Is Your Logo Opening The Eyes Of Your Market? – 7 Key Characteristics
Every marketplace is crowded. We all know the struggles of getting your brand recognised. One of the best ways to do this is to present an eye-opening logo to your target audience.
Studies suggest that humans respond best to visual stimuli, it’s not clever, it’s not a trick - it’s just nature. Think of some of the largest companies out there: Nike, Apple, Coca Cola… what did you just see? I guarantee it was their logo that just flashed through your inner conscience.
While designing a logo may seem easy there are 7 key characteristics that make up a successful and effective logo for your company:
1) Identifiable
Just like our fingerprints, your logo should be unique. A one-of-a-kind visual representation of your company. It should express your company’s personality and the value that you can give to your customers. Remember: it has to be eye catching and interesting.
2) Simplicity
On that note, you have to remember to keep it simple. Although we respond best to visual stimuli we can only take so much information in. Too complex and your logo will start to have multiple messages and therefore have a negative effect. Decide on exactly what message you want to convey and produce the visual of that. A good example is amazon; the arrow from A to Z represents the sheer variety of products they sell. A clear message conveyed in a simple yet effective eye-catching visual.
3) Memorable
A logo design must be interesting enough to make a strong and immediate impression. Remember to keep the message clear so that the imagery and association is quick to recognise and recall. You can do this using distinct shapes, fonts, and bight clear colours. This is your brand you want people to remember.
4) Differentiated
Don’t copy. I know it’s hard and we all have our favourites, but remember this is your company. So make it your own.
5) Enduring
Try not to get caught up in the latest fad. Trends are a tempting prospect but they come and then they go (anyone remember the mullet? Pokémon cards?) It was trendy in the 90’s for a lot of companies to have a swoosh (technical term, I swear) in their logo. Most of those companies have gone now. Make your logo stand the test of time, make it a timeless classic like McDonalds.
6) Emotional and Engaging
A good logo designer will be able to develop some feeling of emotion or personal engagement between the audience and the logo. This can be done in various ways; whether it’s the fonts, colours or a symbol. A good logo design will combine that visual language to speak to your audience in ways words can’t. What is it they say? A picture paints a thousand words.
7) Versatile
In today’s modern world your marketplace can expand across several mediums, whether it’s digital, print or multimedia, your logo will be seen everywhere. It’s therefore important that your logo is versatile enough to stretch and expand/ collapse to accommodate a variety of situations. A good logo will also need to work in black and white as well as full colour.
By following these guidelines you will ensure that you have a strong visual representation that will lead your company’s message and give your brand a strong position in the marketplace.
Formation are #PROVEN at logo design. We are responsible for the brand strategies of a lot of our clients and part of that is the design of a strong visual logo.
If you’re interested get in touch with us on 01926298777
Written By Ciaran O'Connor
Credit to David Gilman
