Having an effective logo can be a huge advantage, especially for a small business. Creating a personalized logo defines a business, not only for itself but for its current and future clients. Because it is a type of branding, a good logo is an investment of time and money. From the design to the versatility or the memorability, what makes a good logo is as unique to the business as the business itself.
Good logos utilize the “less is more” tactic. Having a simple design for your logo enables the clientele to quickly and easily associate the logo with your business. Within the simplicity of design is something unique but is recognizably attached to your company.
To make a good logo, utilize these 4 tactics.
Appropriate
Logos that are effective need to be appropriate for the business, the service/product, and the ideal target market. An example of this is the logo to ToysRUs. The logo is both playful and fun with bright colors but appropriate for the fact that the company sells toys. The font, backward R and the overall phrase (which lacks proper grammar) is also appropriate to the clientele. Not all logos need to say or display their product/service outright. Car and phone logos do not display the product but rather brand their name using a different focus.
Memorability and Versatility
While a logo needs to be appropriate, it also needs to be memorable. What makes a logo memorable is its ability to make the client recall memories and feelings associated with your small business or company. Therefore, an important step in this process is to put yourself in the client’s shoes – decide how you would want them to feel about your product/service and how that can be transmitted in an artistic way. Examples of this include the golden arches of the “M” on the McDonald logo or the stylish checkmark sign of the Nike symbol.
Memorability and versatility should go hand-in-hand. The famous McDonald logo has been updated and changed several times over the years. However, the branding still retains those unique elements that have timelessly been associated with the store and the products such as the “M” or the specific color of red chosen.
Simple
Above all, an effective logo should be simple. Especially in today’s society with technology and media constantly streaming advertisements, the smallest and cleanest details stick more firmly in a client’s mind than overly designed ones. By using a simple logo design, your small business helps both the clientele stay engaged, quickly associate the logo with you and helps your company define itself as concretely as possible.
Simplicity can translate to multiple factors about the logo. The basic geometric shapes and primary colors are a basic way to start. By using more primary shapes, the brain more quickly ties the shapes to a memory. Having bold and simple colors does much of the same. Primary colors have been proven to call attention to the human eye more than specialty colors.
Timeless
Although it seems obvious, a logo becomes timeless over time. As your small business grows, so will the logo. By utilizing the previously mentioned tactics, a logo essentially becomes timeless on its own and proves itself to be an investment that was worth making.
