[dropcap2 color=”accent2″]D[/dropcap2]esigning a logo for your business is a huge step. It has to embody everything you want your business to represent as well as your own personality in one tiny image or word. All the great Logo’s of the world come to mind: Apple’s homage to itself with a bitten apple, the always cool but simple Nike swoosh, and Facebook’s compact, self explanatory, all lowercase “facebook” logo. It sounds so easy doesn’t it? But there are twice as many businesses that have made major mistakes in designing their logos – just look at the London 2012 Olympics! So below are a list of tips to use when contemplating a design for your business logo.
[success]1. Image or Word?[/success]
This is a decision that a lot of companies spend way too much time contemplating over. Here is your deciding factor: If you can find an image that you will love associating with your business, putting on every product, and can last the test of time (once again, Nike swoosh) then go for an image. Otherwise, a simple wordmark is the better option because it’s usually easier to remember than having to associate a symbol with a business- like Microsoft for example.
[success]2. Color[/success]
Color isn’t the hardest thing in the world to choose, but you may find yourself struggling. The reason why a lot of companies choose certain colors is simply because they like those colors. Big mistake. You need colors that will represent your business. Whether you like them or not is secondary, but finding the correct palate is essential. For example, say you’ve developed a new all organic pet food, the colors you want to use are going to be soft greens, earthy beige and brown, perhaps some dashes of white to offer a subtle contrast. These colors show that your product is exactly what it says it is – if you had chosen colors like black or neons, people would have a hard time connecting your product to your logo.
[success]3. Designer[/success]
No matter how much time you put into contemplating the exact format of your logo, you should still run it by a designer. more importantly, make sure your logo designer is familiar with your field of work – if you’re selling handmade Italian suits, someone with extensive knowledge of lawn mower logos won’t be able to help you. Experience in the field that you work in is essential when looking for a designer because they will have helpful input to give you as to what works and what doesn’t. Also, make sure your designer is a professional and that your branding design is authentic to you and your company.
I’m actually going to forward this to my bf– he’s making business cards right now and this is perfect