Every brand aspires to be successful in offering their product or service to consumers.
However, in order for a brand to be successful, it needs loyal customers. Of course, building a brand reputation through great products and services is key, but what many companies may not realize is that logo design is also an essential part of the equation.
You need to ensure customers are aware of your product or service and consistently choose yours over the competitors. This is where strategic marketing and an effective logo can help make or break a brand.
To give you an idea of how your logo design is closely tied to your brand’s success, here are 4 reasons to consider:
1. Logos Establish Brand Recognition
Amateurish looking logos, “branding is important to a business because it is how a company gets recognition and becomes known to the consumers. The logo is the most important element of branding, especially where this factor is concerned, as it is essentially the face of the company.”
Today’s consumers are faced with a vast array of choices when looking for goods and services. With the ease of online searches and shopping, the spectrum of possibilities becomes even greater. Attracting first-time customers is important, but retaining loyal customers is critical. An effective logo can help draw the attention of new customers. It also creates a positive association and reliability for returning customers.
2. Logos Identify the Mission of an Organization
A logo is a recognizable and distinctive graphic design, stylized name, or unique symbol for identifying an organization.
It is affixed, included, or printed on all advertising, buildings, communications, literature, products, stationery, and vehicles. Examples of iconic logos include McDonald’s and their golden arches, as well as Nike and the iconic swoosh. Immediately, each image identifies the overall mission of an organization, whether it’s a happy, golden place for a satisfying meal or the rush of movement in a competitive sport.
Creating an effective logo is more than just graphic design. There is a deeper psychological and underlying gestalt to good logo design that not only reflects the brand and its product or services, but also the underlying purpose, values, philosophy, and associated culture of the brand.
Good brands and logos generate a feeling, they evoke emotion. It’s important, then, to invest the time reflecting on these aspects of a brand to ensure they are integrated and reflected in the logo’s design.
3. A Great Logo Helps Your Brand Achieve Many Goals at Once
Once clear about your brand, your audience and the message and emotion you want to convey, the next step is logo design.
Keep in mind, a great logo helps your brand achieve many goals at once, so when crafting the design your logo, here are some important characteristics to consider:
Characteristics of Good Logos
- Immediately Recognizable
It only takes a moment to glance at that famous swoosh and know it stands for Nike. A good logo should be recognizable at a moment’s glance.
- Easy to Remember
Ask anyone about the logo for Target, and they’ll easily remember a red bullseye on a white backdrop. A logo should be something that pops into your head the moment you think of a particular brand.
- Reflect a Brand’s Message
The black and white panda as the logo of the World Wildlife Fund for Nature reflects their brand’s commitment to the preservation and care of endangered animals. That straightforward logo goes right to the heart of their message.
- Stand Out from the Crowd
While there are literally thousands if not millions of logos out there, a good logo needs to be distinctive and stand out from the others to encourage individuality and drive competition.
- Simple and Understandable
In addition to being immediately recognizable and easy to remember, good logos are also simple and easy to understand. Complexity is not helpful when creating an effective logo. Customers should be able to take one glance and grasp what you are trying to convey.
- Color and Font Style Matter
Certain colors evoke certain feelings and impressions. Keep this in mind when designing your logo. What is the feeling or emotion you want consumers to associate with your product or service?
It’s also important to keep up with current trends, and many successful brands have gone through a redesign of their logos. Pepsi and Target are two great examples.
4. Good Logo Design Pays Off in the Long-Run
While the very nature of entrepreneurs is to be self-starters and do-it-yourselfers, it may be best to enlist the skills and experience of a good designer to help create your logo.
Amateurish looking logos can actually do more to hurt your brand than help. On the other hand, a good designer understands the importance of doing the research and spending time with you to get to the deeper purpose, values, philosophy, and culture of your brand. So definitely keep that in mind when looking to hire a designer.
Creating a successful brand requires knowing your audience, and creating a logo that reflects and conveys your brand will contribute to your success in the long-run. Over time, customers will rely on your logo; become loyal and look to your brand as an authority or resource in a particular industry.
With that in mind, give your audience something to remember you by, and invest your time and money into developing an image with substance, not just something to throw on a letterhead.
Use Your Logo to Your Advantage
Remember, your logo helps customers easily and immediately recognize and remember your brand, so use that foundation to your advantage.
With the right logo at the helm of your business, you’ll quickly gain the support of your customers while setting your brand apart amongst a sea of competitors.
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