I recently came across a great blog post via Pinterest written by Angela Pointon on The Modern Tog titled “The Surprising Truth About Your Photography Logo”. The comments were closed, so I decided to voice my opinion here.

So, here I go getting on my Pantone 393 painted soap box….

Let me first state that I agree with 99% of this well-written post about all the elements that make up your “brand”, a word that has been overused a lot recently. In fact, the first page of the worksheets I give to my clients quotes Seth Godin, “A logo is not a brand.” Angela makes a great point that your brand as a whole, is made up of many small parts, the most important of which, is your work. But the title of the post almost suggests that investing in your logo is some sort of a trick.

While I would never be naive enough to think that a photography client would choose a photographer based solely on their logo, I do take a little umbrage with Angela’s statement that a logo is on a “teeny tiny piece of your brand.”. I have to disagree! I think your logo is very important and might be one of the most important aspects right after your work and your own lovely personality, of course. Why? Because your logo should be a reflection of you. If it’s only a teeny tiny part of your brand, then just type it out in Times New Roman and call it a day! But to me, and yes I am biased, your identity should be one of the first impressions to your business and your style. A potential client should get an idea of your taste, attention to detail and most importantly, your professionalism. I know not everyone can afford to invest in their branding the way they’d like to – but I don’t want to devalue the fact that a well done logo and identity can be a powerful tool in your brand arsenal. It might not be as important as the way you talk with your clients, but it will certainly help you start that conversation. Maybe the real surprising truth about your photography logo is the innate effect it has on your confidence. Sending people to your site, handing over your card, updating your FB page – all the little aspects in which you connect with your clients made more powerful by your confidence in your business. There is nothing I love more than hearing a client say, “You get me. I can’t wait to put this on my site, cards, contracts, right bicep” (ok, I made that part up – no one has gotten a tattoo of my work – yet.

Just sayin’.