Having a logo is an important asset for most companies and organizations.
But why is that?
Let's quickly begin with checking: What is a logo?
A definition
A logo is a visual sign that represents a company, organization, brand or private persons.
It can consist of an image or graphic only, or words, or a combination of it.
A logo can even be nothing but the company name in a specific font. Check out the font of Nivea or Coca Cola and you will see what I mean.
Why having a logo?
Having a logo is the first step towards your branding and it gives your customers and followers something to recognize and to remember.
Branding is one of the most important strategies for businesses these days: You need to and you want to have a branding to create and distribute not just any value, but yours. The logo helps your products or services to be identifiable for others and it sets you apart from your competition.
Do you remember any of the no name products you bought? Are you generally willing to pay a bit more for such?
Nope - but you are willing to pay a little more to get your Weber Grill, your Nike shoes or your Apple Watch (replace the list with brand names you adore and want to have and support).
Let's summarize: Your branding is important to set your offerings apart from others. It helps your customers to recognize you and to fall in love with your brand and to support you.
And your logo is an important asset of your branding. Your branding can start with your logo.
And last but not least: If you are having an app for your offering or a website, you definitely need to think about a logo. If you do not have a logo: What do you put on the screens and the browser tabs (=favicon)?
Logos in our lives
I bet you can tell me dozens of company names correctly only by seeing their logo, right?
MTV, McDonalds, Apple, Microsoft - I guess you know their logos well and recognize them whenever you see them. Even if you are not a direct customer of those brands.
Also, a ton of other brands you wouldn't think you know well enough - but once you see their logo, you know it's them.
There are even logos for certain branches like pharmacies or carpenters - at least here in Europe - and especially for those who have a long lasting tradition or belonging to a guild.
And it makes sense: Logos are very powerful!
Even if you are not owning a company, you can have a logo and it will help you being recognized by others.
In case of a private person having a logo, we are talking about your personal branding or the branding of your blog, homepage, or work profile (let's say on LinkedIn). In any case - a logo will help you to have a visual indicator of what you stand for and it can help you immensely to showcase what you're up to.
Defining your logo
When it comes to defining what's the right logo for you, you can start by asking some questions to yourself about what you want to showcase with your logo.
What do you want to tell your followers about your brand? What style, what feelings, what first impression do you want to give?
Do not forget: Your logo allows you to transfer your values and your vision.
Your logo will give others a first hint on what to expect from you and they will get a glimpse of your creativity or professionalism or style.
The colors you choose will tell a story, as well as the font. Are you using strong colors, pastell tones, calligraphy, bold letters, italic or ballon letters? Whatever you do, it will give your customers an impression - maybe just something deep inside them that they cannot really gasp, but in the best case, they get a positive emotional feeling or association and are willing to work together with your brand.
We can do a test: Let´s assume you want to get a tattoo. Which studio would you choose based on the logos presented below? Can you tell which logo gives you the best feeling (independently whether you want a tattoo or not) within a few seconds? Which one do you think will provide the best service and quality? Who do you give your trust?
Of course, logos will never tell the whole story about you and your offerings but will give a first impression.
If you are working with a graphic, I think it is important to make sure to choose a rather simple one that is easy to understand. Nobody has time to spend more than the blink of an eye to interpret your logo. It must work immediately.
This brings us directly to another point to keep in mind when defining a logo: Don't overdo your logo and do not try to put everything into it. Allow your customers to imagine your offerings and to dive deeper into your other assets after being attracted by your logo. Don't shoot out all the whole batch at once.
To show you what I mean, I have an example for you: You are the owner of a company selling beds and you need a logo.
If you put
your company slogan like: "The best sleep you'll ever get, is with our bed" +
a graphic of a bed +
your company name +
the smiling face of the CEO into your logo,
it is no longer a logo but a complete banner.
A logo could maybe be a feather in pastel colors with an italic font showcasing your company name.
The feather and the pastel color automatically indicate softness and quality. The logo speaks for itself. Don't you agree?
My logo
It took me a while until I was ready for a logo. I didn't want to have just any logo - just for the sake of having one. But a logo that I am happy about - that I am proud of.
When seeing my logo for the first time I knew it was it. Yes! This one was great to have as my first official logo:
What I like about this logo is the "seal" character. It's like I am putting my stamp on
my offering.
What do I want to express with the logo?
Well - is that even important? Isn't it more important what other think and feel when seeing it?
Can a logo change?
Being happy with a logo does not mean that the logo is perfect or that it can't change over time - definitely, it can. It can develop together with the brand to stay up to date with the values and offerings of it.
However - a logo should last for a bit and therefor, being happy with a logo is a great starting point.
My logo for example has a nice little extra feature: It can change depending on the offering: