Why Gen Z Doesn’t Care About Your Logo (And What They Care About Instead)

By: Jessica O’Donnell 

Spoiler alert: it’s not your new font or that reimagined colour palette.

We’re living in the age of the “de-influencer,” where trending content often involves creators telling you what not to buy, and consumers reward brands that act more like people than polished institutions. For Gen Z, a slick logo doesn’t mean much if the brand behind it doesn’t stand for something real.

Gen Z is reshaping the rules of brand strategy. They care less about how your brand looks and more about how it behaves – what you believe, how you treat people, and whether your actions back it all up. For businesses, that means shifting from image-first branding to values-driven strategy.

Let’s Talk About Trust (and TikTok)
According to a 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer study, Gen Z has the lowest trust in institutions of any generation – and the highest expectations. They’re not interested in perfectly curated brand campaigns. They want transparency, consistency, and a real sense of purpose – whether from the brands they buy from or the organizations they work for.

That’s part of why social-first brands like Glossier, Knix, and Oatly have built such loyal followings. They’ve made people feel like insiders, like they are part of something. Whether it’s through crowdsourced product feedback, radically transparent messaging, or meme-worthy content that doesn’t feel like targeted marketing, these brands create a sense of shared identity, not just brand awareness.

Even legacy brands are learning: look at Duolingo (one of my favourite examples). Their hilarious, slightly unhinged owl mascot has become a TikTok icon. Their posts rarely mention the app. Instead, they participate in culture, show personality, and reinforce what they’re really about – making language learning accessible and fun.

So, What Should Brands Do Instead?

Here’s the thing: this isn’t a marketing challenge – it’s a business strategy opportunity. Leaders need to make sure their brand is grounded in a strong, consistent foundation: purpose, values, and behaviours that show up across every touchpoint – from your social feeds to your hiring practices.

If you’re spending more time debating the shape of a new logo than clarifying what your brand stands for, you’re probably focusing on the wrong thing.

Zoom out before you zoom in. Before refreshing your visual identity or launching a new campaign, take a moment to ground yourself in purpose:

• Why do we exist – what impact are we here to make?
• What values drive us, and how do they show up in our work every day?
• What makes us truly different, not just in what we do, but in what we believe?
• What do we want people to feel when they interact with our brand?

This isn’t just a creative exercise – it’s a strategic one. When your brand is anchored in a clear purpose and authentic values, it becomes more than a look or a tagline. It becomes a north star. That kind of clarity builds alignment across teams, earns the trust of consumers, and gives your brand staying power. You won’t need to chase trends because you’ll already know where you’re going, and why.

Ready to build a brand that goes deeper than design?
Click here to learn how MacPhie can help you create a purpose-driven brand strategy that’s built to last.