BRANDING - THE EFYA WAY

Ghana music is bursting at its seams with a variety of genres—hip life, rap, neosoul, Afropop, Twipop, you name it, Ghana's got it. In an age where social media is aiding the advancement of music, it is very easy to become overburdened with all of the music that is being released. Many Ghanaian artists are known for their type of music or their unique name or sound. It is safe to say that Sarkodie is known for his phrase, “ One time for your mind and associated with the Azonto dance. Dr Cryme is known for his phrase ,”You don't need to be told.” You get the point. But how many artists in Ghana are known for their logo—how many musicians in Ghana have logos??? When it comes to branding, logos are key. When you think of Nike you think of the Nike Swoosh. When you think of Adidas, you think of the three pointed logo, when you think of Kellogg's cereal, you think of the k in cursive. When you think of iMacs and iPhones, you think of the apple logo. But when you think of Ghanaian musicians, what logo comes to mind?? Nothing, because Ghanaian musicians have not successfully branded themselves. When you think of fashion designer Mina Evans, you can imagine her logo, the big “M”; when you think of Vodafone, you think of the color red;and you think of yellow when you hear any mention of MTN. I'm sure Globacom Ghana will expand on their branding campaign soon too. But what logo or vision comes to mind when you think of Ghanaian musicians? NOTHING, therefore, suffice it to say that musicians are not doing enough branding. However, one musician is onto something, and that musician is EFYA.

Efya, the beautiful Afro-Eclectic African Soulstress, has a new logo. Look at it below:

When you look at this logo, it is very simplistic. But the more you look at it, the more complicated it becomes. Her new logo is almost like an optical illusion—the more you know, the more you see. When I first look at her logo, I see her name, Efya. That's what I see. Then I see a face , like two eyes and a nose,does anyone else see that? Next, I see musical notes. Having played the violin for over 10 years, I see musical notes in her logo. Both symbols could easily represent the musical note “A” if you place it upon a music scale. Is that symbolic- 2 A's? Maybe it stands for Africa, or Africana, or Accra. This logo Efya has adopted is quite intriguing!! What is even more intriguing is the fact that there are two symbols, right? But the second symbol is simply the first symbol flipped over, and rotated to the right. The second symbol is merely a reflection of the first symbol.

How is it that one symbol has so many meanings? It is miraculous, isn't it? What it is is simply one thing: branding. At the end of the day, the symbol/logo represents her. EFYA is an artist who is always evolving and unpredictable. One day her hair is short, the next it's long, one day she's in a ball gown, the next day she is in something edgy. EFYA, and her music, like her logo, can not easily be defined. Just like her music, her logo has different meanings to different people. Just like her music, her logo is simple yet complex. Just like her music, her logo is timeless. Just like her music, her logo has many meanings. Just like her music, her logo can not be taken at face value. There is an enormous amount of talent in Ghana, and the designer behind this logo deserves an international round of applause for creating a logo which cleverly represents Efya—branding at its finest. Everyone ,especially musicians, needs to take notice.