A logo is a necessary element for a successful business marketing strategy. It may be something simple or something elaborate. There are no rules set in stone for
logo design, though there are a few guidelines. A logo is there for customers to recognize and be reminded of the business. In this light, it should reflect the business positively.
Coming up with creative ideas for a logo can be the most difficult task. To get started, think of the personality of the business. Use your businesses mission statement for some inspiration. Is there a phrase that can be put into picture format? Or what about the company name? There may be a way to turn your company name into a graphical representation.
Original and Unique. Logos must be original and unique, for several reasons. For one, you don't want to copy another company's logo. That is intellectual property. Or it may be from a logo template designer. Pre-designed logo templates are ineffective as logos, and can be confusing to customers. It may be such a familiar logo that it's seen for all types of business in all locations. If your logo looks anything like a Coca-Cola or Pepsi logo, people will think of those companies and not yours. The logo has to be completely original to truly stand out in the minds of the customers.
Transferable across mediums. For all intents and purposes, a logo should be able to go anywhere. For this to occur, you need to be armed with a little information about the logo industry. There are several guidelines logos should follow in able to be transferable across medium. Most importantly is a high resolution graphical logo. With a resolution of at about 300 dpi, the image is at a quality that can be shrunk down, blown up, or altered in ways that will not affect the final product display of the logo. This means logos can be used on business stationary and website design without becoming distorted.
Logos should also follow
color guidelines in order to be transferable. In many cases, businesses will choose one color for the logo. This is the most effective way to control color. If using multiple colors, the general guideline is no more than three. Color is important for embroidery of logos, for in many cases, logos contain unique Pantone colors that cannot be duplicated by embroiderers. However, embroiderers have over 100 colors that can be carefully matched to create a satisfactory embroidered logo.
Keep all these things in mind when creating your company logo. As with any design, come up with a broad range of ideas in the start to work with. The more ideas you have to work with, the more creative your ideas can become. Once you have a logo you like, test it on a small audience to gauge reactions. Make edition after edition until you have a logo you like and test it again. The logo will be the graphical rep for you business, so make it good the first time.
Angela Oliver is a contributing author for
Embroidery Authority.com, offering competitive pricing for all custom embroidered logos, apparel, and accessories. Visit
www.embroideryauthority.com for more information about embroidery and some tips for
custom logo design.
