How often do you think about your logo? Is it something you put together yourself when you first started up? Or have you been in business a while and don’t think about it any more? Perhaps you’re thinking about it all the time. Is a logo really that important?
Well, the job of your logo is twofold. Firstly it has to make your business recognisable to your customers. And secondly, your logo has to make your business stand out from your competitors. Whether you think it or not, it does a really, really important job.
Lots of elements have to come together to make up a logo – colours, font, graphic, style, layout. And each of these go towards creating an overall impression of your business. Are you fun, quirky, serious, modern, traditional?
When I mention Apple, Nike, McDonalds, you can immediately imagine their logo and feelings about their company spring to mind. Now we’re looking at things on a much smaller scale but how do your clients and competitors feel about you when they see your logo?
Be honest and take a good look at your current logo. Or ask your clients what they think (friends and family are usually too polite to give an honest answer!)
Then see if you answer Yes to any of the following questions:
This is my initial logo from when I first set up my business
Are you using the same logo you from when you first set up your business? Chances are it wasn’t a priority then – you may have even created it yourself or had family or a friend create it. Does it reflect your business correctly and give your clients the right impression? Did you create your logo in the correct software so it can be scaled up and down easily without losing definition?
My logo feels outdated
Even with the best will in the world, eventually your logo will look dated. But you don’t need to go for a complete redesign. It might need a new colour scheme, a new font or it might need simplifying. Evolution, not revolution is the key. Even when going for a complete redesign, try to keep some element in there that is familiar to your customers.
My business has changed
Has your business changed since you first set up? Are you offering different products or services? Make sure your logo reflects that change and is still relevent, or your customers may feel confused about the message. If you’ve been in business for a while then chances are that something has changed some where down the line. Sometimes even a business name may need tweaking. I set up Liz Hall Design rather than Liz Hall Graphic Design as I wanted to keep my options open in the future. Lucky I did as I now also offer web design.
My logo too complicated
Is your logo too complicated? Is the graphic very detailed or the font difficult to read? Too many colours or shadows? Your logo needs to be simple and easily recognisable. It has to work very small scale as well as large. It has to work as social media icons and websites as well as on a business card and traditional print. It has to be very hard working! You might not be using it on all the examples I just mentioned but it’s always worth having one eye on the future.
If you’ve answered Yes to any of those questions (or even all of them!) then you might want to think about a logo refresh or even a complete redesign depending on what you have.
Make sure your logo isn’t an after thought as it’s often the first, and last, thing that people will remember about your business.
Liz x
