A business logo is nothing other than the artistic representation of everything that an enterprise stands for. Be it the Adidas three stripes or McDonald's golden arches – the logos perfectly embody the spirit of these two iconic companies. But a number of companies tend to go limp on this all important brand building tool, when it comes to designing the company logo.
A good logo enhances the crucial first impression that your customers and clients have of your company. A powerful logo helps in generating brand loyalty for the company, establish a powerful brand identity, and provide a company with an effective façade of being an established successful enterprise.
There are usually three kinds of logos:
Font-based logos: The logos of companies like IBM, Microsoft and Sony are good examples of Font-based logos. They artfully use the name of the company to create a powerful logo from it.
Image based Logos: These logos represent what kind of an activity the company is engaged in. For example a company manufacturing construction tools can have a hammer and chisel as its logo. Barista’s logo has the image of a steaming cup of coffee – a powerful logo of a brand that rejuvenates millions around the world with their delightful caffeinated concoctions.
Abstract Logos: They neither reflect what the company does nor do reiterate its brand promise. Being abstract, the logo allows each individual to draw his or her own inference about the brand. The Nike swoosh is an excellent example of an abstract logo as it stands for absolutely nothing. Needles to say having an abstract logo is a risky proposition as it can leave a company without a face. An abstract logo needs to be backed by powerful taglines and punch lines so that consumers are able to relate to the brand. “Winning is Everything” was the agro-packed tagline of Nike that helped consumers relate to the swoosh as a symbol of victory at all costs. “You don’t win silver, You lose Gold” has always been the mantra of Nike and this is how the world sees the swoosh.
Now how should you go about creating your company logo?
Getting Started
Before you sit with your team of designers and start sketching, articulate the message that you want your logo to convey. What’s your brand promise? What do you intend to deliver? Write one-sentence mission and image statement to help you focus on the task. Be creatively truthful to the statement while designing the logo.
Look at your competitors
Study the logos used by your competitors. Do they use solid colors and conservative images or go for flashy graphics and flamboyant metaphors. It’s best to not to follow the trend and break the mould. Go for an edgy and flashy graphic if most of your competitors show preference for conventional safe logos. This would help you successfully differentiate yourself from the rest of the pack.
Make it clean and memorable
Your logo should look equally good, whether it’s embossed on your business card or on the packaging of the goods. A good logo is scalable, easily reproduced, distinctive and memorable. It’s also better to use icons instead of photographs which can become indecipherable if the size is significantly increased or reduced.
The company name and the logo should be in tandem
The logo should be such that it backs the company name. For example if your company’s name is Lightening Fast Courier, the logo should feature in some way the impression of the name – you guessed it right – A lightening bolt. A lightening bolt logo will be effective because it symbolizes the speed with which the company makes its deliveries. The business benefit of being “Ultra-fast at delivering packages” acts as a reassurance and a promise for consumers.
Go easy on the colors
A multi-colored logo may look beautiful, but when the time comes to print it on stationeries and packaging, the price won’t exactly leave you thrilled. Nor will it be effectively reproduced on mediums that allow just one or two colors. It would be best not to use more than three colors unless it’s absolutely necessary.
Your logo can appear on a variety of media signage, advertising, stationery, delivery vehicles and packaging, to name just a few. Remember that some of those applications have production limitations. Make sure you do a color study. Look at your logo in one, two and three color versions.
Hire a Designer
Trying to create a company logo all by yourself may be a huge mistake. Though you may think that you are saving precious company money by designing the logo yourself, a wrong design can do a lot of damage to the brand.
So, even if you feel that you have a good eye for color and designs it would still be wise to consult a professional art designer. Why? Because they will know if a particular design can be easily transferred into print and whether it can be embossed on different mediums, in a cost effective manner.
It does sound so easy to create a logo doesn’t it? It can be easy if you keep your customers and the nature of your business in mind while creating the logo.
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