Sometimes ago i wrote an article title "Can Your Logo Be in Black And White,” i got some positive other people's point of view but some are asking.
What is logo?

Logo can be define as a symbol or mark that represent your brand, when people see logo of a bitten apple you know the company that represent or a swoosh mark your mind goes to Nike.

Logo is a symbol or mark of a brand, can we say logo is branding? No logo is not branding, logo happens to be an elements of branding, let say logo is your brand symbol or mark; it is what people will see anywhere and know that is your brand.
So what is branding?

Branding has been around since 350 A.D and is derived from the word “Brandr,” meaning “to burn” in Ancient Norse language. By the 1500s, it had come to mean the mark that ranchers burned on cattle to signify ownership—a precursor of the modern logo.

Branding today is so much more than just a look or a logo. It has come to signify the emotional “gut feeling” reaction a company can elicit from its customers.

Your brand is the set of perceptions people have about your company. However, branding is the set of actions you take to cultivate that brand.
In other words, your brand is a noun, but branding is a verb. Logo design is branding. Develop your brand voice is branding. Brainstorming with your marketing team on an ad campaign is branding. Any action you take to shape your brand is branding.

Why does company need a logo?

A brand without a logo cannot differentiate itself from other brands. Brand logo is a symbol or mark and if there is no symbol or mark, your difference will not be clear like the old days seven up clichés.

Logo design should not be rigid because some of the most popular brand like Apple Computer has done some logo modifications and transformations over the years.

A logo that was design before the advent of internet may not be applicable with the types of media that is available now.

ADVANTAGES OF A NEW PROFESSIONAL LOGO

Gain New Customers
People remember you
Increase in brand value
A Great First Impression
Communicates your brand essence
Stand out from the Competition
(Source The branding bible by designmatic.com)

I cannot exhaust the reasons why a brand needs a logo, brand and logo works together in branding.
Many brands faces the problem of what is a standard logo, they are criteria’s that a logo must met before we can say this is a very good logo.
Your logo designer should understand your brand color, channels that the logo will be apply to, your audience (customers) and remember to avoid trends because a trendy logo design, hardly stay long overtime.

According to 99design.com there, seven types of logo.

1. Lettermarks
2. Wordmarks
3. Pictorial marks
4. Abstract marks
5. Mascots
6. Combination marks
7. Emblems

Whatever the type of logo you have or planning to have, the most important thing is to remember that logo is not branding, but and element of branding, and you need logo to differentiate your brand amongst your competitors and make sure that your logo is SMART which Simple - Memorable - Appropriate - Resizable - Timeless (source logogeek.uk).

Thank You