The logo doesn't make the merchandise

A logo is important. It identifies the brand, creates recognition and gives a product a connection to the company behind it.

But a logo alone doesn't make merchandise premium.

You could take the exact same logo and put it on two completely different products. One could feel thoughtful, desirable and genuinely useful. The other could feel cheap, generic and forgettable.

The logo hasn't changed. Everything around it has.

That's why the starting point for great merchandise shouldn't be the logo. It should be the product.

Beyond the logo

There are a lot of decisions that go into making a product feel right for a brand. Including, but not limited to:

Material

• How does it feel when someone picks it up or wears it? 

• Does the quality reflect the brand?

Colour

• Does it feel considered? 

• Does it work with the wider brand identity without simply defaulting to the brand's primary colour?

Form

• Is the shape, size or silhouette something people would actually want to use?

Function

• Does it solve a problem or add something useful to someone's day?

Branding 

• Is the logo being applied in a way that complements the product, rather than taking it over?

Packaging 

• What happens when the recipient first receives it? 

• Does the experience start before they even see the product?

None of these decisions exists in isolation.

A beautiful product with poor packaging can lose some of its impact. A great garment with oversized branding can become something people don't want to wear. A perfectly branded product that isn't useful will probably end up sitting in a drawer.

The details work together to shape how the product and ultimately the brand is perceived.

The product has to earn its place too

The best merchandise doesn't rely on the logo to make someone want it.

Think about the products you already use every day. Your favourite water bottle. The jacket you always reach for. The notebook you keep on your desk. The bag you take everywhere.

You probably chose those things because you liked the product first.

Branded merchandise should work in much the same way.

The recipient should want the product because it's well designed, useful, comfortable or simply something they like. The branding should then add another layer of meaning.

That is a much stronger relationship between product and brand than simply putting a logo on something and calling it merchandise.

Branding should enhance, not compensate

There is a temptation to think that more branding means more brand visibility.

But visibility isn't necessarily the same as impact.

A large logo on an average product may get noticed once. A beautifully considered product that someone uses every day can create hundreds of brand impressions without ever feeling like advertising.

That's the difference between putting a logo on something and creating something for your brand.

The product should have value without the logo.

The branding should make that product feel like it belongs to you.

Because great merchandise isn't a logo applied to a product. It's a product thoughtfully chosen, designed and branded to represent your brand.

Need help finding the right product for your brand?

At High End Merch, we curate merchandise around your brand, your audience and the experience you want to create,  not simply around where we can put your logo.

Get in touch with our team to start building merchandise people will actually want to receive.