While the creation of a professional website is one of the fundamental pillars of a new business’ online presence, the creation of the logo is one of the most important steps in defining the brand image and will help to stand out from the competition. Many small businesses play down this issue by claiming that only big companies need a logo, but they forget that today’s giants were once small and one of the keys to their success was choosing a good company logo.
Consumers tend to remember better what they see than what they read or hear. It is because of them that having a well designed logo is essential for the marketing strategy of your online business but also to attract new customers.
In order for a logo to become the central axis of the brand identity and gain a foothold in the minds of consumers, it must meet a series of requirements.
The three characteristics of a good logo
- It should be simple
The saying goes, “less is more.” For a logo to be attractive, it must be powerful but not complicated. An overloaded design, full of graphic elements and colors can be striking but probably nobody will remember it after some time. The simpler the design, the easier it will be to fit into the consumer’s imagination. Sometimes, a single-colored image or silhouette without typography can be enough to make the logo memorable.
- It must be original
Be original! This is the mantra that you must repeat endlessly. As in any creative process, originality is the key to success. An original design will make you stand out from the rest. The originality of your logo will help you stand out from the competition. Before you start designing a company’s logo (or dictating creative guidelines to your designer) remember that there is a fine line between inspiration and plagiarism… Don’t make that mistake.
The originality of your logo will help the public remember you and differentiate you from the competition. Therefore, before designing your logo, remember that the line between inspiration and plagiarism is very thin, avoid crossing it!
- It must be consistent
Although it may seem easy, designing a good logo requires a good investment of time. Time for research, time for brainstorming and, above all, time to understand what the brand values are, what the target audience is and where we want to position ourselves. A good logo must be consistent with the company’s philosophy and must be in line with the values you want to convey. The logo plays an important role not only in the marketing strategy but also in the overall success of the company.
One of the most recurrent techniques to align the design with the brand values is the use of color. While this may seem like the most fun step, it is a critical stage in the creative process. The feelings that our brand generates in the public depend on the choice of color palette.
Wrong practices to avoid
Meeting the three requirements of a good logo is not enough. That’s why our design experts have created a list of things you shouldn’t do when you are preparing to create your business logo:
Stay away from trends – although it is very important to be aware of design trends, a logo should be timeless. Unicorns and flamingos are lovely and very fashionable these days but that doesn’t mean that they will have the same impact in time. You can’t afford to have your logo expire from time to time.
Homemade designs – you may be the king of Paint but it’s best to use a professional platform that allows you to create a good corporate logo.
Choose your logo just because you love the color – as we mentioned before, a color is much more than a shade, it can denote a thousand and one characteristics of your brand. If your logo’s color palette is not aligned with your company’s values, disaster is assured
Copying your competitors – Making a copy of another company’s logo or creating a design “based on” or very similar will not bring you the success and recognition that the competition enjoys, in fact, at best, you can earn a nice plagiarism complaint. Learn from a competitor’s success – yes, copy – no!
Can the logo be changed?
Many entrepreneurs and small businesses ask themselves this question. As we mentioned before, our company logo should be timeless, that is, without an expiration date. However, times are moving forward and aesthetic canons are changing, so our answer to this complicated question is: “change no, evolve yes”.
Businesses that are lucky enough to endure over time must adapt to advances in technology and changes in the tastes of their target audience, and all this without losing their essence or the values that have defined them for so many years. That is why versatile design is the key to adapting to change.
