Overlapping letters communicate uniqueness: The impact of textual logo design and consumption occasion on product evaluation

As the most visible element of a brand, logo design serves to convey brand values. This work examines whether, how, and why consumers’ product evaluations of brands with overlapping (vs. separated) logos vary depending on the consumption occasion. Drawing upon the metacognition theory, this research proposes that brands using logos with overlapping (vs. separated) letters are perceived as more unique and, thus, result in more favorable consumer responses for special consumption occasions. Study 1 shows that the overlapping (separated) design elicits a higher level of perceived brand uniqueness (comprehensibility). Study 2 finds that a special (everyday) consumption occasion prompts consumers to prefer unique (comprehensible) brands. Study 3 adopts the implicit association test to show the association between an overlapping (separated) design and the concept of specialness (usualness). Moreover, Studies 4 and 5 demonstrate that when products are intended for a special (everyday) occasion, overlapping (separated) logo design results in more favorable product evaluations, which is mediated by perceived brand uniqueness (comprehensibility). The findings add to the logo literature by introducing letter overlapping as a novel design feature and enrich the metacognition and consumption occasion literature. Practical implications of these findings are discussed.