Getting your Brand Logo Right

For small businesses, the start of your brand is the logo. Your logo is the face of your business and builds recognition with your customers. But is your choice of branding fulfilling its purpose and attracting attention for the right reasons?

Whether you’re just starting your logo design or reinventing an outdated brand identity, here are some tips to help guide the process of creating your brand logo.

1. Does it fit your company image?

When (re)designing your logo, it is important to consider the styles of other companies in your industry. You’ll want a logo that is unique, but it needs to fit into what you are promoting. Bright colours don’t suit a funeral parlour and shades of grey in an angular font won’t resonate with customers at a party planners.

Researching common traits can help aid the design process; and in some industries, there is a common design theme. For example, a crest design is common for Brewery businesses, whilst for game console logos use variations of brand initials (Playstation, Xbox) are frequently used.

Choosing a design that mimics your company name can be very effective, particularly in negative space designs. For further inspiration, looking at new and upcoming logo design trends to give you an idea of how to make sure your re-branding is up-to-date. Design trends change fast, so don’t simply pick the latest style if you don’t like it. Consider a logo that has longevity – or you’ll have to rebrand every year at a huge cost.

2. Can it be transferred across medias?

The goal of the logo is to build up brand recognition. But what is equally important where it appears. Your brand logo will feature on all your business products, from online websites to print media, therefore consider how well it transfers between the two. A logo might look well suited to a website banner but it might not be recognisable when enlarged for posters or shrunk on business cards.

For marketing and brand identity, knowing how to use your brand logo in print is necessary because this is how the customer will interact with your company. Print media is still an effective advertising medium, with 81% of consumers reading direct advertising mail.

3. Is it high quality?

No one wants a blurred or pixelated image for their company. Your logo is your promotion, not just on advertising platforms but it is also the image you present when networking with business cards and on your business stationery.

Choosing high resolution graphics avoids pixelation during logo placement; anything smaller than 100 pixels will not be clear if enlarged. Similarly, complex logos tend not to transfer across media platforms well, and avoid using special effects within your design. The temptation to use shadowing, reflection and gradient changes may seem like a good idea, but it tends to look dated and cheap. Shape-based logos are good alternatives as they are more memorable and easier to adapt to business marketing resources.

Base your logo on a circle, square or triangle shape for brand logo development.

4. Have you chosen the right colours?

Colours carry certain meanings and value, with some combinations suiting your brand better than others. Keep the colour selection to 2-4 and make sure they blend well together. Looking at colour charts is a good way to see if your choices work together and don’t overwhelm each element.

If you’ve already got an established brand colour, make sure your logo ties into it as well.

Bear in mind the placement of the logo on your website design. If your brand colours are predominantly dark, a lighter logo will stand out, however brighter background colours need a darker contrasting logo.

5. Does it translate well?

Reviewing the final design is crucial; it allows you to spot errors or design flaws. It may seem obvious but many corporate companies have failed here. Check it is clear what your logo is, if the logo represents your company’s image and whether it targets your ideal consumer.

Also, making sure your logo works across cultures is important. Reviewing your logo to make sure there are no wording or symbols that would offend an international market is particularly important is your business is looking for international coverage. Translation and, importantly, localisation are key to conveying intent accurately. For international businesses with slogans in the logo, ensure the tagline translates correctly for global markets, avoiding mistakes made by Coors, KFC and even Ford.