A recent study of logo memory was released by the Taylor & Francis Group. Conducted at the University of California, the results are quite surprising!
Last February the Taylor & Francis Group published a study on logo recognition. Eighty five undergraduate students at the University of California in Los Angelas were asked to participate in two simple tests. The purpose was to examine recall and recognition of a simple, widely known logo. In this case, the Apple logo. The goal was to measure if someone’s confidence in their memory matched their actual memory performance.
The participants were noted as Apple users, PC users, and mixed. The results did not differ between the groups. Sixty-eight of the eighty-five participants were female. Let’s see how well their logo memory was.
Logo Memory Experiment Test 1
For the first test, participants were asked, on a scale of 1 to 10, how confident they were that they could draw the Apple logo by hand. Then they were tasked with drawing the logo. Their drawings were measured on a fourteen point scale.
Out of eighty five participants, only one person scored the highest fourteen on their drawing (see Figure 1). This person noted a confidence level of seven.
Logo Memory Experiment Test 2
Participants were then asked to rate their confidence that they could pick the correct Apple logo from a list of eight. These eight Apple logos had altered features, such as change in orientation of the apple bite or leaf. Multiple lists were made with the correct logo shuffled about so it was in a different place on the page.
Findings show that Apple users had only a very slight advantage in finding the logo over PC and mixed users. It was not significant. Over all less than half of the students (47%) were able to accurately select the correct Apple logo from the list.
Reaction as a Logo Designer
I am surprised at the findings. The Apple logo is commonly touted as one of the most recognizable logo designs in the world. It’s minimal and clean, which would indicate it would be easy to remember. Based on this study I would say it’s too featureless, almost forgettable. But it’s an isolated group at one location. I would be very interested to see a similar study done across multiple campuses. Maybe double the group to two hundred participants.
It’s worth noting that the Apple headquarters, at 1 Infinite Loop in Cupertino, CA, is only 341 miles from the University of California. It’s a five hour drive according to Google Maps. Between that proximity and the popularity of Apple products among college age users, I would expect better results.
Researchers concluded that even though we are exposed to Apple’s logo through a variety of media, it doesn’t “reliably affect memory.” I’m curious about the time of day the study was taken, and the majors of the participants. Was it conducted early in the morning or late at day? What classes were scheduled that students would be out? Those factors may affect the outcome of students logo memory.
Brand recognition is supposed to be vital in logo design. If your logo and brand is more recognizable to customers, it will gain more trust and their business. At least that’s the idea. Doesn’t seem to be the case according to this study. Apple is one of the most successful companies on the market today, yet more than half of the participants couldn’t draw their simple logo or pick it correctly from a chart.
That’s a little bit worrying, but it was also a relatively small sample group in one area. I would hope a larger pool and varying locations would yield better logo memory results. With what I’ve seen and experienced as a graphic designer, I’m suspicious that it would.