How to Think Like a Brand Strategist When Choosing Your Logo

Your brand’s visual identity is more than just decoration – it’s communication. It’s the first conversation you have with your audience. Before they read a word, people make judgments based on your logo, colours, and fonts. These aren’t just aesthetic choices – they’re strategic tools that shape perception, build trust, and make your brand memorable.

From the logo you choose to the fonts and colours you use, each element works together to express your brand’s values, tone, and personality. But how do you make the right choices? What makes a logo timeless, a palette memorable, or a font truly “on-brand”?

Let’s break down what to consider for each visual element – not just how they look, but how they work.

1. Logo: The Face of Your Brand

Your logo is often the first thing people associate with your business. It should be simple, versatile, and rooted in meaning.

Ask yourself: If my brand were a person, what kind of first impression would it make – and does my logo reflect that?

Consider:

• Clarity & Simplicity: Can it be recognized at a glance? Does it work in black and white, or when scaled down?
• Symbolism: Does it reflect your brand’s values, industry, or story?
• Timelessness: Will it age well, or does it rely too heavily on design trends?
• Structure: Is the form balanced? Are line weights consistent and harmonious?
• Adaptability: Can it work across print, digital, merch, and social icons?

Pro tip: A logo doesn’t have to “explain” your brand. It just needs to feel unmistakably like you. Think of the Nike swoosh — it doesn’t explain the brand, but it evokes movement and confidence instantly.

2. Colour Palette: Your Brand’s Moodboard in a Glance

Studies show that colour influences up to 85% of purchasing decisions. Your palette isn’t just a moodboard – it’s a psychological signal.

Colour sets the emotional tone before a single word is read. It can evoke warmth, professionalism, energy, or calm – depending on your choices.

Consider:

• Psychology: What do your colours evoke? Red signals energy and passion; blue builds trust; black feels bold and refined.
• Contrast & Accessibility: Do your colours work well together? Are they legible across mediums and backgrounds?
• Balance: Do you have a good mix of primary, secondary, and accent colours?
• Usage Flexibility: Can the palette expand or simplify depending on context?
• Cultural Relevance: Do your colours have cultural meaning in your target audience’s context?

Pro tip: Choose a dominant base, a strong accent, and 2–3 neutrals for grounding.

3. Fonts: The Voice of Your Brand in Visual Form

Typefaces carry tone. They can be loud or soft, classic or modern, approachable or authoritative – so choose wisely. Ask yourself: If my brand could speak, would it whisper, talk, or shout – and does my typography reflect that tone?

Consider:

• Legibility: Is it readable across sizes and platforms?
• Tone: Does the font feel aligned with your brand’s personality — playful, refined, serious, quirky?
• Pairing: Do your heading and body fonts complement each other without competing?
• Weight Variety: Does the font family come in enough weights for design flexibility?
• Uniqueness: Does it stand out, or is it too generic?

Pro tip: Don’t chase trends. Choose fonts that echo your brand’s character – and that you won’t regret seeing a thousand times.

 

Case Study: Designing a Sophisticated, Cross-Cultural Identity for 27ºW

Background

When the founders approached us to suggest a name and brand identity for their brand new restaurant, we had a clean slate to start from. Located in the heart of Orchard Road, the restaurant set out to become more than just another Indian restaurant in Singapore’s dynamic dining scene. The goal? To build a premium, cosmopolitan brand rooted in Indian heritage – but elevated for a global, design-conscious audience.

1. Logo: A Contemporary Mark for a Crossroads Concept

The name “27ºW” is derived from the longitudinal line connecting India and Singapore – a subtle yet powerful symbol of the restaurant’s vision: to fuse tradition with modernity, culture with creativity.

Design Approach:

• Simplicity & Symbolism: The logomark combines typographic elegance with subtle geographic cues, positioning the brand as both refined and meaningful.
• Timeless Structure: The form is sleek and balanced — easily adaptable across applications, from signage and menus to digital platforms.
• Brand Fit: While not overtly “ethnic,” the logo evokes movement and global connection, reflecting the culinary journey the brand promises.

