Why your logo shouldn’t just be a symbol without a name.
When I say swoosh or show you a picture of it, you recognize the symbol and know that it’s Nike, even without the name. But that wasn’t always the case. They’ve been doing this for years so you’ve had a long time to know who they are. If you are a new company and you do this from the beginning you don’t get the brand or name recognition. People see a cool symbol. Most people won’t ask what it is, especially if you are wearing it (most people are shy!). So how will they ever know how to look you up and find out more info? How will they know more about your product and where to find it.
You don’t always have to have a symbol or icon in your logo. You can also just have a word mark (your business name — an essential part of who you are). If you get famous or your company is in business for several years, you too can drop the name and just be known as “the artist formally known as Price” if you want to be. But for now, you aren’t there. If you want to get to Lululemon, Nike or Prince status, you first have to build your brand and your following.
Your logo can’t just be cool, it also has to be known as you.