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Every day, the average person is exposed to millions of visual stimuli including hundreds of company logos.
A
logo is a unique visual image that represents a company or its
products. It aims to create a positive and memorable impression in the
minds of the people who see it. In addition, a good logo can make a
sale by saying something about the company to customers when there is
no sales person present.
Choosing a logo for your business
requires much thought and it is essential that you work closely with
your graphic designer. Logo design needs your input as well as the
designer’s creativity.
You have to start with an idea of the
image you want your logo to portray, i.e. what you want it to say about
your company. Beware though of turning the logo into a metaphor for
something. The most memorable ones are usually the simplest – think of
McDonald’s golden arches, the Apple Computer logo or Nike’s ‘swoosh’.
Less is often more as far as logos are concerned.
Secondly, you
will have to decide whether your logo should be an illustrative
representation or abstract graphic that represents what your company
does, or whether it should be font-based. Alternatively, your logo
could be a combination of these options.
Logo color is very
important. Bear in mind that the colours you choose will impact on all
your corporate materials. Your logo should also look good in black and
white for use in mono print applications or on faxes for example.
Size
is also a consideration, as your logo needs to look equally good on a
business card as it does on the side of a truck or building. Similarly,
make sure your logo is designed for print first and the web second. Do
it the other way round and you may find that a design that looks good
on a web site appears mediocre when scaled up for use in print.
Choose
your logo design carefully as it will have a powerful impact on your
business. A great logo lasts and should look good years from now. It
also stands out from its environment and from the competition.
As
well as building brand-awareness and speaking for your company, a great
logo helps you make great sales… provided of course that you have the
product and service quality to back it up.
Chris Smith is a partner in Mano Design (
http://www.mano-design.com ) - a Vancouver Design and Marketing agency.
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