2. Colour Palette: A Subtle Nod to Heritage

When developing the colour palette for “27ºW,” the goal was to transcend the conventional. Instead of opting for the vibrant, often saturated hues typically associated with traditional Indian aesthetics, we chose a modern palette. This approach allowed us to subtly acknowledge the brand’s Indian roots without being overtly literal.

The selected colours were designed to evoke a sense of sophistication and global appeal, aligning with the brand’s premium positioning and its international audience in Singapore. 

Strategic Considerations:

• Emotion & Mood: The palette balances heritage and sophistication, making the brand approachable yet elevated.
• Flexibility: The colours work beautifully across textured menus, dimly lit interiors, and mobile screens.
• Cultural Sensitivity: By reinterpreting Indian motifs through a contemporary lens, the palette resonates with both local diners and international guests.

This wasn’t about using “Indian colours” — it was about expressing Indian sensibility through design restraint.

3. Typography: Elegant, Global, and Unmistakably Refined

27ºW’s fonts were chosen to express modern luxury with a cosmopolitan edge. A contemporary serif conveys culinary sophistication, while a geometric sans-serif balances legibility and minimalism.

Why It Works:

• Tone Matching: The serif adds a touch of formality; the sans-serif keeps the brand grounded and global.
• Hierarchy: Carefully planned font pairing ensures clarity across menus, website headers, and printed collateral.
• Uniqueness: The typography choices feel distinct from other Indian restaurants, immediately elevating the brand experience.

Outcome: A Brand That Invites Curiosity and Leaves a Lasting Impression

27ºW now stands as a visual and experiential outlier – in the best way. Its brand identity doesn’t rely on tropes or clichés. Instead, it tells a subtle story through every design decision: modern Indian cuisine, globally reimagined.

The result is a restaurant that feels instantly premium, quietly confident, and utterly unforgettable – from its signboard to the final course.

 

How to approach a new logo

Here are key strategic pointers to guide your thinking when developing a new logo — whether you’re building a brand from scratch or refreshing an existing one:

1. Start with Strategy, Not Style

Before you touch visuals, ask:

• What does the brand stand for?
• Who is it speaking to?
• What emotions or values should it evoke?

Your logo should be a visual distillation of your brand’s essence – not just what you do, but how you want to be perceived.

2. Consider the Brand Archetype or Personality

Is the brand a wise advisor, a bold innovator, a playful disruptor, or a calm caregiver?

Logos convey tone — so define the personality first, then ensure the shape, structure, and typography align with it.

3. Simplicity is Power

A great logo is clear, memorable, and works at a glance. Avoid complexity, unnecessary details, or trying to “say too much.”

• Can someone sketch it from memory?
• Does it hold up at 16px on a browser tab?
  If yes, you’re on the right track.

4. Design for Versatility

Your logo needs to live in many places:

• On your website, app icon, packaging, email signature, merch, etc.
• In color, black and white, large and small.

5. Look for Meaning, Not Literalism

Your logo doesn’t need to show what you do — it should feel like who you are.

Think of Apple: it’s not a computer or a phone, it’s a bite-sized idea of simplicity and creativity.

6. Balance Uniqueness with Timelessness

Trendy logos can age fast. Try to:

• Avoid overused motifs in your category
• Focus on design fundamentals: balance, proportion, contrast
• Choose elements that feel fresh and enduring

7. Test with Context and Real Use

Mock it up on a business card, mobile screen, or Instagram profile.

A logo that looks good in isolation might fall apart in application.

8. Make It Ownable

Do a visual landscape scan. If your logo looks like everyone else’s in your category, it’s time to rethink.

Your logo should be unmistakably you – even in a sea of competitors.

 

Final Thoughts

Design isn’t just aesthetic — it’s strategic.
Every colour, curve, and character you choose shapes how your audience sees you — and how they remember you. Make sure your visual identity doesn’t just look good, but says something meaningful.

Your logo, colour palette, and font should each work hard to reflect who you are, resonate with your audience, and remain functional across all touchpoints.

Whether you’re building a brand from scratch or refreshing an existing one, these decisions form the foundation of how people will see — and remember — you.

Design isn’t decoration. It’s identity.

If you are looking for a brand new logo, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s Talk!