We’ve previously written A is for Authenticity where we explain the logo is the visual part of your brand.

If someone said Coca-Cola, McDonald’s or Innocent Drinks to you, what is the first thing you ‘see’? Unless you’re particularly hungry or thirsty at this point, I’m pretty certain it will be the swirly red and white writing of Coca-Cola, the golden arches of McDonald’s or the cool, quirky face and halo of Innocent Drinks, and probably not the products.

Whilst there is a lot of work, aside from the logo, which goes in to making these brands so memorable, it is the logo which is the fundamental foundation of the brand identity, and the part which becomes imprinted in our minds. It identifies you in a sea of others. Your logo is also the first chance your customers get to form their opinion. It allows them to asses if you might be what they are looking for. Whether we realise it or not, the decision-making process starts the moment a customer sees your logo. They will also be deciding (subconsciously) if your logo ‘looks right’ in the marketplace in which they are searching.

A good way to test this theory is to think of a particular industry. Let’s take local builders, as an example. Without Googling, we can all take an educated guess what the majority of these logos will look like. They will have the builder’s name, most likely have black, blue, green, brown or orange in the colour palette and use a font which is bold and easy to read. If you saw a logo in this sector which was ornate, lilac and highly detailed for example, ask yourself, would you trust it? Probably not.

That’s why a good logo should follow some basic rules;

• It says who you are – includes your name and a strapline if necessary
• Is suitable for the industry it sits in – it stands out or blends in with your competitors
• Is aimed at your target audience – people can tell at a glance it’s for them
• It is practical – it’s legible small and good quality large, there are different versions so you can use it everywhere you need to
• It represents your organisation – it looks premium / creative / friendly / budget, as appropriate

We’ve had clients approach us, lacking confidence to go out there and promote themselves, simply because their logo didn’t represent who they are or what they do well enough. However large or small you are, if you have a company or service to sell, you have a brand whose logo needs to represent what you do, in the right way. Good logos don’t just belong to big brands. We can help.

Now read M is for Management