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Packaging your Business.
"Once you selected a name, the next step is very crucial."
Creating Your Logo.
When working with our designer who is to develop your logo, research is very
important starting point. Begin by noting and collecting samples of identities
you like and don't like. Articulate your vision and share this vision with us.
You have to do your homework. Decide what the company or product will stand for
and let us know. Tell us how you plan to use the logo, will it appear on
uniforms, trucks, etc.
Points To Keep In Mind.
Check out the competition. Compare the images they've chosen.
Are they bold or conservative? What image might distance you from the pack?
A logo should reflect the nature of your business and provide
people with some clues as to the services you provide or the products you sell.
If you sell high-end cars, for example, you might want to use a more classic
typeface.
Remember a simple design work best for all mediums. It should be
easy to see no matter what the size and easy to recognize.
Colors aren't as crucial as you might think, but think twice
before selecting bold ones. They typically don't reproduce well, and can
increase your printing costs. If the logo doesn't look good in black and white,
it won't look good no matter what the color scheme you choose. Keep in mind the
your logo will not only be used on a website but on business cards, fax paper
and envelopes. Pick a clean typeface steer clear of thin type. It won't
reproduce well, and if the type needs to be reduced, it can make for a difficult
read.
Think of the future and avoid being too trendy. A good logo
should last your company 15 years and give customers a chance to burn the image
in their minds.
Having a logo designed or modified can usually set a small
business back anywhere from $500 to $1,000+ depending on how elaborate you want
to make the process.
Logo Design Your logo is a visual representation of everything your company stands for. Has it become dated or taken a back seat to other images that represent your company's identity? When you survey customers and examine the competition, is there confusion about what you do? A good logo should communicate something about the nature of your business, product or service. So if this vital component is out of step with your message and customers, it's time to bring it up-to-date.
Corporate Identity, Brand and Image It is important to distinguish between corporate identity, brand identity, and brand image. Corporate identity is concerned with the visual aspects of a company's presence. When companies undertake corporate identity exercises, they are usually modernizing their visual image in terms of logo, design, and collaterals. Such efforts do not normally entail a change in brand values so that the heart of the brand remains the same - what it stands for, or its personality. Unfortunately, many companies do not realize this fallacy, as they are sometimes led to believe by agencies and consultancy companies
that the visual changes will change the brand image. But changes to logos, signage, and even outlet design do not always change consumer perceptions of quality, service, and the intangible associations that come to the fore when the brand name is seen or heard.
The Beauty of Simplicity
Marissa Mayer lives with that conundrum every day. As Google's director of
consumer Web products, she's responsible for the search site's look and feel.
Mayer is a tall, blond 30-year-old with two Stanford degrees in computer science
and an infectious laugh. She's also Google's high priestess of simplicity,
defending the home page against all who would clutter it up. "I'm the
gatekeeper," she says cheerfully. "I have to say no to a lot of people."
Logo Design - Not Just a Typeface Often overlooked as "cosmetic," a company's logo can be one of its hardest-working assets. A company logo may be the last thing cost-conscious CEOs focus on when
they're looking to jump-start growth. Which is perhaps why it took more than two decades for White Mountain Footwear, a privately held shoe manufacturer based in Lisbon, N.H., to finally give its own emblem some serious thought.
Paul Rand - The Logo Design King!
Think of three resonant, established logos, and, chances are, at least one of them was created by Rand, the father of modern branding. With his succinct philosophy that "the
trademark should embody in the simplest form the essential characteristics of the product or institution being advertised," Rand practically created the corporate logo culture. Were IBM, Westinghouse, UPS, or ABC on your list? All Rand's.
Steps to a Better Logo Design In order to design a good logo, you need to know your customer and your customer's customer, as well. Many customers may come to you and request a particular style of logo design, or the use of a particular symbol. Dig
deeper ? find out what is unique about your customer, how they solve their customer's problems, who their target market is. Is the target market over sixty? You may want to use larger type than normal to alleviate failing eyesight. Is the target market twenty-something? Vibrant colors such as those used in popular computer games may be the answer.
Just a name and a logo design! To me, a Corporate Identity is not only the visual representation of a business (name,
tagline: value proposition in minimal number of words, logo, corporate colors and typeface), but also its philosophy and its values. In today's world, we are all bombarded with information, every waking minute. Globalization increases competition, products are interchangeable, and new products come to the market at an ever faster rate. Every business is competing for our attention.
The Logo Design Process
New designers often ask how to design a logo. Below is my process for designing logos; YMMV (your mileage may vary) - which is fine. I'm just sharing my process with you so that you have a starting point. Most of this logo process is in a certain order - for instance, you should always get information about the company and its market before you even think about designing - but certain steps aren't so cut and dried. I might look around for information before picking fonts, for instance.
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