Favicon, Logo, or Brand?

Hi my wonderful and helpful WA family,

I seem to be rather confused by the three terms in the title of this post. I've tried looking them up; but it seems to confuse me more.

I know that favicon is short for favorite icon; and I know that icons must be a very simple design. I know they should be 16 x 16 pixels in size; but I was not able to understand much else about them. Do I really need a favicon for my site? What exactly does it do?

I think I need a logo; and I have been looking into that. I found an article that gave me 14 reasons I need a logo. Here they are:

To look “bigger” and “established.”

To increase your chance of earning venture capital or of selling a business

To increase your chance of earning venture capital or of selling a business

To brand yourself

To convey that you are reputable

To give clients a sense of stability

To be more memorable

To explain your company name.

To endear your company name to your clients

To explain an unusual line of business

To differentiate you from your competition

To stand out in your field

To comply with expectations

To show your commitment

These benefits will boost your business and your confidence, so consider developing a logo and identity as soon as possible.

Read more here:

https://www.allbusiness.com/14-reasons-you-need-a-...

I'm convinced I need a logo; so I'm on an active search for something I like.

My questions are: Do I really need a favicon? Does my logo need to explain my current site, or should it be something I can use for future sites? Is a logo the same as a brand, or can your logo be your brand?

I found this information about brands:

The objectives that a good brand will achieve include:

• Clearly, delivers the message
• Confirms your credibility
• Emotionally connects your target prospects with your product and or service.
• Motivates the buyer to buy
• Creates User Loyalty

Read more here:

https://www.thebalance.com/why-is-branding-importa...

All good reasons to want a brand, too. But the terms logo and brand blur in my mind and add to my confusion.

So dear readers, do I want a logo, or a brand, or could they be one in the same?

I know that many of you already have one, or perhaps all three of these on your site; so your knowledge of them is far beyond mine. That is why I am asking my WA family; who holds a wealth of knowledge that I would like to tap to better understand these three illusive terms.

Remember, if you have the answers, please put them in "logo for dummies" terms; because if you make it too complicated I will become even more confused; possibly leading to me despairing of ever understanding these terms. Lol.

Thank you for your time. Help me in comments, if you have a clear understanding of these terms.

I hope you have a wonderful and productive week.!

At your service,

Jeannie