Marketing with your logo

The old saying ‘never judge a book by its cover’ can be thrown out the door in the marketing world. Everything you present to the world will be judged, publicly and subconsciously.

Your logo is a valuable marketing tool. It says more than you may think about your company. Your logo is often the first thing potential clients see and therefore is what their first impression will be based on.

The right logo will draw your targeted clientele in, explaining at a quick glance what your business is all about. The wrong logo can get you easily dismissed as sub par and suddenly you are on the back foot working hard to change their impression of your business.

A current logo can be used to differentiate your business from everyone else’s. What can you do that your competitors won’t? Designing your logo with this thought in mind is a great opportunity to lift your business above the crowd.

Make sure your logo encompasses the following 5 traits:

1. RECOGNISABLE

You want it to be easily recognisable. We’re inherently drawn towards the familiar – it is comfortable and we know what to expect.

2. LEGIBLE

Make it legible, if you can’t read the copy, no one can. Having a strapline is fantastic to clarify what you do succinctly, but if it’s too small to read, take it off or enlarge it. Amateurs have illegible logos.

3. CLEAR

Make sure your logo isn’t over complicated with complex shapes and lines. Don’t forget your logo has to be reduced in scale for a business cards and other smaller spaces. In a similar light, it must look good when it is blown up, say if you were to advertise on a billboard or shopfront signage.

4. ORIGINAL

Keep it original. Trends like fashion come and they go. Be timeless and special, not a cliché. There is a reason why the big brands like Nike and Coca-Cola keep their logo as they are with only the slightest tweak to keep it current.

5. MEMORABLE

Being memorable is important. We are bored with seeing the same shapes and they then get lost in our memories. Upon discovering your business, a prospective client may not need your services immediately. However, if your logo is memorable, when the time comes, they may remember your logo. They can then google your company name and find your details.

A SYMBOL OR OTHER SMALL DESIGN ADOPTED BY AN ORGANISATION TO IDENTIFY ITS PRODUCTS, UNIFORM, VEHICLES, ETC.”

Oxford dictionary

A logo is made up of these 3 ingredients:

1. COLOUR

The colours used are vital to set your product or service offerings within its industry and help it to stand out at amongst its peers.

2. FONT

A childish font for a day care centre would be appropriate; the same font for a surgery practice would have a very different implication. Top tip: never ever use comic sans (unless you are under 13 years of age).

3. PERSONALITY

What industry is your business trading in? What are you selling / offering? Who is the target audience? These imperative questions will give you the answer of the personality of your logo, be it corporate and professional or fun and warm.

Optional additions to your logo

VISUAL HAMMER

Do you use an image or symbol? Nike has the tick; Starbucks has the mermaid; Lufthansa has the flying bird to name a few. The purpose of this is to hit home what your business does, hooking your clients’ attention and holding in their memory.

STRAPLINE OR NOT TO STRAPLINE

Some businesses more than others call for a strapline. The reason for this is to make sure your clients know who you are and what you do at a glance. Make sure you have logo versions without the strapline as you won’t always require or have the space to include it.

If your current logo doesn’t cover these points, perhaps it is time to go back to the drawing board?