If you stop to think of the biggest companies you know, you will instantly associate them with a few marks of brand identity – their colors, their motto, and, probably most importantly, their logos.
Apple have their bitten apple, McDonald’s have their special “M”, Nike has their swoosh sign, and the list could go on forever and ever.
Every reputable company, in every industry, has a unique logo to make them stand out from the crowd.
Why are logos so important, regardless of what type of business you are running – and how to create a stunning logo like a pro?
We have gathered some tips to help you with this – so read on and find out more.
Your Logo Can Go a Long Way – Here’s Why
You might be among those entrepreneurs who believe in their product’s power to win the market, rather than on marketing the product on the market and making it be wanted by consumers.
While a product-centric approach can definitely win you a lot of followers, the truth is that these days, you are competing on a fierce market – and it doesn’t even matter if you sell socks, cars, or high-end technical equipment. Regardless of what your business is all about, there’s a high chance that someone else did something similar before you.
Even if your product is 100% unique, if it doesn’t stand out from the crowd and attract your target audience’s attention, it is quite likely that it will grow old on a shelf, never gaining the traction it deserves.
When it comes to marketing your product, good logo is one of the very first steps to make in the right direction – and you don’t have to take our word for it. There are actual studies proving that branding can make all the difference in the world for a business – and even more so when it comes to imagery.
For instance, according to a study, the right colors can increase your brand recognition by no less than 80%. This makes perfect sense, since it has been proven already that our brains can process images 600,000 faster than text.
Add all this to the fact that 60% of the millennial market expects a consistent brand experience across different channels of communication and you will understand just how important it is to create a logo that wins your audience’s attention.
“Sure”, you might say, “but we’re a small business, just starting out, and we don’t even have the money to spend on a graphic designer to create a proper logo and visual brand identity for our company”.
Well, as it turns out, it is equally important (if not more important) for a small business to brand themselves properly. Some of the reasons include the following:
– You are a new business on the market, and branding will improve your recognition;
– Every single marketing effort you make will be supported by your branding efforts;
– You will improve your team’s morale (because they will have a sense of belonging).
Can You Actually Create a Powerful Logo on Your Own?
The short answer is “yes, you can”. If you have the budget, do hire a graphic designer by all means. But if you don’t have a lot of money for this and if you want to reap all the benefits of a well-created logo, you can definitely do it on your own.
And no, you will not have to spend months of your life learning how to work with the appropriate tools. You can easily do this with an online logo creation tool that’s easy to use and very affordable too.
Here are some of the main tips to keep in mind to make your logo look professional and attractive:
– Decide if you want a visual logo or a text-only logo. While there are plenty of examples in the second category that are more than famous (Coca-Cola, Google, and so on), this MIT Sloan study shows that visual logos are usually more effective than text-based logos. This might be very tightly connected to the statistics we mentioned above on how the brain processes images faster than it does with text.
– Choose an image that’s representative for your business. Don’t take things too literally because sometimes, the name of your company isn’t actually related to its main area of activity. Shell doesn’t sell seashells or beach vacations, nor does Penguin sell penguins or Arctic adventure trips.
– Pick the right font. If you choose to include the name of your company in your logo (and make it both visual and text-based), make sure to choose a font that stands out. Remember, though, the font should be easy to read and remember – there’s no point in using something people will just not understand.
– Don’t be afraid to be a little witty. For instance, the arrow under “amazon” has a double-entendre. It can be seen as a “delivery” symbol, but it can also be interpreted as a smile if you look at it.
– Keep it really simple. You might feel that an intricate logo will push you out of anonymity – but that is not the case. The more complex your logo is, the less people will remember of it, and so, the less efficient the logo will be in itself. Stick to simple symbols – the kinds everyone understands and make your logo unique by taking a different path in the way you bring the symbols together.
– Coordinate your logo’s colors with those of your company brand (if you have already set this). However, keep in mind that you shouldn’t use too many colors for your logo because it will only make things more complicated. Also, when you are just starting your work on your logo, keep it black and white (and add color towards the end). This will allow you to focus on the meaningfulness of the logo itself, rather than just the aesthetics.
Creating a good logo is not difficult – not with the tools you have at your disposal these days, at least. As long as you can conceptualize your business and what you are all about, your logo will definitely reflect that. Don’t be afraid to think out of the box, do your research, analyze your competition, and keep your logo clean and attractive.
