Logo, Logo Everywhere…

June 12, 2009 at 11:23 am

In today’s world we are inundated with constant ads for new products and services. The one thing that is always consistent is the repetitious use of the companies brand identity that is associated with that product or service. The reason? It’s simple… They want us to remember who they are and associate their brand with that particular product or service in hopes that we will buy or use them when you have the need. By burning an image into our minds we easily recognize their “brand” and associate it with a particular industry.

For any given company it’s logo, or brand is it’s first and most important impression and therefore must be strong and memorable. If it does not create a lasting impression then we will fail to make the association and the attempt may fail and therefore not result in a sale. By setting a strong image a company positions itself to market to our needs without even having to say anything. Think of large companies you are familiar with such as Pepsi Cola®. Their logo is designed in such a way that even when removing the actual name of the company the symbol is memorable and stands alone. It is something that you can identify with and recognize if the name appears with it or not. By doing so the logo can be positioned virtually anywhere and people will make the association thus making the desire to purchase that much stronger.

So lets look at what goes into a strong, positive logo shall we?
In order to develop a strong logo adequate background research must be done. By this we mean things such as asking questions like: What is our product or service? What does that product or service do? Why would we want to buy the product or service? What is our target audience? What is the meaning or history behind the product or service?

There is much more that goes into the creation of a logo than one might suspect. It is much more than a random or abstract image. What does the artwork suggest and who does it appeal to? By thinking deeper into the aesthetics of the message the image portrays you begin to develop ideas as to what the logo should look like. What do certain aspects of said logo mean in relation to each other? What aspects do they convey and what do they mean when they work together? The thought process behind this development is vast and can be cumbersome and often challenging. Trying to develop visual concepts that show what you mean can be no easy task.

Everything we see is processed by our brains and forms some sort of opinion or concept that we either except or discard. If we something that is directly related to the product or service being represented we form the association and the job is successful. If the logo does not successfully form a relation or fails to represent the product or service than it is unsuccessful and we may fail to remember it.

A great deal of thought goes into all aspects of a good logo, including but not limited to; colors, fonts, imagery and positioning. The way everything works together in harmony, or lack thereof will either prove to be a success or a huge failure. Each of these elements can form different emotions or associations with the end user when standing lone. For instance warmer colors like red, orange, yellow or brown are calming colors and have a tendency to relax someone. Colors like blue, green and even white can advance and thus make someone feel invigorated or motivated. Fonts can also work in the same way. More traditional sans serif faced fonts can exemplify prestige or power while a serif faced font or more modern style font can be cutting edge or forward advancing. Images as well speak volumes and convey a certain message. Many are even subliminal in nature and while we may not directly recognize something it is picked up and registered by our subconscious.

Lets look at the creation of a proper logo.

Many people have different ideas about what a logo should be. Not that any one person is wrong, but there should always be a method to the madness. To begin you must have done the background research to give yourself a firm foundation and starting point. Once you have solidified this you can begin to concept the logo. This can be done in any number of ways but typically sketches are created to loosely map out the plan. You can transfer these sketches in any number of ways but the choice is up to the person who inevitably creates the logo. Once a direction has been established work can begin and you can start to make headway.

Now lets for a minute consider all of the many uses for a logo; websites, business cards, marketing materials, advertisements, television, etc.

The logo that is developed must be applicable for use in any format and any given situation. In order to understand this I feel the need to get technical for a moment… try to keep up.

There are two types of images; Vector and Raster. What are these and why do I need to understand them? Here is a little information on both and why you should….

A vector image is artwork that is more flat and/or two dimensional and can be sized without quality loss for any use. Vector is a simpler piece of art that usually, in most cases does not include flashy or dramatic effects or “filters”. For more see the Wikepedia definition here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vector_Art

Raster artwork is more similar in nature to a photograph and is represented by pixels and can include more of the dramatic effect or “filter”. These images are at a fixed size due to pixel definition and can not be increased in size without sufficient quality loss. For more see the Wikepedia definition here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raster_graphics

In almost every situation it is possible to create the desired logo with vector art. You would always want to have a more simplified version of your logo to work with because you can always add to it or apply filters or effects later. Work from the ground up instead of trying to deconstruct it later! The vector based logo is much more versatile as well. For things such as shirts, stickers, vinyl and more a vector logo is almost ALWAYS requested, and in some cases a raster logo no matter the quality may not be accepted.

There are some limitations when it comes to Vector artwork, but if your design team is experienced enough they should be able to create what it is that you are looking for. If you keep this in mind and look at logos you see around you it is rare that you see a very complex, filtered logo anywhere. If you do it is usually an altered version of a more rudimentary logo that has been changed for a specific purpose.

Logo’s are all around us calling out to us every day – some are good and others may not be as good, but they are there nonetheless and speak volumes about the product or service they represent. Putting adequate thought into developing your logo is the smartest decision you can make. Taking a nominal amount of time to think about some of the aspects I mentioned above can save you headaches, heartache, possibly some money and maybe EVEN your business in the end!

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