subject: Logo Prominence vs Wearability in Promotional Tattoos [print this page] The battle between branding and design The battle between branding and design
It's a dilemma that every business owner faces, whether you're outsourcing the design of your marketing materials, or doing them yourself. Every type of corporate collateral should have a logo on it, whether it's a website, a promotional tattoo, your physical product, a business card, a poster or a brochure. Branding is certainly important - but equally important is ensuring that people don't feel overwhelmed with advertising, and that any 'selling space' isn't wasted on your logo. Today we are looking specifically at promotional tattoos, determining how big a logo should be in order to both provide effective branding, and make your tattoo wearable and sharable.
The dilemma
In promotional tattoos, the company and the wearer have different aims for the product. While the company wants to boost their branding, start making their name into a household word and encourage sales, the person wearing the tattoo simply wants it to look good or to make a statement! Unless they are a stockholder, they couldn't care less how many people decide to buy your product because they chose to wear your promotional tattoo. And the main stage on which this dilemma is played out is the sizing of your logo within the promotional tattoo.
Does your brand have emotional collateral?
If it does, you may be able to get away with using nothing more than your logo on your promotional tattoo. Does your brand help people say any of the following about themselves?
That they have exceptional good taste - you have exclusive and unique branding
They are environmentally aware
That they subscribe to a particular political or social viewpoint
That they have a great sense of humour - you have 'funny' branding
Optimal logo sizing for new brands
However, most brands don't have emotional collateral. After all, we humans don't just make emotional connections with every company whose billboard we walk past. It takes a lot of time and effort, and often even large and successful companies don't have any emotional collateral with people ... think Cadburys and McDonalds. So, how should you size your brand on logo tattoos if you're a regular old company looking to boost business?
A good rule of thumb is:
Let your logo take up between a fifth and a tenth of the design space
Make it larger than 8mm
But smaller than an inch
An alternative solution: integrate branding with a message
The particular way that every company achieves an integration of branding, attractiveness and/or message will be different every time. If you're a new company, you are trying to do what other major companies have already done - create the basis for an emotional connection with your audience. Look for a way to affiliate yourself with:
Exceptional high quality
Environmental responsibility
Fun
A particular social or political message
Humour
In your promotional tattoo's design.
If you achieve this successfully, it really won't matter that your logo doesn't take up your entire promotional tattoo ... it will do its job well anyway!
Logo Prominence vs Wearability in Promotional Tattoos
