When people hear or talk about a particular business, the first thing that pops in mind is the logo.
By Business Matters
30th September 2019
This functions as a visual representation of a company’s identity, both on printable material and in the online environment.
Elevating the image of your business in front of your target audience means designing a logo that stands out, a brand icon that can be described as memorable and powerful.
The way your logo looks like and what it actually illustrates will differentiate your brand from the others with the same or similar profiles. That is why paying attention to detail is critical, when you are working on the visual design of your logo.
You’ve probably received a few guidelines, gathered info online, but are you aware of the mistakes that you should avoid? Here are some logo-related bad choices that could in fact hurt the identity of your brand:
Unsuitability
Creating a logo isn’t the type of process you can pursue based on your own personal preferences. You can’t just choose something that catches the eye, and appeals to your own particular taste, if it’s not actually representative in one way or another for your domain or industry.
Suitability should stand at the base of your logo design process. You need to discover what your audience actually likes, what they are most drawn to in terms of visuals and create something that matches the exact profile of your company.
Start by studying the group of consumers your business is targeting. Find out as many details about what they like and use the information gathered to design an appropriate visual icon for your brand. When you have a picture of your main customer already created, it will become easier to work around it, and find a logo that would target them specifically.
Complexity
It’s perfectly natural for you to want your logo to be special – something consumers haven’t had the chance to see by now, something that shows how unique your business is. However, a high degree of complexity might not be as beneficial as you’d think.
Take a look at some of the most successful brands on a global scale. What can you notice? Simplicity! Starting from Apple and Coca-Cola and up to Nike, the biggest brands on the market have opted for a rather simple design. In some situations, you will need to scale down the icon – the more complex the logo design, the harder it will be to print it in a smaller size. As long as what you choose is actually recognizable, don’t create something that looks complicated. You don’t have to go to a great extent to find something that works for your company. With the right idea and a great logo maker, you can tackle this project successfully.
Borderline plagiarism
Just because you want to follow in a big brand’s footsteps, doesn’t mean you should copy their approach, and use their exact marketing and branding strategies. Borderline plagiarism is one of the biggest mistakes you can make when you are designing a logo.
You want to maintain your identity unique and unmatched, and every detail matters. If your logo resembles the one of your bigger competitors, consumers will see your business as unprofessional and will likely head in another direction.
Make the logo your own – something that you haven’t actually seen by now.
Focusing solely on the product instead of emotions
The truth is that, in most situations, costumers care more about what a brand makes them feel rather than the product itself. You may be selling something that many other businesses have available, so why should consumers choose you instead of your competitors? It’s all about the emotions you trigger, these are the ones to set you apart.
The main goal here is to have a brand that incentivizes people to choose your business and not another option. Your logo can have a powerful role here. If you make out of your logo an art form people are persuaded to actually care about, it will be easier to maintain a positive business image in an overly-competitive industry.
Take a look at the logo you are planning to use and ask yourself these questions: Does it actually speak to me? What does this visual icon make me feel? Make it more about emotions and less about the product.
Unfitting for all media
Does the logo work just as great printed out on a promotional material as it does on a social media network? Nowadays, logos should fit a wider variety of media channels than they had to back in the day, when printed marketing products were highly used, and digitalization hadn’t yet taken the world by storm. The visuals you opt for should go well on your website, on social channels, on billboards, business cards, branded products etc. That is why a minimalist choice is advised.
Font problems
Do you want to convey utmost professionalism and trust? If so, you should avoid fonts that can be described as silly. Think about what type of impression you want to leave behind and choose a font style that is actually in accordance with your requirements here.
Combing in two or multiple fonts in a single logo is also a bad choice. You want consistency and to express a clear message, so don’t be too playful when you are designing your brand’s icon, just because you are eager to obtain something interesting and memorable. Just as it was mentioned above, simplicity is better.
As you can see, there are a few things you should be avoiding, if you want your logo to remain representative for your brand’s philosophy and not affect the general image of your company. While it might not seem like such an important aspect at first, after researching the topic more in-depth, you’ll understand why your logo has such a big influence on your business and why you should handle its design process with attention and care. Keep these details in mind if you are currently working on a new logo, or simply want to improve your current one.
Curtesy of Business Matters UKs leading business magazine
