Steve Jobs is well known for his ambitions, and high taste so it’s not surprising that after he was ousted from Apple and looking for someone to help him create a logo for his new company Next, Jobs turned to one of the most prolific designers of that time, Paul Rand.

It’s easy to see why Jobs would be drawn to Raul who is responsible for some of the most iconic logos like the IBM logo shown below. When Jobs first approached Rand, he knew one thing and that is, Rand doesn’t work for startups.

Next Inc was a startup but somehow, Jobs managed to convince Rand to accept the job. The pay was 100,000 dollars but in exchange, Jobs got more than a logo. He learned a lot about branding from Rand’s four rules of branding. Let’s dive into these rules and see what entrepreneurs can learn from them in 2024.

Rule 1 - A logo derives meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolizes, not the other way around

Take a second and let that sink in. Some people will quickly disagree with this principle, and seeing that it’s several years before digital marketing became a household name, it would be fair to say the principle doesn’t apply as much now as it did then. But could this take on branding also be the reason why there are so many brand logos with little to no impact? Paul Rand worked mostly for companies that had some reputation.

According to this rule, the logo reflects the company’s identity and not the other way around. But it is quite common now to see companies go all out to design a stunning logo that draws the customer in, only for them to be disappointed with the mediocre products or services offered. Next Inc. was a case in point as the company failed despite having a perfect logo.

The lesson here is that it is better to focus on building a reliable and trustworthy business that would easily advertise itself as word of mouth has proven to be more effective than many advertising strategies. It is a waste of time to commit to building a brand without the backing of a good product or service. A logo on its own can’t make a brand no matter how captivating it might be.

Rule 2 -  The only mandate in logo design is that they be distinctive, memorable, and clear

Rand created a simple logo for Next Inc. The logo was a black cube angeled at 28 degrees with the word Next on the top. It was simple yet powerful and an answer to Steve Jobs’s 10-year 100 million dollar logo problem. According to Jobs, “Any company that wants to have a symbol (for a logo),  will have to “spend 10 years and $100 million” to make the association between the symbol and the company name in the consumer’s mind”.

The solution is to somehow incorporate the company name with the logo design to help the consumers make the connection quicker. This can be messy depending on the name of the company (or acronyms as in the case of IBM). Since consumers interact with so many brands daily, the goal of branding should be to keep things simple and make it easy for the consumers to associate the brand with the company.

Rule 3 - Presentation is Key

The Apple logo fulfills Rand’s second rule of branding. Rather than text, it is a graphical representation of the company’s name. The bite mark on the side was for emphasis. According to the designer Rob Janoff, the bite was added to avoid confusing the Apple logo with a cherry. There is a legend that the Apple logo was somewhat related to Alan Turing’s suicide Apple.

Although this isn’t true, you can see how this would play to Apple’s advantage since the rumors became wildly popular. It’s just as they say, any publicity is good publicity. Rand approached the presentation of the NeXT logo thoughtfully by first using a lowercase “e”  in the text NeXT which was then placed on an angled black cube.

Playing around with the cases accentuated the “eX” which gave the idea of expertise, excellence, exceptional, excitement, or experience on a different level - (Next Level).

Rule 4 - Simplicity is not the goal. It is the by-product of a good idea and modest expectations

The fourth rule of branding is simplicity. In an article titled; “The Less The Better - 4 Ways Simplicity can help your business grow”, i talked about how simplicity can be leveraged to grow a business. You can check out this article for more insights. The value of simplicity extends beyond product design or services. In the age of digital marketing, simplicity is a key factor in consumer conversion. This is most likely due to information overload. So many brands are reaching a wider audience through social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Your brand will therefore be competing for the customer’s attention and one way to stand out from the competition is to keep it simple stupid (KISS). But simplicity can be deceptively difficult to achieve. However, once you get the hang of it, there is bound to be a dramatic shift in your business.

Conclusion

So where do we stand with branding in 2024?  A lot has changed since the days of Paul Rand but the basic rules still apply, howbeit on a grander scale. If you are uncertain how to kickstart your business branding, this article is a great start. The rules are simple, yet effective and practical. Build your brand around your business reputation, Make it memorable and clearly communicate the brand’s idea, Think of how best you can present the brand to your target audience and keep it simple. That’s it.

‍You may also enjoy reading: The Less The Better - 4 Ways Simplicity can help your business grow in 2024