This post is for entrepreneurs, startup founders, small business owners, graphic designers, and everyone involved in the process of researching, creating, and approving a logo.
When a new business is opened, it needs the best available tools to help it reach success. A logo is, certainly, one of them. A bad logo can make the company or product look amateurish, cheap, unskilled, and unreliable. Not the best way to start, eh?
If a new business can’t afford to invest in a logo, it probably shouldn’t be opening at this point.
Think about it. Your logo is the foundation of your brand. Would you insist on building a house even though its foundation is compromised? Now if you are reading this, you care about your logo, or you are a qualified professional researching about the 10 steps to ensure the perfect one. So let’s get to them:
1) Hire a professional
When you start a business, there are so many things to take into consideration and a lot of expenses. Unfortunately, some people try to “save money” by choosing not to hire a professional to design a brand identity until the first clients come along or (sometimes even worse) create the logo themselves, possibly with the help of an inexperienced friend.
Not investing in your logo is one of the worst things you can do for your new business as this action can result in your business failure.
2) Analyze the Competition
Before diving into the design process, it’s crucial to understand the competitive landscape within your industry. Analyze competitors’ logos to identify common themes, unique elements, and areas for differentiation. Pay attention to colour schemes, typography choices, and visual symbolism used by competitors. This analysis provides valuable insights that can inform the design direction and help ensure your logo stands out in the marketplace.
3) Make sure the concept is well defined
What is the company’s service? The line of business? The target audience? When both contractor and graphic designer know who the company is and its profile, it becomes easier to define the image that is being created. This step is related to the branding (you can read more about it here) and sometimes it can be so tricky and time is short and you just want to skip the concept part. Well, you can’t. The logo will reflect the experience customers will have when buying or consuming this product or service, so this need to be absolutely clear before designing the logo. Always do it right the first time.
4) The choice of colour
The ideal is to use palettes that match the field of business, avoiding bright and dazzling colours. Understanding the colours and their effect on people is also an asset. It’s definitely possible to influence a customer with the right combination.
Regardless the palette choice, the logo has to be adaptable to black and white, grayscale, and two colours.
5) A current style
The market is constantly changing. Maybe there’s a trend in the industry or in design? It is important to be easily identified by the public as a new option. You want to stand out but not by being so different that people can’t understand what or who you are. The logo cannot look obsolete. In fact, it needs to look timeless, even though at one point it will have adjustments, maybe every decade, which is perfectly normal.
6) Ensure Design Harmony and Versatility
It’s imperative to ensure that the logo achieves harmony in its design elements while remaining versatile across different applications. A skilled designer will meticulously balance graphical elements, colour schemes, and typography to create a visually striking logo. Consider how the logo will resonate with your target audience and effectively convey your brand’s identity. By prioritizing design harmony and versatility, you can maximize the logo’s effectiveness in capturing audience attention and fostering brand recognition.
7) Typography
This is also related to style as some areas are more limited in the typography and don’t allow too much adventure. As much as possible, the designer should try font options as serif, sans serif, bold, script, italic, or customized. Of course, the designer should only present the options that fit well with the figure. Whatever you choose, just make sure the text in the logo is readable in big and small sizes.
8) Test for Scalability and Adaptability
Once the initial design concepts are developed, it’s essential to test the logo’s scalability and adaptability across various platforms and mediums. Consider how the logo will appear on digital screens, print materials, merchandise, and signage. Test its legibility and visual impact across different resolutions and viewing conditions. Additionally, assess how the logo adapts to different color backgrounds and environments to maintain consistency and versatility. Size is also a strategic point because the logo should be visually pleasing and readable in multiple dimensions. Functionality is essential. The logo should work in high-resolution and low-resolution, both horizontally and vertically, with or without a box around it, printed, screened, embroidered on a shirt… the possibilities are endless, so versatility is key.
9) Recognition
This is where the magic happens. A successful logo is one that is easily recognized by the public. It means that it’s memorable, timeless, interesting, and eye-catching, capturing attention and leaving a lasting impression. In a market full of competitors, the ability of a logo to stand out is crucial. Additionally, the more it gets recognized, the bigger the emotional bond created between the brand and the customer. This link strengthens customer loyalty, fostering a sense of trust and familiarity that encourages repeat business and even advocacy.
10) Trademarking
Trademarking your name and logo is a critical step in protecting your brand identity and intellectual property rights. While we do not provide legal services, we strongly recommend consulting with a legal professional to determine the appropriate steps for trademark registration. Securing legal protection for your name and logo helps safeguard your brand from potential infringement and establishes exclusive rights to use them in commerce. For more information on trademarking, we suggest seeking guidance from a qualified attorney or intellectual property expert.
Well, I hope this helps you in this exciting process of creating a logo and a brand. If you’re hiring a profession, check out their portfolio before making a decision. Once you make your choice, trust the professional that was hired, but use this post to acknowledge what you need and make it very clear at the briefing process. To the graphic designer: as any process of creation, there is no strict rule, so also trust your artistic instincts and happy designing!
Thank you!
