Deciding on a new logo, whether it’s for your new business, or your existing business, is an exciting time. It can also be a daunting time.
A time when you have to make decisions that will have far reaching implications for your business. Your new logo will be your customer facing first impression for at least the next few years.
So what can you do to make sure that you’re new logo is a perfect match that will take you into the future and evolve with you?
Here are a few questions that are useful to ask to ensure you achieve the most effective logo design as possible?
1. Am I following my competitors too closely?
- Researching your market & closest competitors is of course the thing to do, and you should be doing this.
- What you shouldn’t be doing is getting caught in the trap of replicating a similar business to yours.
- Your new logo needs to be original. Of course take ideas & inspiration from others, we all do, but use it to create something new. Something ‘you’!
2. Does my new logo reflect my industry and will it date?
- We all have personal tastes, and prefer some looks/styles to others, but just like property developers are advised not to decorate and furnish to their own taste, you also need to ask is my logo appropriate for my type of work? It’s striking a balance between originality and longevity.
- If a new logo is going to date quickly it will not give the impression you are after long term and it will only be a short-term solution.
3. Have I focused on the logo but not thought about how it translates to other formats?
- For example, website, uniform, merchandise, vehicles?
- You need to consider practicalities. It also needs to work on social media.
- How will the new logo print on light and dark backgrounds?
- Does it lose any of its impact in other mediums?
- Your logo needs to be adaptable and it needs to be simple. With a logo less is more.
4. Does my new logo stand out? Will people remember it?
- Your logo needs to be memorable. It needs to be something instantly recognisable. This doesn’t mean it necessarily needs to show or say exactly what you do, abstract logos are just as powerful, but your logo does need to be well balanced and professionally executed.
- Those little details; those small nuances; the specific use of colour; the structure and lines. They all add up to make your logo extraordinary.
5. Have I given enough thought to my new logo and have I used someone who can bring all of the above to the table?
- Often, especially with start-ups, there is a tendency to use a friend or a family member for the initial design needs who has some design experience but it isn’t their primary vocation.
- Whilst this can work well of course, other times it can mean you miss out on the expertise & experience that can bring all of the above points into action and help you launch a polished and professional brand from the outset.
- According to statistics, it only takes 10 seconds for consumers to form an impression of your brand so you can see how important it is to make sure your new or rebranded logo gives your business the best fighting chance from the offset!
