For many of you who are reading this, choosing a logo is probably a real obstacle course. Perhaps you’ve thought for weeks or even months as you try to select the perfect one, considering dozens or even hundreds of possibilities.
When we think about logos, which ones spring to mind immediately?
And what do they have in common?
In this article, we’ll reveal the secrets to making a logo your clients won’t be able to forget.
1. To make a logo that converts…
You need to have a brand that your clients value.
It sounds simple, but think about it for a moment. Which logos come to mind straight away? Maybe Apple, Google, Starbucks, or those you use on a daily basis because you find their products useful in some way: HP, Samsung, Bic, Ray-Ban?
In other words, as Seth Godin puts it, “a great logo doesn’t mean anything until the brand makes it worth something”.
Doing everything to please your clients, offering an amazing after-sales service and products or services that are worth the cost: this is the first step which will help your logo to stick in the memory.
“[…] What makes a good logo is a good brand, not the other way around.”
2. The logo creation process
As we’ve just explained, a logo doesn’t have a strict meaning; it’s the brand that gives it a meaning. So there’s no point spending huge sums of money or enlisting the help of 100 people to create one.
Instead, choose an abstract, clean and simple image which seeks to do only one thing: to convey the brand image that your company wants to project.
The most popular smartphones in the world have a clean, clear interface to match their logo. Or, to take another example, the Olympic rings symbolise certain values such as youth and sport. But was this really the case when they were created?
No! Back then, the 5 rings represented the “five” continents, and the colours could all be found in all the existing national flags.
Meanings change with the image that a company gives them.
What does the little upside-down wave that appears on your favourite trainers mean today?
3. Importance of the first impression
In our society, we’re constantly targeted by advertising messages. They appear on your Facebook news feed every other post, on YouTube, in Google search results and in the physical world on shop signs and advertising panels in the street.
This all adds up to thousands of messages which, consciously or unconsciously, make their mark on our mind.
When faced with this deluge of advertising, we have no choice but to scan everything that surrounds us without taking the time to analyse the strategic implications and the exact shade of anthracite grey used in your logo on a deeper level.
No, what counts is the initial reaction it creates. After all, if the reaction is negative, why would we take the time to take a closer look at the logo?
This is a new brand of shoe which appeared in a shopping centre that I walk past every morning. Personally, I don’t even know that it’s a brand of shoe, and the name, which sounds Scandinavian, doesn’t exactly make me want to learn more. It doesn’t really mean anything for me.
For someone else, however, the logo might seem attractive. This is why it’s so important to test whether a logo is appealing to the majority of people. This is what the next section is about.
The problem with logos and brand names when we don’t see the product (for posters in shopping centres or online sales) is that the first impression can put a customer off even before they’ve seen your products.
First impressions are crucial for a newly established brand.
If your brand and logo aren’t yet known, start by thinking about your brand’s overall visibility. Until then, I’ll be more inclined to go and buy trainers with three parallel lines or a little upside-down wave on.
4. Testing and changing your logo
Once your logo has been around for a while, make sure to test it regularly on small groups of people. Benefit from the technological methods available to conduct studies into the first impression your logo conveys.
Ask both existing and prospective clients so as to avoid getting biased judgements about their first impression of your product. Also make sure to ask people in different socioeconomic groups.
Start the questionnaire with an open question rather than with a multiple-choice question. An open question is more qualitative and will allow you to get a real idea of the impression your logo conveys.
The second question, presenting the values you wish to communicate, will allow you to check your hypotheses.
Should you change your logo? This often happens when a company is updated or being given a new image.
Be careful.
If you decide to change your logo, it’s important to stay true to the essence of what made up the first logo. When Starbucks changed its mermaid logo, the new version was just simplified and rearranged.
Source : pinterest
A complete change of logo means only one thing: that your value proposition has been perceived badly by the public. Or, perhaps you’re on the wrong track and risk confusing your clients.
It’s difficult to trust a brand that’s lost its direction – remember this before completely changing what represents your company.
"Marketing is what you say to your clients. Branding, on the other hand, is what your clients say about you!”"
5. Branding VS marketing
We can’t stress it enough: the most important element of your logo is your brand image.
The same goes for the difference between branding and marketing. Marketing is what you say to your clients. Branding, on the other hand, is what your clients say about you!
Of course, you can pay extortionate amounts to hire a professional designer to make you a magnificent logo… Which will only serve to empty your bank account.
Instead, why not talk to your clients about your brand image, and then use the various tools available to you to make your logo.
The only rule is to work to a time limit. Give yourself an hour to make the logo. Then test it and talk to your clients about it. This will give you a logo in just a few hours of work, and without needing to spend huge amounts.
Try the following sites: Free logo design, logomakr and Canva. You can design your logos by modifying their existing templates, and it’s easy to change the fonts and images.
References
Does your logo matter
Where branding begins
Create a free brand logo - Neil Patel
Logo and branding
The truth about logos
Logos
Photo by Armand Valendez from Pexels
Guillaume Duckerts is a writer, freelancer and specialist in information and communication technologies.
