We’ve all seen the triumphs and the failures over the years; logos that say nothing of a company’s business, logos that are too abstract to mean anything, logos that are too generic or cartoonish; logos that are overly ornate. Unfortunately there are even logos that might be offensive or racy in nature. Iconography and symbolism are the very heart of communication. Before structured speech and language, symbolism has guided our perception of the world. In our time and in our businesses and institutions, guiding our strategic communications is the duty and responsibility of the Marketing Manager and/or Content or Branding Manager. It may be a shared responsibility among your staff or more appropriately you have a dedicated full-time individual or group handling your branding. I’ve outlined some very basic criteria I believe every logo should have despite the industry, despite the person at the helm of your communications' strategy, despite the company or the market it serves. These things are:
Transferability
Transferability is no small think to have when choosing a logo. It constitutes the entirety of the physical components of the logo design such as legibility, color, styling, layout, size, etc. Transferability essentially means that the designer and/or organization have considered how this logo might be rendered in and on alternative media. How will it appear on an envelope or letterhead? Will it cause placement problems on the website? Are the colors standardized? Are the colors webs safe? Is the logo legible on textiles? These considerations are hugely important. Most people consider a logo use in a singular media like a business card or letterhead, but they have not considered how well it will carry onto other media. How many logos have you seen look beautiful on a website but horrible on a sign or on apparel?
Understanding the market placement limitations of your logo is essential is maximizing its use. Remember a logo is your organization’s identity - its face and what people will see before anything else. Prior to meeting you or what products or services you offer your logo and other print materials is your first impression. Does your high end clothing boutique logo makes you look like a small town country store? That’s ok if a country store is the meaning you want to convey. Does your bank logo say that you are serious and conservative or playful and risky? These considerations lead us into Relevancy.
Relevance
Relevancy requires a bit of research into understanding your market and your competitors. Are bright colors suitable for an insurance company and what psychological perceptions will these colors have on my prospective clients? Color theory is a huge component of design and rightfully so. Cultures respond to color in different ways and can often be offended by or put off by the use of colors in certain context. Color transferability is hugely relevant in your logos design as well. Choosing colors that can be carried from textiles to plastic or from paper to steel is a major consideration. You can’t accept a logo that looks plum on a business card and eggplant on a sign. You will lose brand equity and as such your visual communications’ identity is not nearly as secure as it could have been. Your business will be perceived as serious with drastic variances and a lack of consistency in your marketing materials.
But as aforementioned, color is a huge component of establishing relevancy and appropriateness to industry norms. It’s ok to break the rules if it falls within the confines of your organizational strategy and marketing objectives. Purple and gold with red stripes are quite striking together. However, improperly utilized the three colors may not bode well for an investment banker logo. Who will take you serious? Are you the circus or a financial institution?
Know your market is by far the most paramount of Relevancy. Understand the demographics of those you serve and provide to. Consider the cultural and gender aspects of design. After random self-designed market surveys, I’ve found on nearly every design that even men and women respond differently to colors, web and page design completely different on occasion with logos and other materials and iconography. Most recently, a logo design survey revealed that women preferred more elegant typefaces, swooshing lines, curves and bold colors while men were more attracted to strong positive vs. negative spaces and geometric shapes with simple colors. No surprise really but what if you were opening a business tailored to men and was leaning toward elegant bold colors; definitely know your market and your industry and understand the responsibility you hold as a designer and/or an organization.
Responsibility
DO NOT OFFEND! Be sure that whatever you choose in your design that you take care not to use overly suggestive, racial, cultural or offensive language or iconography. Your business is your own but consider the implications your business will have on society as a whole. Understand your social and ethical responsibilities. Just because a design isn’t offensive to you doesn’t mean it may not be to someone else.
Consider the example of a popular International parcel company we likely all know. Upon attempting to permeate a foreign market they had considerable trouble gaining a foothold on any considerable market share. Business was suffering significantly, yet all preliminary studies suggested that this market would substantially expand their business; all studies except one which would have revealed that certain colors in certain cultures are omens of bad luck and are often considered offensive. Now consider how many delivery vans you have to repaint to serve this market. Of course, there were other considerations the research revealed that needed to be addressed but this is an example of having cultural, racial and social sensibilities toward other people. Understand the perceptions associated symbolism and iconography.
Perseverance
Can you change or alter your logo every few years? Sure you can but it’s not smart. Your logo establishes your identification in the marketplace. Changing it every few years diminishes if not totally undermines your visibility and the ability for your organization to be recognized. It also suggests deception and that your company may not be a viable one. No one wants to establish a business relationship with an organization that looks like their going out of business and re-opening a new one every five years. Yet, logo updates and visual communication overhauls are rare but sometimes necessary particularly when a market has grown and customers are more diverse than they originally were.
Make sure your visual communications’ identity is as timeless, strong, responsible, and relevant as they can be. You are being measured, compared, benchmarked, perceived and summed before you ever get to say hello.
Author: Wil Randolph (Visual Communications' Specialist)
Graphic Design
Marketing
Branding
Advertising
Photography
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