A great logo is a powerful part of any business or organization’s branding effort. Most people know a great logo when they see it. But what is the secret sauce that makes a logo truly great? This blog post will give you a peek behind the curtain of logo creation and also includes a express logo checklist for you to use with a logo that you have designed for you, or create yourself.
Please note that in the first sentence of this post I said, “A great logo…” emphasis here is on the word great. We are going to define greatness as effectiveness. A cool logo is cool. A funky logo is funky. A professional-looking logo is professional-looking. But an effective logo is really something great because to be effective, it clearly communicates the message of your brand and connects with the target audience that you are working to serve.
(An important note about this is that if your mom or your sister or best friend are not part of your target audience and they don’t love your logo—that’s ok. You can appreciate their feedback but since they are not the type of person you are working to attract to be your perfect client, just say thanks and create something that is attractive and resonates with the people you do want to reach. So if your grandfather, and maybe a current client and the head of the volunteer organization you are part of ARE members of your target audience, see what they think and take it into consideration.)
Secret #1: The look and feel communicates with your target audience.
The key to this secret is to know about your target audience. Who is your ideal client? Who are you trying to serve? What is their age, gender, interests? What need are you meeting for them? Once you are able to narrow this down, write it down, and picture them in your mind, you are ready to communicate with them in a way they can best understand your message. Keep in mind that your logo is for them to connect with your business AND show them who you are. If you develop your logo based on what you like, and not what they like, your brand and message may not go far.
Secret #2: You are set apart from your competition.
Your competition is working to attract the same target audience that you are working to attract. So, make your logo better. To do this, draw on your unique message, the service you deliver and how the personality of your organization makes you unique. Use colors and fonts in your logo to do this for you and check out this post to see how a couple of global competitors do this.
Secret #3: It speaks at a glance.
If you need to explain the elements of your logo, it might be too complicated. A logo should communicate your core message, your basic business personality or your main service options. A logo should not require a full page explanation, or a book. If it does, it is not using the instant, emotional connection that effective logos offer.
Secret #4: One size fits all.
Scalability of size is important in a logo. It needs to look great on your website, on a business card, on a 12 foot banner and everything in between.
Secret #5: It should be colorblind.
When designing a logo for the web, it’s easy to forget to consider that you may also need to use it on printed matter, like letterhead, shipping materials, forms and business cards. It should translate in a digital and printed world to keep your branding consistent with it. It should also look good in both color and in black and white. Even if you are using it only for the web, and someone prints off a page from your site, or some information you share, and they print in only black and white, your logo should still look great every time they see it printed on that piece of paper.
Secret #6: It won’t expire.
Many logos that we consider “classic” have gone through different stages and have acquired different looks during their lifetime. This evolution is an exciting part of the business world. But, your logo should be something that you can look at in 5, 10, or 20 years and be satisfied that it once looked the way it does now. Using current graphic design trends can keep your logo fresh and up-to-date, but mix that in with foundational design principles like readability and clarity so that your logo doesn’t need to fade away in 6 months.
Secret #7: It will work as your business grows.
As your business grows, your logo can be a great part of that growth. You can adapt it using different color combinations, different backgrounds and different taglines. You can also create different logos for different marketing campaigns, new products that you offer and as you add new services for your customers.
This easy to use logo design secrets checklist will help you make the most of these logo design secrets.
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Effective logo checklist
——>> Click here to download printable version of effective logo checklist <<——-
– Does it communicate the look and feel of my organization to my target audience?
– Does it set my organization apart from its competition?
– Is it simple?
– Can it be scaled so that it can be clearly read and seen in different sizes?
– Is the design clear in both color and black and white plus web and print formats?
– Is it timeless?
– Is it specific to my business but allow me to expand my business?
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Guest post by Larisa Lambert Mills
Larisa Lambert Mills is a writer and editor and offers her expertise on branding, marketing and books