TYPE4: "designing branding identity" thoughts

Browsing through the "designing brand identity" book was pretty wicked- I was doused with a giant pile of 90's logos. But besides that, it was interesting to see how the branding process works. I feel like I'm having trouble getting my project on a roll, and I think that this has helped- "the brain acknowledges and remembers shapes first. ... Since a distinctive shape makes a faster imprint on memory, the importance of designing a distinctive shape is imperative in identity design." Then it goes on to say how color is second in the sequence of memory. It's making me re-thing our very type-heavy logo that we're currently working with... Also, on page 19, it talked about meaning in a brand, how in a logo, meaning is distilled, assigned, builds consensus, and evolves over time. The brand is the pure embodiment of the company or whatever it represents, yet the meaning behind a brand is never understood immediately- it has to be explained, nurtured, and communicated. Also, brands enable decision makers to agree on important concepts for the company, since it always needs to relate back to what the brand is saying. I'm glad my group started off developing our logo, so we can use it as a jumping-off point for actual materials, making sure they are speaking the same language.