As much as you’d like to own the idea of your brand, it’s your customers who control the narrative. Your success ultimately depends on your audience’s perception of you – which, given the sheer scope of your audience, can be complex and difficult to manage.

We touched on establishing a brand identity through successful design and reviewed the factors that play a role in conveying the essence of a company. A brand identity system is comprised of logos, colors, images and typography that have a surprisingly powerful effect on consumers’ buying decisions. Perception is realty in this digital, visual age and the logo is where brand promise and perception collide.

Your brand promise is the essence of what your brand stands for and how you operate as an organization. It’s not just the services you offer, the content you produce or the actions that you take. It’s what you believe – and the amount of research that goes into developing and designing a logo that embodies your company’s ideologies is extensive. A quality logo functions as a promise between your brand and those you serve, going well beyond a basic graphic and catchy slogan.

You’re adding to your brand narrative at every moment, and the best brands deliver their promise in every customer interaction. Logo included. A customer begins to develop a set of expectations based on that brand promise, and the effective logo will match the sentiment of these expectations. If a customer has a positive experience with your brand, but other aspects of your identity are not quite on par with your quality service, it’s easy for customers to wonder what other facets of your organization are not established and attended to. And the logo –the embodiment of your brand’s personality and character – may become a trigger for uncertainty each time.

Sage Island had no trouble diving right in when Tom Clifford of Without Limits, a local apparel, event directing and athletic coaching business, came to us for rebranding efforts. At its core, Without Limits represents progress – a dedication to moving forward, working hard and taking everything in stride. With an emphasis on quality and comfort, it was also important that the other pillars of the Without Limits brand –apparel, and event branding and directing – were not only incorporated within the new logo design, but also integrated into the overall aesthetic of the company’s website.



Different colors evoke different emotions. The color red is symbolic of passion, action and energy, while the color blue represents trust and peace. When it came time to develop the Without Limits logo, Sage Island chose green, as it has a deep connection to the Without Limits mission. Green constitutes health and represents growth. The emotion that green conjures – optimism, modernity and connection to mind and body – echo the emotions associated with the Without Limits mission, and add to the overarching brand story.

And while the color choice reinforces and enhances the brand story, it certainly doesn’t define it. Representing progress as both an actionable and unlimited necessity was important and at the heart of the design concept. Simple and straightforward, the Without Limits logo mark represents the mobility and advancement that Without Limits is known for. Its pre-existing signature, Without Limits, plays off the lightened regular and condensed typefaces and strengthens the logo mark. The logo signature strengthens the concept of its mark and the notion of progress, as if to say, “I AM Without Limits.”

In today’s marketplace, you must be identifiable. Distinguishable. Memorable. Sage Island has a professional understanding of how to represent your business visually, and every color and design element has a purpose. Fonts come in all shapes and sizes and matching them with the qualities of your brand is both strategy and art. The importance of this comes into play when you consider the members of your audience who will have their first impressions of you through electronic, print and digital communications, not through witnessing your world-class customer service or product. You’ve got to make the most of every interaction. The company with a professional, cohesive design conveys a feeling of competence and trust.

The best logos personify and enhance your brand’s story. They are unique to your company’s ethos and ultimately inspire the narrative you and your customers will paint together. If you’re looking for ideas on how to capture your brand’s narrative, we’d love to work with you. The Sage Island graphic design team has created a variety of logos and we’re ready to help you brand your promise with perception.

Mike Duncan co-founded Sage Island in 1997, and since then has evolved the agency’s scope to include marketing strategy, creative design, technical development and a wide range of digital marketing services. With an integrated approach that leverages the power and measurability of the internet, the savvy Sage Island team develops strategies, builds brands, writes killer copy and delivers to clients all over the world. And they have an awesome time doing it. Sage’s collaborative working environment keeps creativity and innovation at the heart of the concept. With a 17-year history in Wilmington and beyond, Sage Island shows no signs of slowing down. To learn how Sage Island can grow your business, check us out at www.sageisland.com. To stay updated on the latest in digital marketing, follow Sage Island on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SageIsland, and on Twitter at twitter.com/SageIsland.