What Your Logo Says About Your Business

Whether you’re starting a new business and need a logo designed from scratch or you’re considering a re-vamp to your existing logo, it’s important to consider what image your new logo will portray to your customers. Here some tips to help you develop a logo that works effectively for your business:

Get inside your customers heads

Try to put aside your own tastes and think about your target market. What are they looking for from your brand? What other brands are important to them? What will get them excited and what is likely to turn them off?

Think about print costs

Ink costs money, so that multicoloured logo you’re thinking about might not be such a great idea. Take a look at the big brands – most of them will use just one or two colours. Unless you are using a design company like YVISA for your design and printing needs, your cost for unlimited color could be  high.

Think about where you’ll use the logo

If your business is mainly online then your logo will need to be optimised for web use. This means that landscape designs (long and horizontal) may be more suitable than portrait ones (tall and vertical). It’s also worth bearing in mind how your logo will look within the main social media platforms. A lot of businesses have a presence on Twitter and if you’re keen to join them you’ll need a logo that can be adapted to look great at just a few pixels square.

Keep it consistent

This is the golden rule for good branding. Stick to your brand colour palette, don’t add to or change the logo files your designer supplies and try to use suitable fonts. A consistent appearance will promote the idea that your business is professional, credible and trustworthy. Inconsistencies could set off alarm bells for potential customers and put them off.

Don’t get Carried Away

It’s easy to get carried away and start branding each individual service or product that your business offers. In most cases all this achieves is a confusing maze for your customers to struggle through in order to understand what your business does. It’s far better to invest some time in carefully considering what your business offers before developing one strong, versatile brand that conveys a clear message to your audience.

Keep it Simple

Remember that your logo is only one element of your brand. The most powerful logos are simple and memorable (think about the big brands you see everyday). Your logo doesn’t necessarily need to reflect exactly what you do – it just needs to represent your brand in an appropriate, memorable way. Bear in mind that you can build specific associations in other ways – through your tone of voice and service for example. Consider for a moment the golden arches of the McDonalds logo – easily one of the most well known logos on the planet (I’m sure you had no trouble conjuring it up it your minds eye). But it bears no resemblance to a burger, a restaurant or food of any kind. It is, however, simple and memorable and used effectively.

If you need some advice on branding, whether for a new business or an existing one, feel free to get in touch with the web whisperer – I’d be delighted to help.