Marketing to Women: Why Chinese Love Logos

One of the most interesting articles I read this week was Why the Chinese Love Logos.  Trust me, it has something to do with marketing and branding.  The Chinese are hardwired to appreciate the strength of a logo because it is basic to their thought process because they read in pictures, ideograms.  Each Chinese character originally was a picture.

In today’s world, a logo creates the visual vocabulary for brands.  Logos are ideograms because they carry more message with them that just the image.  A logo is a visual shortcut that should engender all the properties and associations of the brand.  Take all the great logos that communicate more than just a name – Nike, Mercedes, Apple, Coca Cola, Starbucks, McDonald’s, Target, Ralph Lauren, Chanel  – and you will see that they share some common elements.

Milton Glaser, the legendary graphic designer, says that four things make for a great logo:  uniqueness, adaptable in various mediums, appropriate to the brand, and a timeless nature. A great logo is a communication game so above all else a logo must be memorable!   And usually that means it must be simple.  Logos can change over time.  That’s why Betty Crocker is younger looking now and even the Pillsbury doughboy has lost a few pounds.  Your logo is not your brand, but it is the flag you wave.  Logos that appeal to women typically appeal to everyone.

Here’s an interesting comparison of a timeless logo.