What does your logo design say about you?
- Does it represent everything you stand for?
- Does it speak directly to your ideal customers?
- Does it showcase your brand identity and personality?
If you answered no to any of these questions, this article is an important one for you. You see, a logo isn’t just a pretty picture you put on your business cards and collateral – it’s a representative of your entire business and brand.
“Design is the silent ambassador of your brand.”
— Paul Rand
A good logo is like having a slick looking salesperson who appeals to your customers and draws them in to find out more about what you do. Whereas a bad logo is the scruffy bloke who hasn’t had enough sleep, and isn’t interested in doing anything except getting through the day.
Which one would you rather have represent your brand?
What is a brand anyway?
Now before we get into the specifics of logo design, let’s quickly touch on this notion of “brand”. Often a brand is considered to be all the visual elements of a business – the name, colours, symbols, images, and of course logo.
These are in fact not the brand, but representations of it. According to branding guru, Marty Neumeier, in his book The Dictionary of Brand:
A brand is, “A person’s perception of a product, service, experience, or organization.”
So it’s imperative you understand what your brand is before you start any serious logo design, so you can create something that encourages your customers to have the perception you want them to have about your company.
Often when you’re in the business it can be difficult to pull out all the little elements that make up your brand, because you’re so close to it. So it’s highly recommended to get help with this process, as an outsider will be able to offer a fresh perspective and make you appreciate the things that you maybe take for granted.
Our marketing strategists and branding experts would only be too happy to assist you with this. So please don’t hesitate to get in touch and chat it through with them.
5 Ways to make your logo design unforgettable
Ok, so now you understand your brand, our in-house design guru, Keiran Hartey, will talk about how you can showcase it with your logo.
1. Keep it simple
The best logos in the world are simple. The audience responds to them, subconsciously, within a second. That’s it – the first impression. You only get one chance at that.
Are you trustworthy, capable, professional and genuine? Your brand will tell them. So an overly-complicated and unfocused logo design will just confuse people and work against you.
Clients and designers sometimes make the mistake of adding design features just because they can – stay alert for this and bring it back to basics if it starts to get out of control. It’s the old style over substance discussion.
Here are some perfect examples of incredibly simple, yet wildly successful logos:
Image: McDonalds
Image: Nike
Image: Spotify
Remember: Simple is best. Beware of gloss, movement, too many colours and fonts, and mixed messages. Always come back to that perception you want your customers to have about your business.
2. Invest in quality
To distil a message into a single image takes real skill.
It’s pretty easy to create a busy, unfocused logo containing all the bells and whistles. Yet, what looks exciting now might actually be an ongoing headache – can you print it, can you resize it, can you adapt it? And most importantly, is it giving the right perception of your brand?
We all know of online services where $50 will get you a logo. It’s tempting – especially when you’re pushed for time. Let me assure you: for that price you’re getting clip art, standard elements and no design at all.
Your business is worth much more than that. Investing a little now will pay dividends in the future.
Remember: A well-crafted brand is an excellent investment that will pay for itself very quickly.
3. Take your blinkers off
As mentioned above, sometimes passion puts you too close to the subject of your brand, making it hard to step back and see things from other perspectives.
Try to put yourself in the shoes of your ideal customers, and allow for external feedback, so you can give your brand every chance to succeed.
We work with people who love their business and want it to grow. So in order to achieve this, we may want to tweak or extend your vision, or to evolve it into a new concept. You can trust us to talk you through every step of this important process.
Remember: Be flexible because a logo has to work well across all the platforms it will sit on – website, social media, signage, business cards, stationery, brochures, packaging, etc.
Bonus tip: You can customise your logo by using a dynamic QR code in your marketing strategy. Try the best dynamic QR code generator.
4. Make Two Lists
When you buy a new car, you generally have two lists: essentials (number of seats) and nice-to-haves (heated side mirrors).
Do the same with a logo design. Some features of your logo are non-negotiable and some are not essential. This will help you to produce something that is succinct and on-brand, and enable you to let go of the unnecessary distractions.
When we first talk about a new logo we will spend time sifting through your priorities and working out which things are indispensable and which things are ‘fluff’.
Remember: Get practical and logical about your logo. If you’ve already started this thought process, we can get down to work much more quickly.
5. Ask questions
Take a critical look at the logos of other businesses in your industry – what works and what doesn’t?
Meanwhile do a Google search on ‘logos that don’t work’ and have a chuckle at some of the classic mistakes, while resolving not to repeat them!
Also, have a look at other logos we’ve designed and ask how the process went. What were the key decisions that resulted in the end product?
Need help?
Fortunately, Oddball’s extensive experience in developing logo designs for businesses of all kinds will help you to avoid pitfalls and create something truly unforgettable.
Are you keen to find out more about how we can help? Get in touch with one of our specialists, who will talk through everything with you.
