A logo is a signature, not a story
The mark identifies. The system explains.
The mark identifies, the system explains
Designers overload logos because they are asked to carry meaning the rest of the identity should carry. A colour, a typeface, a photographic approach and a tone of voice can all do work the mark cannot.
Test at sixteen pixels
Print the mark at the size of a favicon. If it survives, it is a signature. If it needs explanation at that size, it is an illustration wearing a logo's job.
Signatures are learned, not explained
No one decoded the Nike mark on first sight. Recognition is built by repetition across a system, which is why the system, not the mark, is the deliverable.
The mark identifies. The system explains. Do not ask one to do the other's job.
Reduce a logo you admire to 16 pixels wide, then redraw it from memory at 200mm. What you remember is the actual mark.