Small Business Tips
Logo or "no go"
Before your customers know anything about you, they've probably already seen your logo. And what do people say about logos? They are worth a thousand words. A good logo can convey a lot of information in a catchy, unforgettable way. Every business — big or small — deserves a logo. It is a do or die business kind of thing. You either logo or your business might not go….where and how fast you want it to.
If you don’t have a logo for your business or are considering a new business, here are some points to ponder as you make your choice.
What a logo should do:
- Establish a brand identity. This is the first thing a well-designed logo will do for you. When customers see it, they automatically think your business must be a real company.
- Communicate what you do. Potential customers should look at your logo — and perhaps your tagline — and see that you offer something they may need.
- Build loyalty. The repeated exposure to your logo should remind customers of your exemplary customer service or top quality line of products. If you have created a positive business relationship with people, they will be reminded of that every time they see your logo.
- Type based. Your logo could be a typographical treatment of your business name. Facebook and Sony would be examples of this style. The big ones are the business equivalent of single name celebrities, like Oprah.
- Illustrations. Other businesses use an illustration that communicates who they are. The purest of these might be the logos of some professional sports teams, such as the St. Louis Cardinals and Denver Broncos.
- Abstract. We all know the Nike swoosh or the Target bulls eye. We never need to see the name of the company. Further, its design has come to communicate speed and athleticism.
- Hybrids. Often type will be combined with either a realistic illustration or abstract design. The type may be the name of the company, a tagline or both.
- The colors you choose for your logo are as important as the design itself. Colors evoke emotion and communicate on a very instinctive level and you have to keep this in mind as you select your design. Far too many small business owners just go with colors they like. When you think you have a good basic color you want to use, do an online search for color schemes and you can find other colors that will go along with it. When we examine colors that some major brands are using, their choices become a lot more obvious. Each of these companies has aligned their logo to a specific color to trigger a very specific emotional response.
