A brown box with a smile. A big yellow M. A partially eaten apple. Each one of these logos represents a company that does billions in business and has operations so complex that your organizational charts need organizational charts to understand. Yet one very simple, very plain symbol manages to capture all of that.
Yep, logos are important. Not only do they make your letterheads look a lot nicer, but they give your website a sense of authenticity, and your customers a valuable tool for remembering you.
That’s if your logo is good, of course. There are plenty of bad logos out there. I’d give you some examples but here’s the thing about a bad logo… no one remembers them. I’ve always been taught that a logo should do three things:
A logo should be memorable
Your customers and clients should be able to draw your logo from memory after the second time they visit your site.
A logo should be unique
If your logo looks too much like another company’s logo, you’re going to confuse a lot of people—not including the other company’s lawyers, of course, who will probably be very much not confused as to what to do next.
A logo should represent what you do
This one can be tricky. Maybe you sell data storage—it’s hard to put an actual server into your logo design. But just because the logo design doesn’t offer an exact depiction of what your company does, it can still capture the spirit of what you do. If you’re offering security, find a strong, no-nonsense logo. If you sell preschool supplies, find something that says fun and educational.
There are three different types of logo
Typographic is words and letters, like the McDonald’s “M”. Illustrative is a logo that tries to represent what your company does—like the airplane logo for Southwest Airlines. And graphic logos simply try to capture the spirit of the company, like the rearing horse of Ferrari.
There is no best option among these three types, so just go with the one that feels like it best represents your company. AND the one you feel like you can create with the least amount of trouble.
Some logos work great on paper or the side of a building, but don’t translate well to the web. For one, the background color of sites can vary—which means a dark logo may not show up well if the page is dark, or a light logo on a white background. You’ll want a few different versions of your logo so you’re covered in all occasions.
Also keep in mind the dimensions. A square-ish or round logo is great for app icons, page buttons, and overall graphic layout. But there are times when a horizontal logo works well also—like in your page header. Sometimes it’s good to have two different logo layouts.
BUT don’t go too crazy with the alternate logos. Remember, you want your customers to remember you, so be as consistent as possible.
So where do I find this magic logo?
If you have a head for design, feel free to sketch something out on a napkin then try and recreate it. I know plenty of people who have done just that. But most of us aren’t graphic designers, and we probably don’t have the spare cash to hire one. In these cases, I go where I always go… back to the internet.
You can build your own logo at sites like https://www.freelogoservices.com/, which allows you to design your logo for free and then buy it only if you like the final product (usually around $40).
You can also shop out the job at sites like www.fiverr.com for just a few bucks. You’ll have less direct creative control, but you’ll be working with people who design things regularly.
Finally, make sure you get every file type possible of your logo—PNG, EPS, AI, PDF, anything you can get, especially if one of those is vector-based. It’s much easier to have all these file types up front than to try and recreate or reverse engineer them later.
(And of course, you can always give me a call for some expert advice in the logo arena. I might not be able to make it for you, but I can help you choose the one that will work best.)
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