Light in brand logos: function – emotion – branding
Illuminated logos are an increasingly common sight. We believe that’s no accident, because the use of light in logos can have functional benefits as well as creating emotional and aesthetic effects. Three illuminated logos that we have developed with and for our customers demonstrate this perfectly …
Like the glowing apple – the icon of illuminated product logos – that adorned the MacBook for many years, the BMW M logo is all about showcasing the brand. It contributes to the particular aesthetics of the product and strengthens the emotional perception of the brand. As with Apple, it lights up discreetly to welcome users, purely for their enjoyment and with no other specific function. Yet it’s often these supposedly little things that make customers love a brand’s products.
Aside from these subtle beneficial effects, a light-up brand logo can also have other, more practical functions. One example is the illuminated BWT logo, which is activated by a proximity sensor in the AQA perla 4.0 water softening unit; when the light is blue, it indicates the device is working properly. If the logo turns yellow, it tells the user that action needs to be taken, while red indicates a fault if the device has stopped working properly. This is a simple but very useful function to assist communication between user and product, all made possible by an illuminated logo with no other components required. In a similar way to BWT, Daikin uses a crescent-shaped light module called the “Daikin Eye” in its Altherma 3 series of heating and air-conditioning units.
Needless to say, so much more is possible. The multitude of colours produced by modern RGB LEDs combined with simple, dynamic light scenarios such as flashing or pulsing allows more extensive feedback functions to be integrated into brand logos. As a result, an illuminated logo can make products easier and more intuitive to use. The beauty of it is that there is no either–or: function, aesthetics, emotion and branding are not mutually exclusive. In fact, the opposite is true: through light, they can all come into play simultaneously. Our lighting modules for small areas are an option here. To find out more, click here.
