When a brand takes on a new space, or rebrands they have a tendency to go over the top.

Never mind splashing their brand colours on every wall, their logo also seems to appear everywhere; including signage.

From the wayfinding directories, to the toilet signage and even onto safety signage. Plastering the logo onto every surface is often viewed as ‘branding’.

Initially, the approach appears to work. It’s consistent. It’s polished. Yet, look a little closer and something will feel off.

Think about it like this…

You’ve walked through the lobby, you’ve made your way to the 8th floor and you’re in the beating heart of the finance department. Does the sign on the door to the toilets really need to have the company logo on it? You know, the one you’ve seen for the 50th time by 10am.

In reality all this becomes is visual noise. The key information the signage is trying to communicate is lost underneath the branding. People start to ignore the signs entirely, no matter how important their message is.

You see, the brand team has fallen into a common trap; confusing consistent branding with constant branding.

In high-traffic, busy environments signage needs to be read in seconds. Logos have their place in the right places, but aren’t necessary all the time. To make matters worse, they can cause distraction, confusion and delay for users.

Put simply:

• Repetition doesn’t always lead to recognition, it can just be clutter.
• Every second counts, especially in fast moving or pressurised environments.
• Signage should always put function over branding.

So where should logos be used?

• Key entrances
• Transition points
• Brand moments

Do this, and leave functional signage to be clean, purposeful and easy to understand at a glance.

It’s about balance. Use branding intentionally. Not relentlessly.

Because when signage works, communication is seamless.

When a space communicates, the brand experience is memorable.

Even if the logo isn’t plastered on every possible surface.