So, you’ve decided to finally fulfill your entrepreneurial aspirations and start a company. You’ve got the idea, you have the skills, done your research and now you need the logo. A logo is essentially your brand signature – it must be memorable, appropriate and distinctive. A good artist or graphic designer alone doesn’t necessarily make a good logo designer. Don’t screw up all your hard work with a logo that causes more harm than good. Here are a few pointers to consider.
Do Your Research
Though it should seem simple, consider your target demographic first and foremost. By this point, you’ve conducted research on the industry itself, your competitors, and the customer or client you’d like to attract developing your business plan. Consider all of this information when planning a logo. It should be appropriate for your intended audience in terms of colour, font and imagery. For instance, a fun, child-like font and brightly coloured logo would be appropriate for a toy store logo, but not so much so for a private members dinner club.
Think Outside the Box
A logo doesn’t necessarily reflect what it is that the company does. In, fact more often than not, it probably won’t. That’s why, for example, the Starbucks logo isn’t a coffee cup, McDonald’s isn’t a burger, and Google isn’t computer-related. Allow a long, open brainstorm session or two when it comes to the look and feel of the logo.
Keep it Simple
An effective logo is clean, simple and not too busy. It has crisp, simple lines and is symmetric. Simplicity communicates class and power. When it comes to memorable logos, less is definitely more and your logo should be effective without the aid and use of colour. Not to mention, the more colours you have, the more expensive it is to print. Test out the logo in black and white first, and as a general rule, keep it to two or three colours (including black). A simpler logo will stick out more effectively on media walls and step and repeats, especially when competing with other logos.
Make it Memorable and Describable
The whole point of a logo is so that people remember you and your business and can immediately associate the image with your brand and company. It must be memorable and describable, then, which is why it can’t be too complicated or busy since that makes it less recognizable. A logo must also be easy to describe in order to be impactful and memorable. If you have a difficult time describing it yourself, you may want to switch directions because nobody will be able to remember it either.
It Should be Versatile
Logos are everywhere – on all promotional materials, on social media, in advertising material, and on awnings on buildings. Therefore, it must be versatile and scalable. It has to be as effective and look as great on all mediums, whether this means a teeny tiny square box on social media or a massive billboard ad. Make sure that your logo will look good regardless of size and work when it’s digital, printed in various colours, embroidered (as in hats, t-shirts and scarves) or on both vertical and horizontal formats.
It should be Timeless
You can only hope that your business will last for years to come. Your logo, then, should be classic and timeless and remain constant with your business as it grows. Don’t try to follow current trends just to look “on top of it.” Even if you can afford to constantly change and update your logo, it is the icon of the brand and will do you more harm than good once customers begin to associate it with your business. A logo needs to remain constant.
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