Your logo is the face of your brand image. It is the first thing that your customer identifies your company with.
Today it is common for people to say that a logo is everything when it comes to branding. This couldn’t be further from the truth. A logo is important in many ways when branding but it is not where the rubber meets the road with a business and a brand. If you meet someone who suggests that your logo is your brand, kick up your heels and run like hell!
Some logos are nothing more than straight text. Some have icons (ie: McDonald’s arches). The logo usually determines the corporate palette. Logos set the tone of the company. The public draws many conclusions about your brand by how the logo is presented. A good logo designer can mold perceptions into assuming certain attributes about the company. For instance I can make you assume that a company is much older than it’s young reality simply by designing it with a design culture from an earlier era. This plays on certain assumptions and stereotypes.
There are no set rules in logo design other than professionalism and an understanding of how it will be used. For designers it is a favored opportunity. It is usually one of the first steps in molding a company’s image.
Does a Logo Really Help You Sell?
A great logo helps to reinforce credibility and trust towards a company. Superior design can reduce barriers in the minds of potential customers. If a logo is obviously amateur in it’s execution, a customer is going to be more reluctant to trust them with their money. I’ve seen it time and again, that customers view a great logo with immediate trust. They view the brand as larger than it’s reality. This perceived bigness translates into a bigness and by extension successful. They want to align themselves with success and to think all of this goes into the design of a great logo.
Logos do create a positive impact for a business. All companies have logos BUT all don’t have great logos. Some may just be straight type right off the word processor – not a good move, but then my guess is that this type of company doesn’t respect the potential of their own brand.
Your goal in branding is to create an image that has an emotional impact with your customers.
Your Notebook To Do:
Answer the following Questions and put the ACTIONS in your To Do Notebook
- How does your logo reinforce credibility?
- Is your logo amateur? professional?
- How can you create an image that has emotional impact with your customers?
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I think a logo was much more important 10-20 years ago. With the internet, you can develop a solid brand without a fancy logo. It is true that a professional logo does help create trust though. So if you are struggling to convert visitors, one of the things you may want to analyze is your company’s logo.
A logo doesn’t have to be trendy or flashy — but I agree that a decent logo helps to establish credibility.
I design low cost websites for small business. The logo’s we receive from clients vary from extremely professional to Microsoft clip art. I have even had a client who printed business cards using his own hand-drawn logo.
A relatively professional looking logo can definitely sway customers who are comparing two different business. You don’t need to spend a lot of money — but you at least have understand that is shouldn’t be an afterthought.
My thoughts exactly. But of course, good slogan is important as well.
good promotion > good logo. MArketing is important then logo, in my opinion.
A logo is an important part of branding but it isn’t everything. I often say a sign of good branding is when you cover the logo and you still know who the company is.