Your business logo is more than just text and graphics. It is often the first impression potential customers have of your company and as the saying goes you only get one chance to make a first impression. Make sure your logo design conveys your message in a simple, yet powerful way that creates a lasting impression.
Keep it simple
Remember that your logo is not your business brochure. Don’t make the mistake of trying to incorporate too many elements in your logo or you’ll likely wind up with a cluttered and confusing design that can actually drive potential customers away.
Your logo should be simple and easy for customers to remember. Your use of color, shapes and fonts depends largely upon your target audience. For example, if your business caters to children, you might consider using more fanciful fonts and a broader color palette. Business to business companies should typically use simple, easy-to-read fonts and no more than three colors.
Some businesses choose to include their name in their logo design. Others combine their slogan with a simple graphic element. Some of the most successful businesses in the world also have the simplest logos. The Apple logo, Nike’s swish and McDonald’s “golden arches” all incorporate a single graphic element, a monochromatic color palette and no text at all.
Think Big – and Small
Remember that your logo will be used on a wide variety of marketing collateral including your business card, Web site, company stationary, invoices and possibly apparel and outdoor advertising like billboards and vehicle wraps. By keeping your logo simple and using a limited number of colors, you’ll ensure that it translates well across these various media. Limiting your use of color can also help you control printing costs.
Don’t Reinvent the Wheel
Before embarking on your logo design, take some time to study the logos of other businesses, especially those in your industry, and see what works and what doesn’t work. If you find a logo that appeals to you, try to view it on a variety of media and see how well it translates across a range of marketing collateral.
The Take Away Test
It’s tempting to keep adding elements to your logo design to ensure that your message is being effectively conveyed. That’s where the Take Away test can help you. Once you’ve come up with a logo that you feel adequately conveys your message, try removing a single element and see how it impacts the overall design. The element you remove can be anything from a graphic shape to the drop shadow you used on the text. Once you have removed the element, ask yourself whether or not it was essential to the overall visual impact of the design. If the design falls apart without the removed element, replace it. If the design is more visually appealing without the missing element, leave it out and try removing an additional element, and so on. When it comes to logo design, less is more.
Test Market Your Logo
You might want to consider test marketing a few different logo designs to friends, family and current customers. If you choose to take this route, be sure to ask for objective feedback based on your business goals not their personal preference for a particular color or shape. Instead of simply asking, “Which logo do you like the best?” try asking, “Which logo design do you think best conveys what my business is about, and why?”
About Jonathan Jeter
