First impressions are everything. Your company logo is the first introduction to your business that potential clients see, so it has to make an impressive impact. Looking to powerfully build your brand? Keep in mind the following five tips to incorporate into your company logo design, and you’ll be well on your way to becoming a thriving name in your industry.
1. Research Your Rivals
The only way you can succeed is by being exceptional. Instead of creating something that already exists, you need to be a unique brand. To start, it’s important to research your rivals. By scouting out your competitors’ websites and logos you’ll have a good idea of the current trademarks and colors they’re using.
Ideally your company logo should stand out from the rest, so it must look quite different to another company’s, even if you’re in similar industries. The idea is to survey and generate your own idea of a memorable logo for your company that conveys your brand message, speaks to your customers and be the face of your business in the long run.
Remember, when you have an available idea for your logo, secure it immediately! Protect your company logo with a trademark as your own intellectual property. This way, your brand is legally yours, and you can use the trademark symbol “®” which also makes you more reputable.
2. Carefully Consider the Logo Destination
When designing your logo, don’t forget the format! Where will you use your logo? On a business card, flyer, social media, website, or perhaps on a billboard, the outside of your office block or on corporate stationery and office equipment?
Your company logo should impress both online and in print. What may look on flyers and stationery may not be so attractive on high screen resolution, on a website or even on a mobile phone. If your business is purely online then it’s best to test out on all digital media whereas for online to place your logo on all types of print media.
Play around with different background colors to see how your logo will look against white, black and gray. This shows how your target audience will perceive it.
The more your potential customers see your logo, and across various platforms, the more they’ll recognize and remember it. The way your company logo is designed should be easily visible and usable across multiple formats and mediums.
3. Entrust an Experienced Expert
Even though it’s your company, unless you have an in house team member who can help you with your logo creation. Placing your logo design in the hands of a professional designer can make all the difference. They know the principles of effective design. While it can be a costly process to hire a brand design expert, it’s a sound investment in your company’s future.
You get what you pay for, so invest in the best and make your company logo budget allocation count. Your logo and name remains the first point of contact, so ensure yours is designed skillfully and you have a bigger chance of tasting success!
4. Specifically Select Your Shades
Color is the attention grabber when a prospective customer first lays eyes on your company logo. Are you aware of just how influential and significant picking the correct color can be? It’s not only aesthetically pleasing, but also affects the mind and emotions, resulting in various responses.
This is why an understanding of color psychology is vital when you brainstorm your company’s logo. Your logo can increase your brand’s recognition by as much as 80%. If clients like and recognize what they see, they’re more likely to have confidence in your brand and remember it for future referrals.
How would you like your clients to respond when they see your company logo? One of the most attention grabbing colors marketers use is red. It inspires action, energy, excitement and passion. Green represents growth, health, nature and money, while blue symbolizes calm, peace, stability and trust. There are plenty of other shades to select from, or you might even opt for a combination of two contrasting colors.
5. Try and Test It Out
Finally, it’s time to put all your ideas into practice. You won’t really know the full effect of a design until it’s tried and tested. When you first started this process you had envisioned your ideal client base. Now’s your chance to assess their feedback, so why not invite them to be part of the process by rating different logo options or using a quick online survey for their input?
Don’t rush this important process of seeing how the public responds to your company’s logo. Once you’ve got some comments to work with, you and your brand design expert can tweak your current options or rework your entire logo. Keep evolving until you’ve got the perfect design that’s ready for rolling out.
Remember your company logo can make or break your reputation. How you build your brand depends on how clever you are with using your logo. Sometimes the unconventional approach may be the best way to launch your brand and garner the traction you are aiming for. These tips also work for companies which are thinking of rebranding and adapting their old logo to create a new one – whether to announce an expansion, brand extension or new business direction.
Using these five tips will help you rise to success and find your way to becoming one of the best brands to consider. You’ll be recognized as professional, trustworthy, stay in the minds of your target audience and reach your business goals. That’s the power of a simple company logo!
Author Bio
Lucas Smith is a content strategist and freelance blogger who likes to write on topics related to small business, social media and brand design.