Oct

Looking to grow your business? Start with your logo

If there is one thing that many businesses overlook or undervalue, it’s the foundation that they build their business on; their logo. Your logo serves two very important purposes, it creates visibility for your business, as well as establishing credibility. Need a little proof of this? Flip open your local CanPages or YellowPages book to any section (plumbers, construction etc) and look at the ads. Which of those companies would you decide to call if you needed their service? The companies that you chose were likely the ones that “looked” the most reputable or credible. The logos that likely stood out the most were those that had easy and subtle shapes and colors. This is exactly why a professionally designed brand and logo are one of the most important aspects of building your business. Now that you know why a professional logo is critical to your business, let’s take a deeper look at the elements and factors involved in a successful logo and brand.

Setting the mood with color

We tend to associate colors with certain moods and feelings, so before even starting the design of your logo, you need to decide which colors best represent your business and image. Here are a few examples of color schemes and brands we’ve created and what their color choices portray.

Example 1 – Cafe Lounge:

The cafe lounge logo uses many shades of light and dark / warm browns. The colors themselves give off a feeling of a “warm and cozy” cafe.
The general “tones” of the logo and brand are soft and subtle, which are in line with the idea of a comfortable hang out to read the paper while enjoying a coffee.

Example 2 – theSignPad:

In our own logo, we chose to go with 3 colors that portray a modern, fresh and upbeat feel. The bright greens and silvers create a very crisp, bright and striking apperance when used with a cooler blue. The general “feeling” of the colors is a young, modern and creative company.

The shapes of your logo

One of the most common errors in creating your own logo is over thinking it. The most effective and memorable logos use simple shapes and type styles. Often times people will “over think it” by trying to create a complex logo that takes time for a prospective customer to figure out what they are looking at. The most effective logos are simple ones. Here are a few examples of well done shapes in a logo design.

Example 1 – Wine Classics:

As you can see in this logo, the text is simple, modern and easy to read. The actual “image” of the logo has both the contour of a wine bottle and wine glass. This simple and creative logo has a very memorable element to it.

Example 2 – RainTek:

This is another easy to remember, subtly shaped brand. Large bold letters with a subltle raindrop shape between the two letters make this an easy and memorable logo.

What not do to (Bad logo design examples)

The above illustrate great examples of simple and easy to remember logos. Here are some BAD examples of logos that are trying to say to much or have to complex of shapes. Sometimes the best way of illustrating what to do is by showing what not to do..

Bad Logo Design Example 1 – K9 Compassion:

There is just too much going on in this logo for people to easily pick up on what they are trying to say. The idea of trying to turn the letter “K” into the shape of a Dog is creative, but the execution of these sorts of ideas usually leaves the logo looking forced and complex.