Consumers look at thousands of ads a day. It’s important for each brand to stand out and be recognizable to the consumer. A great logo design is one way a brand can become memorable and recognizable. Some brands are so recognizable they can even be identified by only part of the logo.  Can you recognize these logos? Click on the logos below to reveal the brand.

Another important aspect of brand recognition is in the name. Many brand names have become household words. For instance, that cotton stick you put in your ear every morning is not called a Q-Tip, it’s actually called a cotton swab. The Q-Tip brand has become so powerful that many consumers use the brand name for all cotton swabs. There are a few other brands that have this powerful branding.

How many times has someone asked you for a Kleenex instead of a facial tissue or a Post-It Note instead of a sticky note? A brand name MANY consumers use as a product name is Coke.  “We need some Coke’s for our party, so get Dr. Pepper and Sprite."  In many parts of the country, Coke has become a ‘nickname’ for carbonated beverages.

Some other brands that are misused as the product name are Band-Aid (adhesive bandages), Xerox (photocopy), Tylenol (pain reliever), Vaseline (petroleum jelly), Chapstick (lip balm), and Velcro (hook-and-loop fasteners).