Once upon a logo
Your logo will probably be the first interaction the general public will have with you. It should show that you deliver a quality service and visually convey your purpose. A logo communicates ownership, quality and values. Its goal is to be imprinted in the hearts and minds of your clients.
Why does your business need a logo?
For people with no prior knowledge or experience with your brand, a logo communicates that you do great work, it tells potential clients who you are, what you do and how that benefits them.
Have you ever chosen one company over another because they look more credible? If your logo looks unprofessional people will begin to question your reliability in delivering your products or services. Simply put, poor designs make people leave.
Try to create a logo that stands out to your audience. It will guarantee that positive associations are made with your brand.
The story of a logo
“People often come to me, and they’ll say; ‘Oh, I want something like the Nike swoosh’. They think that the Nike swoosh was the Nike swoosh the day it was drawn. But it was nothing the day it was drawn. The company that birthed Nike commissioned a design student, named Carolyn Davidson, to bring some ideas. The Nike founders didn’t really like them. They sort of said; “We’ll use that one”.
It wasn’t an overnight success until they started putting it on the sides of shoes. The shoes were good, and then the genius of Nike’s marketing apparatus made us further associate that product not merely with athletic performance gear, but with the very idea of athletic achievement itself.
That’s how over a long time a little mark means something big. And that’s precisely how religious symbols work. It’s obviously not just anything inherent in the shapes, but it’s about what those shapes have come to represent in the minds of the people who are looking at them.”
- Michael Bierut - celebrated US graphic designer
Download the poster of all the Nikes taglines over the years below.
How do you create a good logo?
Small companies don’t have the years of investment in their brand recognition that larger brands have. Nor do they have a bottomless marketing budget to help clients understand what they do.
A small business logo needs to be simple and easy to interpret. This helps quickly connect with an audience. A clear logo is effective at any size and works across different media platforms. There’s a lot to consider when building a logo for your brand. However, for any business an effective logo only needs three things: a compelling visual element, awesome typography and simple colours.
1. Use a simple but memorable element
72% of the best brand names are made up of words or acronyms, those words create an image in a person’s mind and that image is how the brand would be defined from then on. The same can be done with symbols, icons and graphic elements.
It takes 10seconds for someone to memorise a logo and form an opinion about it. Visual elements add interest and, in time, make your logo more memorable.
Some designers make sure all the artwork is original by modifying the text or adding an illustrated icon (which can be used on its own as well). With consistent use a visual association will develop.
2. Don’t be shy with colour, but be wise
Colour trigger emotions, gives meaning and has the power to steer purchasing decisions. To choose the right colour you need to carefully examine your target market and your industry. Certain industries stick with certain colours.
Pick a colour palette based on what you would like your audience to feel and how you would like them to react .Take time to understand colour psychology to better your chances at choosing colours that will best appeal to your brand.
3. Represent your values with typography
The choice of typefaces is as important as colour, images or graphics in creating a logo and brand. People associate the way a word looks with what the word actually says to figure out how they feel.
Typography should encourage optimism, promote trust and strike interest, it’s used to communicate a tone of voice and personality. Done right, it will provoke an emotional connection without people being aware of it.
Your Logo is your brand identity
Excellent design matters, and you do need a good logo. Especially if you want to deliver a quality service or product.
Have a question about branding or logo design? Need a professional logo designed for your business? Contact us!
