Referring to the logo, this is an identifying element for business, for the product or service. It is the sign that makes the difference between you and your competitor. The logo is the most important tool of visual identity, being the first element which makes the difference between you and your competitor.
When you create a logo for the business, you do not develop a Brand, at that moment you only create a symbol, a component of the visual identity.
Yes, visual identity and branding are closely linked. Through the visual we imprint ourselves as an image, through branding we imprint ourselves as an emotion.
Branding is not the message you communicate about yourself, but the message the public communicates about you.
Branding builds loyalty.