A Strong Logo Embodies Your Brand and Leads to Sales
You’ll never get a second chance to make a good first impression and for many businesses that all-important first impression comes from a deceptively unassuming source — your business logo.
That’s right. That little item that adorns your letterhead, business correspondence, signage and advertising is absolutely crucial to shaping initial responses to your business. And, for existing customers, your logo symbolizes value and trust and serves as a reaffirmation of a good, ongoing relationship.
But what if your logo isn’t all it could be? Or, worse, what if it’s just plain bad? If so, you run the risk of turning off potential customers and undermining your brand. A poorly designed logo slapped on letterhead, ads, billboards or on the sides of your company vehicles won’t entice anyone to become your customer. Rather, people are more likely to think: “Well, they’re too cheap or careless to come up with a good logo and that probably doesn’t bode well for the product/service they offer, either.”
Logo Power!
Let’s be clear. Your logo is NOT your brand. A logo is only a symbol or representation of your brand. Nevertheless, it has the power to reflect positively, or negatively, on your brand. In the minds of many clients and consumers, the mere sight of a well executed logo backed by a strong brand is enough to trigger a buying impulse.
That’s why it’s important your business have a strong logo. Think about all the great brands out there, the companies you buy from — almost without exception, they have strong logos designed to powerfully embody their brands. When you see them, a positive message is conveyed. And, even if you don’t care for that brand, you respect the authority represented by that logo.
Given the power of logos in the digital age when impressions — and business decisions — can be made in a matter of nanoseconds, it may behoove you to re-evaluate your own logo, and if you don’t have one (shame on you!) to get one. So, you might ask, what are some factors that make for a strong logo?
- Strong logos normally have simple shapes. Shape is one thing that people immediately connect with visually. The more complicated the shape, the less appealing the logo generally. The shape may be dictated by a symbol or defined by letters and words or a combination of both. Whatever the case, simpler is better.
- Strong logos make effective use of color, without overdoing it. Color can be powerful when used the right way in a logo. When excessive, color becomes cloying, possibly tasteless and proves distracting from the brand message you hope to convey. Colors must be carefully selected because each color, at a subliminal level, suggests feelings that will be associated with your brand. And, keep this in mind. If your logo is well designed, it will also work quite well in black and white.
- Strong logos use fonts or typefaces that are carefully selected to reflect the brand proposition. If you’re a company that deals in high-tech, you don’t want an “old timey” typeface used in your logo. It sends a conflicting message.
- Strong logos are the right size. Is your logo too big, or too small, for your letterhead and other applications? You don’t want people straining to see it because it was designed too awkwardly to fit appropriately in all your means of communication.
- Strong logos are accompanied by style sheets. Do you have a style guide for the use of your logo? Is your logo legally protected? Do you slap it haphazardly on everything without regard to positioning and size, thereby watering down its affect? These are important considerations to make sure you get the most out of your logo.
Finally, before you abandon your logo, be sure to consider its existing value. Over the years, you have probably built up a large cache of credibility in your community with your logo. People recognize it and know what it stands for. Some say changing your logo is tantamount to divorce with your clients and customers. That is probably too extreme, but carefully mull over the heritage of your logo. Unless it has been a disaster or reflects a bygone era or your company and brand are due a total makeover, it may be that your logo needs only a little bit of tweaking to update it. A professional designer can help you with just the right flourishes.
Next month, we’ll explore that process of working with a design firm to create a strong logo for your company.
Written by Scott Wigton
Tags: Business, Design, Logo Design, Newsletter