THE VALUE OF A LOGO

It is easy to underestimate the importance of a logo. With so much occupying peoples’ minds at any one moment of the day, a business needs to grab a potential customer’s attention, explain to them in around two seconds what it is the business does, and make the customer remember this as well as the business name. With communication being around fifty-five percent visual, a logo is the perfect solution to achieve this aim, and there are a few ways to reach this goal.

1. GET ATTENTION

Something that looks a little different, is bold, or simply ‘looks right’ is going to get some attention – perhaps not from absolutely everyone, but the attention of a large enough percentage of eyes that glance over it to draw potential customers to a business.

2. BE MEMORABLE

I believe the trick to creating a memorable logo is often a combination of simplicity – it must not be cluttered or else the mind will simply get confused, or bored, and look elsewhere – and relevance. Getting the balance right between conveying enough information and keeping it brief is the challenge. A smart way around this can be, when and where possible, to insert a little hidden message that can work on a deeper level. This could be a friendly play on words and images with the business name, or a symbol somewhere that has a double meaning and can be seen in two different ways. Sometimes I play a little game when I’m out and about and see if I can pick these things out in logos that I see around me. Have a look yourself at the many logos that surround us in daily life and see how quickly their message shines through, and also see whether you can spot a little hidden subliminal message in there somewhere. There are some great examples in the business world, and once you spot them, you might never look at a particular logo in quite the same way again.

3. CREATE A CONNECTION AND MAKE FRIENDS

Many salespeople know that to increase the chances of selling a product or service it helps to make friends. A logo can be the start of a friendship with your customer. If it is memorable and makes a connection, this friendship can go as far as creating brand loyalty. A little something that makes people smile knowingly, or simply plants the seed of familiarity, can be the beginning of a brand that creates loyal followers. A logo can go deeper than sending the message about what a business does. If it is a local business, making that local connection can be vital in persuading customers to choose a service from their area rather than a larger company based far away.

4. FAMILIARITY AND CONTINUITY

People like familiarity and consistency. A logo creates a brand identity that remains constant over time (until such a time that a rebrand becomes necessary to keep with the times) and acts as reassurance. It is a powerful tool which helps keep customers coming back and recommending your business to friends and business associates.

Never underestimate the importance of a unique logo!

AJM DOORS LOGO – SHOWN ABOVE

The logo above is an example that Spire Designs created recently. It may appear straightforward enough but there are a few little hidden ‘tricks’ to help emphasise the message.

The colour of the text was chosen quite deliberately because blue is the colour of security and safety, and the style of the text is bold and blocky to give the assurance of strength. While there is a more obvious roller effect above the text, the bottom of the ‘J’ also hints at a roller.

The pointed roof above might appear to be simply a garage roof, however there is slightly more to it than this. It is also an ‘up arrow’ which illustrates that the door will roll upward, while simultaneously having a bit of a positive ‘we’re on the up’ vibe.