A logo is a mark. A brand is a feeling people can describe. Too many founders start with a logo and work backwards, and it shows — a pretty mark with no point of view behind it.
Branding starts with strategy: who you are for, what you stand against, and the one thing you want people to remember. Only then does the visual system earn its place.
In this piece I walk through the order I use with every startup — positioning, voice, then identity — and why skipping the first two is the most expensive mistake a young company can make.