How important are symbols like company logos? Do they have meaning? 

Martin Luther King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial.  President Lincoln and the Lincoln Memorial represent freedom and justice for all. They are in alignment with Dr. King's Why as a leader of the civil rights movement. That’s powerful.

The flag is a symbol. We follow the flag into battle. We plant the flag on the moon. The flag symbolizes freedom, justice, and equality. The flag stirs nationalism and a deep feeling of belonging to something greater than ourselves.

Symbols help us make tangible that which is intangible. Symbols have meaning because we infuse them with meaning. The meaning lives on in our minds and hearts. When the purpose, cause or belief behind a symbol is clear, it can command great power.

Many companies have logos, but few convert them into meaningful symbols. The reason is simple. They are poor at communicating what they believe, their why for being in business. Their logos may serve as icons to identify the company, but that’s very different from being an emotionally charged symbol.

To say that a logo stands for quality, service and integrity just reinforces its status as a logo. These qualities are about the company and not about the cause.

Harley Davidson’s bar and shield has become a symbol of freedom, the spirit of the open road, an alternative to mainstream sensibilities, a fantasy, and a way of life. Harley Davidson represents adventure, independence, individuality and living life with all your senses. The essence of the Harley lifestyle is to dress up in black leather and ride your Harley to the horizon, commanding the world to see you as an outlaw instead of the mild-mannered citizen you are the rest of the week.

Everything Harley says and does supports its why.  It's why filters through the company and comes to life in everything that comes out of it.  Because of Harley's clarity, discipline, and consistency, we can feel what its logo means.

It’s not the company that determines a logo's meaning. It’s you and me, as outsiders. It’s the marketplace. We decide based on what we see and hear. When we can clearly and consistently tell you what a company believes, only then does its logo start to have meaning and develop a persona of its own. 

When that happens, people buy our products and services because of what it says about them.  We only need to compete with ourselves to be the best we can be and to deliver the best product or service possible consistent with our Why for being in business.