You have chosen the name and now you need a logo. Ok, so this is where you need a little more creative and my advice is to use one if you have the budget. Choose a freelancer or an agency depending on what you are looking to achieve.
But how do you get started?
A logo is more than just your corporate identity and should mean something, so consider it as an investment in the business. It will be everywhere and it should be something you stand by. You can cut corners at this stage and just chose a colour and font, but trust me take some time and think about what it will mean to your customers in the long run. Think about the brands that you love and consider how they make you feel, why do you always reach for Colgate over the own label for example? A logo captures the values of a buisness and can influence your purchase without your customer even realising it. If you invest in good creativity it will make all the difference.
I have worked with many wonderful creative people in my career and there is one rule you need to remember: Give a clear brief. In fact the best thing you can do is to write it down, you can never give them too much information at the start, however try to answer these 4 simple questions;
- What does the company do?
- What is the background to the business?
- What is unique about your business / product, makes you stand out from the competition?
- Who are you selling to?
You can add extra details about things you like, don’t like but give a rational for what should influence the creativity, research results etc always go down well.
Why not bring the product to life
Consider the product as a person, think about personality, values, USP (unique selling point) and the benefits or joy it will bring to your customers. This will help creative to visualise what you have in mind.
When designing a logo a good designer will consider many factors that reflect the brand personality and this is why certain colours, fonts and typography are chosen. If it was easy then we could all do it, but it is an art form and psychology play a big part. Remember they will design for your customer and the product not just you, so value their opinion. You don’t have to accept the designs but a good designer will always give you a reason why they have designed something in a specific way.
With my logo, the lovely designers at One Studio used fonts that are contemporary and included a device that reflects my business. The pin point represents the local business offering, something you would expect to see on a map and the star is a symbol of inspiration and creativity which is what I aim to deliver to my clients. And last but not least the colours chosen capture what values I offer, In the black is it about the traditional buisness approach to strategy, and the yellow reflects the positivity and creative side that NG10marketing offers.
Colours
Colour evoke emotions, capture a personality and can have a huge impact on the success of a product and the credibility of a business. Certain colours are interpreted to influence our mindset. For example, did you know that yellow is associated with taste. Think of McDonald’s and The happy egg co. Both brands promote taste of their products. Yellow is optimistic and bright like the sun, hues and gradients can either make the brand stand out like the golden arches of McDonalds or in the case of UPS offer an earthy golden tone suggesting a grounded and reliability to its brand. Let your designer guide you with colour choices as in some cases certain colours can be identified with an industry. Blue for example is often seen in technology, construction and medical, whereas green is associatedwith being fresh and can be found within the environmental sectors.
Fonts & Typography
When it comes to fonts, make sure your designer understands Typography, this is an art form and a good designer will have a portfolio of work that demonstrates this. It is the technique of arranging type to ensure your logo is legible and appealing when displayed. Just like colours there are psychological factors realted to a font type and can has been categorsied into 5 types here. It includes Serif, San serif, Script, Modern and Display. See image below whcih captures the concept well. Symbols & Icons
Finally symbols and devices can be a great asset to a business. Used in a variety of ways symbols represent the values of the business or the brand and lets face it we all know the success stories of Nike and Apple. Who hasn’t already played the logo game either online or by the traditional board game.
Your designer will be able to guide you on this according to the industry or product you have. When you are recognised for the symbol alone people will see a confidence within the brand and therefore trust this symbol as its trademark, which is another topic entirely.
#NG10*Tip: “Before you select your logo, place it on a sheet with all your competitor logos and see how it stands out. Does it offer something different and memorable? It is a great way to check if the identity is credible.”
So now it’s time to think about the elements you will need to bring your business to life and start working towards that business plan. Most people will look for a website and while I am not a developer my next blog will help you to consider what elements you need to get started with your online profile.
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