Everything your business stands for can simply be conveyed by your company logo. It's basically the visual representation of your unique selling proposition, key benefits, and products or services offered.
Sad to say, there are numerous business owners out there who do not comprehend the need for developing a well-designed, professional branding identity.
Whether you're in the process of doing your first logo design or perhaps thinking of rebranding your business, there are 5 essential points you must carefully consider if you want to create a great and lasting impression:
Begin with end in mind. Logo design is not entirely about creativity. It's all about sending the right message to your customers. So, before you even attempt sketching, it is important to take one step back and take a look at the big picture. How do you like your potential customers to perceive your small business? What is your mission statement? Who are your target customers? These questions are the backbone of a great company logo.
Know your competition. It certainly is better to check out the trademarks of your direct as well as indirect competitors. Are they using flashy graphics or conservative font-based logo like IBM, Nokia, Mobil, and Volvo? This is critical for 2 reasons. First, you don't want to have the same look and feel used by your friendly competitors. Second, this exercise will avoid any trademark infringement and other legal issues in the long run.
No clipart please. Some entrepreneurs want to cut corners so they use clipart without realizing they are weakening their brand image. Clipart is not even great for PowerPoint presentations. Trust me; it will be really bad if you use that as your official emblem. More than that, it devalues the uniqueness of your business for it can be copied too easily. Keep in mind, branding is focused on putting your small business above and beyond competition.
Limit your colors. While it's nice to have an ultra creative six-color logo design, there's a hidden cost that you don't realize. First, printing your logo to stationery and other marketing materials is much more expensive in case you are using a lot of colors. To make matters worse, not all printing companies is equipped with the right equipment to do this. And don't forget that your logo will appear in different media from billboard, newspaper, promotional products, signage, product packaging, etc. It's generally safe and cost-effective to have one or two-color logo.
Think of long-term value. A great logo design must be relevant for the next 10 to 20 years. Great examples are Nike and Google. It is relatively simple and classy and it has been exactly the same ever since its beginning. Upgrading an outdated logo design is very risky for there is always a chance of offending or confusing your target buyers.