Is Your Company Logotype Winning or Losing You Money? 5 Quick tips
The Business Propeller: Brand tips for B2B business owners
The prime identifier for all brands is your company logotype. The company logotype design encapsulates the brand’s visual identity. Obviously, a company logotype by itself is not a brand – it is just one part of the overall visual identity that makes up the whole brand, but it is incredibly important to make it fit for purpose because it will drive your business success.
Your company logotype design is what identifies your business and helps you stand out from your competition. Therefore high-quality logo design is your first chance to make a good impression with new customers.
If potential customers see your logo for the first time and it looks ugly, cheap, dated or generic, what does that say to the world about your business? Does that describe you? Maybe you need to make a little research and possibly think about a logo refresh. I’ve sketched out some essentials below.
But first off; what makes logo designs BAD? Most business owners will be an authority in their area of expertise – but not usually trained in visual communication and graphic design – you may not even know that your logotype is of poor quality – one that damages credibility and loses opportunity to the competition.
Here are a few pointers:
Is it too OBVIOUS without any real rationale?
BAD CHOICE OF FONT – Fonts imply a tone of voice and help evoke a feeling or emotion related to your business. The wrong choice can be detrimental to your company. (I actually customise or create my fonts so that they are unique to the client.)
BAD CHOICE OF COLOUR – Colours are more than just a visual aid because colours convey emotions, feelings, and experiences. Actually, I am not too concerned about what colours a client likes – it should focus more on what the audience finds more attractive.
DON’T USE PHOTOS – You do not use photos in logos. Period. A photograph is created from pixels. You cannot change its scale without losing detail and causing pixelation.
NO CLIP ART – Grabbing a BAD image from a website, throwing a company name on it, and calling it a logo is simply not professional.
Do not RELY ON EFFECTS – A good company logotype should work in black and white. Cosmetic eye-candy effects are a rookie method to hide the fact that there is no strategic concept.
Does it use BAD TYPOGRAPHY – Professional designers pay close attention to details like kerning (spacing) that you wouldn’t notice unless you were made aware of it.
So – that’s the DONT’S. Let’s now see if yours is up to scratch.
If it does not meet the following 5 criteria – you may well need to get the logo for your business fixed up by a professional logo designer.
Rule 1: Less is more.
Most of the most recognisable big brands in the world use an extremely simple icon or just typography. For example, think how simple the Apple or Nike logo is – it does not even need the company name! Sometimes folks think they’re not getting their money’s worth from a logo designer if the logotype is not really complex, with “lots of work done to it”. Incorrect. Creating very simple iconographics or typography that is unique and compelling, is actually a much harder task to get right.
Strip away all those elements that make the logotype look fussy or complicated. If a logotype is simpler and iconic, it easier for the human brain to embed, store and recollect – building you a better brand recall.
Rule 2: Future Proof.
A well-executed company logotype design should not be time-sensitive. It is all too easy to design to the latest trend – but what looks great for today’s fashion tastes is unfashionable or naff tomorrow. A logotype should have longevity otherwise you will have to pay to have it redesigned in a few years and in the process lose any brand equity that your company may have already acquired. A logo created by a professional will last forever, so spending a bit more money is actually an investment that will pay back tenfold within a short space of time.
Rule 3: Relevant to business activity and relevant to the target audience.
A company logotype is the visual representation of the service and promises a client is making with the customer. So you’ll need the personality of the logotype to reflect the right emotional tone. Knowing the audience is the most important factor when deciding what type of logotype you want to pursue.
Believe it or not – the company logotype design is not designed for you – the client, the company logotype is designed for the audience of the client. It is extremely important to know what your audience will find appealing and compelling. Have you created a buyer persona yet? Do some homework and define your ideal customer.
Rule 4: Scalability.
The company logotype must work in large and small sizes. It is important that it remains legible and looks good when scaled down small – on a website or business card – but also across a motorway billboard or vehicle branding for example.
Rule 5: If it works in black, it’ll work in any colour.
Logotypes should be first designed at greyscale. It’d be a bit of a fail for a creative option to be rejected because you have a personal aversion to one particular colour that your designer did not know about. This is could be a missed opportunity, that may shift the creative direction to a less powerful creative option.
So. If you didn’t hire a designer for your company logotype who possessed the training and experience to adhere to the above best practice; your company logotype might not be fit for purpose. And if your identity lacks credibility – you will certainly lose money to your competition.
Frank Brands specialise in developing cutting-edge, stylish, relevant logotypes, and branding for companies just like yours.
If you’re a B2B business owner or CEO who has a first-rate service or product but are frustrated by your audience seeing a third-rate business image; I suggest we hook up for a coffee and together we can discuss developing your company brand to better reflect just how damn good you actually are.
We could also discuss the other essential elements of Corporate Identity – colours, typefaces, slogans, tone of voice, graphics (look & feel), photography are also hugely important, all of these elements should come together to produce an expression of your core idea.
Your brand.
Drop me an email here, or call me on 00971 50 538 6470, and let’s see how I can help better position your business for success.
