning, shedding negative associations. "I'm tired of it" is not a reason. Evolution is usually better than revolution.
