A logo is like an official seal that carries the company’s identity it represents. Brand and logo are interdependent and without the success of one, the other will fail. To be specific, successful brands use logos to create a permanent impression on their target audience. But simultaneously if the logo design is poor, then it can hurt the brand as well.
Branding is a tiresome process and needs uniquely imaginative approach from the designer. For effective branding, logo designers should follow these steps-
Detailed research
Research is an integral part of branding. Before designing a logo you must know about the company, their target audience, ideal fonts that can represent their image, the color they prefer, etc. Unless you have this information, you can’t understand which parts of the logo design needs special care and focus.
A catchy name
Give a unique name that will represent the company’s identity and then give that name a face by designing a logo. The name of the company should be catchy and instantly recognizable. It can be simple, complicated, developed from a spelling mistake or anything else. But it must carry enough weight and sound great. The ideal brand name is really tough to decide and even sometimes whimsical brand names become world famous. For example, the Sony brand came from the word “sonny”. It has no relation whatsoever with their product or business ideology, but it sounds cool!
Logo must establish trust
The power of logo is that it can easily convince people about the quality of the product or service. Don’t you buy a new computer manufacturer’s laptop just because it carries Windows logo? Unique logo design that has a bold style attracts the audience and that boldness reflects the brand’s confidence.
Create your own personality
What does a logo do? Does it tell you what the company offers? Think about Apple, McDonalds and Nike logo. These three are world famous logos but they actually describe nothing about the company. What they do however is, they help these companies to stand out from the crowd. There are several other electronics, burger and sports equipment manufacturer companies, but these three are the lord in their own industry.
Choose the ideal typography
Every industry has its own set of typography that defines their business style. Find out the ideal logo design fonts for your company and use them. For example, educational institutions and law firms use Trojan Pro, fashion industry uses ITC Avant Garde Gothic typeface.
Pick a color
The color of the logo has nothing to do with the products. It shows whether the company is youthful or corporate. For example, the yellow McDonald logo represents youthful vibe and Nike’s blue logo shows its corporate style.
Give it a shape
Some experts say that logos within a box or with border have better visibility but there is no steadfast rule. You may not use standard geometry and try innovative shapes if you wish to.
Scale the logo properly
Logos are promoted in different mediums and while designing a logo, always keep that factor in mind. What looks pretty in electronics media may not look good in print media when it’s 10 times enlarged. Always design the logo in vector format so that it does not get distorted when enlarged.
Conclusion
Logo is a vital part of branding but it’s not everything. Branding takes years of market promotion, credibility and customer satisfaction. However, logo is a symbol that gives the brand instant recognition and that’s why, while you design a logo, try to reflect the uniqueness of the company.
About the author
Carol Brown is a professional writer. If you want to read more articles of her, you should go to her blog here.