The first question you need to ask yourself is does my company even need a logo? That’s a silly question, of course, your company needs a logo! Every company needs a logo and an excellent one.
Your company’s logo along with the name are the building blocks for your brand identity. Having a strong brand identity helps establish recognizability and brand recall in the mind of your customers and potential customers. Also, a powerful logo can help convey important messaging and values you want people to know about your brand. Today, all the biggest brands in the world spend millions of dollars every year to create a perception about them in the consumers’ minds. In fact, 89% of all marketers have said that brand awareness is their top priority in today’s highly competitive environment.
Understanding the importance of a logo is the first step to designing the ultimate logo as well. Now, that we have established that importance, let’s understand what other factors we need to consider while we create our logo –
Who are we?
To start off this journey to design a logo, you will need to get a little philosophical and take a dive into the deepest corners of your brand. As mentioned, your logo will be conveying a lot more information than what meets the eye and what you want that information to be, is up to you. Mostly, it will include what your brand stands for and how you plan to add value to the lives of your customers. However, before you are able to deliver such messages, you need to figure them out. You need to introspect, analyze and if possible, try to build a unique yet relatable image about your brand. An image that your consumers and employees can stand behind and be proud of. Try to draw inspiration from your own story and how your organization came into being what it is today.
Pick a type
There are various types of logos that you can choose from –
- Wordmark – The simplest form of logo creation is the wordmark. You simply take your name and try to construct your logo around it. However, this works best when you have a fairly uncomplicated brand name. Example – Google, Pepsi.
- Monogram – This type is perfect for companies with large and complicated names. Monogram logos are ones where you use brand initials or acronyms to create a crisp and catchy logo. Example – IBM, VW.
- Symbols – One of the most popular forms of Logos out there. These are simple pictures and symbols that help customers recall the brand instantly. This is a fairly minimalist and abstract form of logo designing and some of the most popular logos fall under this category. Example – Apple, Nike.
- Mascots – Colorful and cartoonish characters that are often joyful, whimsical and help appeal to a wider audience. Example – Pringles, KFC.
- Emblem – These logos help create a vintage feel to the brand, conveying the ancestry and legacy that a brand carries with it. Brands often have crests and badges in these logos. Example – Harvard University, Harley Davidson.
- Combination – You can simply mix and match various kinds of logos to create an iconic logo and convey your uniqueness. Example – Adidas, Lacoste.
Design a logo with Color pallets
You won’t be surprised to hear that 33 out of the top 100 brands in the world use the color blue in their logos. This is major because all colors have a certain sense of subconscious emotions associated with them. Example Blue can generally be associated with trust and loyalty whereas red can be associated with energy and passion. So, you need to ensure your brand’s communication is being echoed through the color of your logo as well.
Check out your Competition
Now, please do not misconstrue this step for copying off your competition because that can get you into a pool of trouble. However, there is always a possibility to be inspired by others in the same industry as you. In fact, through your research activity, you may also be able to differentiate yourself. How? If it is a standard in your industry to go for a certain kind of logo, you can surprise people and go for something completely unexpected and hence, help with recall value for your brand by not being cliché.
Create multiple designs
By this step, you have thought about your logo, done your research but now you need to actually get down to putting the ideas to work. Since designing is a creative process, don’t restrict yourself to just a couple of designs options. Whether you are personally designing your logo or are getting it done by a professional, make sure you have a variety of options to choose from. If you are working with a professional (online or offline), make sure you try to clearly convey what you are looking for by being as vocal as you want to be.
Ensure Originality and Scalability
Your logo would ideally be widespread and presented across various media – print, social, broadcast, etc. Make sure that it is presentable to a wide audience and is just as impactful on a billboard as it would be on letterhead. At the same time, since it would so extensively spread it would make sense to eventually copyright your logo so that people don’t end up misusing it.
Feedback time
After finalizing a design or even shortlisting a few designs, make sure you get feedback from people. It would be ideal if you can get reactions from your potential customers and not just family and friends. You want to make sure that you are able to convey your message clearly and powerfully through your design. You also need to ensure that you’re getting honest feedback and that you can take criticism constructively to help your brand.
Going back to the beginning of the article, unfortunately, many people even today do not realize the importance of a logo. A logo is not just a byproduct of a successful brand, in fact, the right logo has the potential to create a successful brand and take your company to great heights. So try not to rush into your logo, take your time and get the perfect one for you.
Author Bio
Anoop is a Content Consultant at Enuke Software, a pioneering Blockchain and iPhone app development Company in the USA.
He is also a proud father of four rescued dogs and two Flemish giant rabbits. Besides being a full-time dog father and rabbit home planner, he is a freelance content writer and an educationist, with more than 6 years’ experience in the field of content writing.
