subject: A Logo Must Be Identifiable [print this page] Logos Are An Easily Recognizable Aspect of the Industry McDonald's "Golden Arches" logo and Nike's "Swoosh" logo are quickly recognized by consumers of all ages. Brand name recognition begins early in a consumer's life. Children as young as two or three have been able to identify trucking companies and restaurants as they are riding in the car with their parents. The mother's father, on the other hand, likes a differing brand of truck and sports that logo on his clothing and home furnishings.
Logos are consider one of the forms of brand recognition, and they're more than just something used by the country's huge corporations. Smaller companies can also efficiently utilize a company logo to build up brand recognition with people in the locale. Include it in your business signature, on your car, in your phone book ad, in coupons, on business cards, on stationary and in your website's news section.
While it isn't hard to find places to include your logo, it can be very difficult to design one. Business owners have been warned against several basic design mistakes by online references. A homemade log will look like a homemade logo, even when you use clip art as part of it. A lot of people are at the level where they can identify several simple clip-art designs. Companies have used that familiar stick-figure guy in some standard clip art databases. Right away, it occurred to me that the business was not doing so great and that it would be able to fare so much better with a different logo.
The next easy mistake you could make is only including text in your logo. Text only logos also generally lack the visual appeal that makes a logo stay in the minds of a prospective customer. You don't want them to have to remember too much. Some companies have seen success with their text-only logos, but it is a very difficult design.
On the other hand, extremely complicated logos are another bad error. Fancy, photographic special effects can make an image look muddy and unappealing when in print. To start with, make sure your logo will look good if done in black and white. Actually, a black and white logo is usually the best choice, especially for the yellow pages and the newspapers. Although, you will not be aware of it, even your colored logo will be faxed about by others. Such logos have to appear professional after they have been converted to black and white by the fax machine.
It is sometimes recommended that a professional design the logo so you can avoid all these mistakes and make your logo memorable. In 2000, there was a sweepstakes game that had a very innovative graphic designer as part of the team, and they developed their logo for them. The logo created by that designer had all of the right criteria, and it was simple, enjoyable and people remembered it. Plus the fact it looks terrific in black and white as well as in red and green.
Having a graphic designer as part of the team was a great benefit. You should consider yourself lucky if you know anyone that will help you design a great logo for little or no money. When designing the logo, though, a search for a graphic designer may be in order. Graphic designers can be found everywhere. You can see what I am saying if you Google the word logo on your computer.
When reviewing a search list of graphic designers, you should take care to evaluate them so that you are sure that you are getting a team member who can really contribute to the effort. His suggestion is to take your time and locate four or five companies that have portfolios you find you like, and that they fall within your price range. Along with these finalists, compare different elements including technical support, refund policy, customer service, file formats available, and number of revisions permitted.
If you can, you should try to support your local logo designers as a way of supporting your community, after all, they may need your product or service down the line. Remember that the creation of your logo is an investment, no matter who you choose to design it. You don't want potential clients to question whether they should work with you or purchase your product on the basis of a poorly developed logo. A solid investment, conversely, should yield up a well designed logo which is not easy to forget and produces a picture of you and your firm which is in line with your company's goals.
