What Your Logo Says to Your Customers

 What Your Logo Says to Your Customers

See... it's already starting to pile on and get difficult.

For most of the business owners reading this, you hopefully already have a great logo that represents your brand. But you know, it's never too late to polish it up and make some very minor changes. (That's another thing about logos-it's not smart to drastically alter them out of fear or audience alienation and/or brand confusion).

Best logo designer Houston  logo? What should your logo convey to a potential customer that is unfamiliar with your brand? And why, oh why, do people make such a big deal about logos anyway?

Let's begin...
Your logo should speak of professionalism. You want a logo that is obviously a connection to your business. For some, this can be as simple as the acronym or abbreviation for your business, designed in cold colors or interesting shapes. For others, this might mean that you need to get a little more artistic and creative with it. Whatever you do, don't create the logo yourself (unless you happen to be a graphic design business... then, by all means, go nuts!).

Your logo should be easy to understand. Is that a J or an upside down giraffe? Wait, what does that say? Oh God, those colors are making my eyes burn!

All of those are examples of what you don't want to hear people saying about your logo. Above all, your logo needs to be easy to read and easily identifiable. If someone has to stare at your logo for several seconds just to make out what it is (is that a fuzzy brown bear or a tree?) then you've done it wrong.

You should like your logo. You can be selfish in this regard. Why waste a perfectly good business idea by tacking up a logo you hate? Your logo should not only represent your brand well, but it should mean something to you.

So what does a great logo say to your customers? Depending on the design and how the logo is presented, it can actually speak to your audience. Does it let them know that you are modern and sleek? Does it tell them that your brand is traditional? Do the exciting colors and fresh design clue them in to the fact that you're willing to try new methods and take risks?

If you're looking to have your logo say something like any of these, you need to think about the following principles of basic logo design:

Is it Simple? For the most part, simple logos are easier for people to identify. This means that in a crowded marketplace of competing businesses, people will be able to identify your logo right away in the crowd. Also, when it comes to marketing and having to re-size your logo for certain materials, a simple logo stands a lesser chance of becoming distorted and unsightly.

Is it Memorable? You want something that will stay in people's minds but you also don't want to resemble any other business logos. When creating your logo, never use stock photos or ideas based on other businesses. While it is okay to draw inspiration from logos you like, you don't want your logo to design to be too similar to a competitor.

Is it Timeless? Is your logo design too modern? That is, is it based on a current trend? This can sometimes be the toughest aspect of creating a great logo-understanding what elements of a logo are timeless and not based on something that has the chance of being popular and trendy for only a small amount of time. How can you tell? Well, that's the tricky part. You want to stick to ideas and elements that aren't outdated but, at the same time, don't want to take too much of a gamble on something that is perceived to be cool at that time. Take a look at the logos of companies that have been around a while to get a sense of the aspects to a logo that is timeless.

Here's the thing... your logo is very often the first thing people see in relation to your brand. You want it to be attractive and impressive. If you can create a logo that instantly makes a random viewer want to know what you do, you're doing it right. When people want to learn more about your brand and are driven to do that without your own push, you're doing better than most businesses out there today.