The Lowdown On Your Logo Needs And Other Logo Lingo

Are you in the exciting start-up phase of a business? Perhaps you’re looking to rebrand your existing company to give it the extra charisma it needs to stand out? Getting your logo right is the holy grail of branding. It attracts attention, is instantly recognisable and sets the stage to acquire new customers. It’s important to think about all your logo needs for your brand as soon as possible.

Your logo is the visual cornerstone of your business. It’ll create the mood for your company right from the initial impression and reflect your brand’s personality, core values and principles. When logos are executed correctly they offer extreme value to a company’s brand message and marketing. They also produce a powerful symbolic association in people’s memories.

Think about it – as soon as you see those great yellow arches you can become immediately transported back to your first ever Happy Meal. Nike’s tick motivates us to get out there and ‘just do it’. The unusual Starbucks logo can trigger coffee urges at any given time. An effective logo will not only inspire more than recognition, but a sense of nostalgia. And an urge to bring back the good feelings we originally affiliated with the brand.

No matter the size of your company, you want your logo to produce these types of connotations for your existing and potential group of customers.

Here are our five best tips on the lowdown on all your logo needs.

YOUR LOGO NEEDS START WITH FORMAT:

As logos have been developed over time, so too have different styles or formats. Deciding which format to go with will narrow down the millions of options available to you. These are the main four types of styles for logos:

Wordmarks – Text logos are uniquely styled text logos that spell out the brand’s name. They often feature customised fonts developed especially for the brand. Think Facebook, Google or Pinterest.

Letterform -– Are logos that use a single letter or initials to keep things minimal and easy to digest. Think Uber, Honda or HBO for instance.

Pictorial Logos – Are a picture/icon/graphic based designed logos. Think Apple’s apple or Snapchats’ ghost icon.

Abstract logo – An abstract logo is simply a logo that is an abstract symbol or icon. Think Target, Adidas or Nike.

ALL YOUR LOGO NEEDS TO BE ORIGINAL:

A killer logo is a combination of a great name and an iconic visual presence. Originality in both is essential in creating the best logo for your business that’ll make it distinguishable from other brands and instantly recognisable by current and potential customers.

Creating a unique design is challenging in a busy competitor landscape. Just because you are a cupcake business it doesn’t mean you need to have a cupcake image in your logo. Several big businesses have created standout logos by moving away from their product or service and thinking outside the box. Allow yourself a larger creative license and do the same.

LOGOS THAT LAST ARE LEGIBLE:

The most important aspect of your logo is to make it simple and concise. Stylised icons rather than full-blown illustrations or photos tend to have a greater impact. Remember, you have several other opportunities to use more detailed images in your marketing materials down the track.

Generally, the consensus is to keep it to a few colours. Due to modern digital printing techniques, this doesn’t impact as much on cost as it used to. It is still important to think about how your logo will reproduce across a whole range of mediums and substrates. You may need to create building signage or stationery through to corporate livery and clothing.

LOGO LINGO. KEEP IT SIMPLE:

Whilst your logo is an important aspect of branding, it only forms part of your overall identity. Alongside your logo will sit your brand imagery, design elements, typography and voice. It is the combination of all these parts that will really make your brand stand out from its competitors.

Don’t over complicate it. Consumers prefer logos that are easily recognisable at a fleeting glance. Too many components cause clutter and clutter creates confusion. Simple logos are easily and quickly recognised, more versatile, the messaging is clearer and the design is timeless.

LOGOS FOR THE LONG-TERM HAVE SCALABILITY:

It seems obvious but this step often gets overlooked in the design process. As we mentioned above, your logo is the visual cornerstone of your business and will be used on all your marketing materials. Make sure your designer gives you a logo that you can scale up for larger projects. You never know, you might need this logo for things like a building signage in the future. A good design company should give you a logo package that includes jpegs and pngs for personal use, PMS printing, vector artwork (this can scale up without ever becoming pixelated).

Getting your logo right from the beginning will make your marketing and brand messaging more effective in the future. Why not talk to our award-winning design team in the Fox den and get started on creating the logo of your dreams? Contact us today to find out more!