A lot of logos get ignored… by their owners. The reality is that while a business owner might not put too much thought or effort into their own logo (or just blindly assume that it’s great without getting any impartial feedback), consumers pay a lot of attention to logos. In fact, a logo is probably one of the most important elements to a business! Why? Because it’s the first thing someone sees when they look at a business card or the side of a company vehicle or a homepage. This first impression can go a long way in establishing a consumer’s opinion of a brand that they don’t yet know anything else about. So if you’re starting a new business or redesigning your existing business, you really need to prioritize designing your logo.
It’s always best to hire a professional designer to create your logo for you, and then as you evaluate the options that are provided to you, keep an eye out for each of these elements. These are the four features that all good logos have in common:
It’s always best to hire a professional designer to create your logo for you, and then as you evaluate the options that are provided to you, keep an eye out for each of these elements. These are the four features that all good logos have in common:
1. A Relationship to the Business
Your logo is a visual representation of your business, so it should include something besides just your name. It should include an image or stylistic element that says something about what you do. For example, this is why bakeries often have cupcakes or sprinkles in their logos or they use fun, whimsical fonts. From the get-go they’re enticing you with their logo to get you excited about their sweet confections. The same is true in every industry. Tech companies have logos that are crisp and clean and edgy to let you know that they’re sharp and innovative. Eco-friendly companies use simple colors and earth-centered images to let you know that their products/services and clean and pure. In every industry there’s a standard logo look that serves to embody not only who a business is but also what they do.
2. Memorability
The ultimate goal of a logo is to get consumers to instantly recognize it, which means that they must remember it. Without having something memorable in your logo, it’s likely to get lost in the sea of other logos and marketing messages that your target audience is bombarded with every day. You don’t have to go overboard with this and make your logo totally off the wall, but it has to include something that will help it stick in the mind of consumers. Examples of this would be Dell’s canted “E” or Apple’s apple with a bit out of it or Wal-Mart’s flowery burst thing.
3. Versatile Formatting
Logos are used in a variety of places – everything from website headers and online ads to business cards and banners to employee uniforms. This means that your logo needs to be versatile to accommodate these very different applications. Having different versions of logo is the first place to start. You should have your logo in its full form as well as a square version and a non-text mini version. These different looks should have accompanying files in different formats (.jpeg, .png, etc.) so that you can pick the file type that best matches the medium where your logo will be appearing.
4. Uniqueness
A logo that’s too close to other existing logos can create confusion, which is bad from a branding perspective as well as a legal perspective. Avoid getting sued by making sure that your logo doesn’t resemble any other logos too closely (especially the logos of your competitors). This means having a unique color scheme, symbol, and font combination.
Kate Pierce is the owner of LionShark Digital Marketing LLC, a West Michigan internet marketing company. Her areas of expertise include Paid Search, Search Engine Optimization, Business Blogging and Web Copywriting. She lives in the Grand Rapids area with her husband and son and enjoys cooking, watching sports, and spending time together as a family. Like a true digital marketing expert (i.e. geek), she loves talking about current marketing trends… so don’t say you weren’t warned!
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