Logo Design and Branding

ABSTRACT:

Selecting a fitting color for your logo is a critical step in the design process. But how do you know what is the right logo color for you? This article leads you through the process and offers helpful guidance in making this decision.

Written by Jeff Kear © 2004
Creative Director, myICON Design

One of the most important things to consider when creating your logo is color. Often people simply choose their favorite color as their primary logo color, and although you certainly need to be able to live with the design and colors for your final logo design, you should consider other factors when deciding on your logo colors. These factors include:

Your business – Plainly said, some colors are better than others for certain businesses as well as for certain products and services. For example, pink is a perfectly fine color for a florist logo but wouldn’t be fitting for a homebuilder logo.

Your customers – Not all demographics react the same way to all colors. Women are more likely than men to respond favorably to a logo with pastel colors. Children may embrace a purple logo color more readily than adults. Americans see yellow as a warm, happy color, while the Greeks associate it with sadness.

Your industry – Look at the logo colors in your industry and you will probably start to see some trends emerge. For example, high tech logos rely heavily on the color blue, while red is a common logo color for food and beverage companies.

Your company personality – What are the traits or moods you want your logo to convey? Stability? Sophistication? Friendliness? Trendiness? Daring? Reserved? Your logo color can quickly express the mood and feeling of your business’ brand, which is why you want to consider your choices carefully.

Here are a few basic colors and the emotional responses frequently associated with them.

Red	passion, power, daring, boldness assertiveness, love, sexuality
Orange	welcome, playful, warmth, fun
Yellow	friendliness, happiness, warmth, optimism, sunny
Green	money/financial, growth, abundance, safety, health, freshness, fruitfulness, relaxation
Blue	reliability, stability, dependability, leadership, trust, truth, coolness
Purple	fashion, intellect, sophistication, wealth, regal, spirituality
Pink	sweetness, femininity, sensitivity, softness
Brown	earthiness, organic, friendliness, natural, welcoming
White	cleanness, purity, hope, youthfulness, openness, lightness, freshness
Black	elegance, power, sophistication, darkness, premium, reserved, mystery
Gray	security, stability, character, calmness, reserved
Gold	luxury, richness, prestige, refined, expensive
Silver	refined, purity, precision, prestige

When deciding on your final logo color, remember that most logos do not use more than three

colors, with most logos using either one or two colors. The reason for this is that a logo that bears more than three colors is more likely to be distracting to the eye and less likely to be remembered by the viewer.

About the Author
Jeff Kear is Owner and Director of Client Services for myICON Design. In his decade-and-a-half in the industry, Jeff has created revenue-generating advertising and design for nationally recognized brands such as Budget, MetLife, Moosehead Beer, Qwest and Toyota. In addition to working for design firms and ad agencies, he has served as a marketing and communications specialist at Fortune 500 companies and holds a master’s degree from the University of Maryland. You can contact Jeff at jeffk@myicondesign.com .

Related Color Help

Home association company logo’s

Tags: color brown, color green, purple colors, red colors, decorating colors, color gray, brown colors, picking colors, pick colors

Why Branding is Important

Your brand is more than a series of words; it is your corporate identity. Your name and logo should tell people who have never been to your establishment something about you. Your brand should be strong enough to convey a message and a feeling in an instant. When you run a small newspaper ad, besides a Website, phone number and address, your logo may be all someone has by which to judge your business. If your logo design looks professional, it alone may be the reason that someone decides to visit your coffee establishment for the first time.
When you are developing your identity, first define your target or niche market and make sure your branding speaks to those groups. For example, if you are located close to a university or college, your branding should appeal to the young adults who will probably be your main source of income. If your operation is in a downtown district, it would be wise to create branding that will be attractive to office workers and business people. If you’re in a suburban shopping mall, you will probably want to develop an identity that will engage mothers, shoppers and area residents.
Properly executed branding can set small chains and independent retailers apart from the big chains. World Cup Coffee & Tea, a small chain in Portland specializing in organic, shade-grown, fair-trade and relationship coffees, has created branding with thematic ties to its niche market-coffee consumers who are interested in the social issues surrounding coffee. So its branding is colorful and fun, with an International and ecological flavor, suggesting an affinity with the environment and sustainability issues.
I have seen many small companies make the mistake of choosing an identity too quickly. Sometimes when Bellissimo arrives to train retailers on-site, the first thing we see is a sign with a poorly designed logo. We do our best to explain how to use these ill-conceived logos, but to be honest, if the identity is not professional, do you want to see it everywhere you look? A good rule of thumb is to have as many people as possible look at your prospective logo design before you invest any money in it. Garner the opinions of people whose taste you trust.
Taste may be subjective, the law is less so. From a legal standpoint, it is extremely important to check with your attorney before finalizing your name to avoid copyright infringement. Every state has different laws regarding business names. A client of mine in Arizona wanted to register the name “Caffe Paradiso,” but because there was already a “Paradise Café” in the state, my client was unable to use the name. In other states, the name may have been acceptable. Make sure you follow the proper registration procedures in your state so you will not have to change your name years later because of an infringement violation.

Written by: Bruce Milletto
Source: www.expresso101.com

Tags: branding guidelines, branding and design, creative branding, custom branding, brand id, branding products, sub branding, website branding, history of branding, brand development

Successful Logos Explained - It’s All About Credibility Principles

ABSTRACT:

Can a customer begin to trust you just by looking at your company logo? Can your logo design alone convince a prospect that you are an expert in your business? The answer to both these questions is “Yes”, and you can find out why by reading this article.

By William L. Haig
Chairman, CEO - Powerlogos Design

If the role of the company logo is to represent the company in communicating important messages to recipients, shouldn’t that logo design be credible? Most company logos are not credible. Nor are they planned and designed to be credible. Credibility-based logos criteria must be better understood within the design and business community.

University supervised research has demonstrated that successful logos – logos that work to help achieve company goals – are credibility-based. Called “power logos”, they project the company as being an expert in their business. They are also trustworthy and forward thinking. These are the three prongs of being credible. Designing a company logo with these three prongs as criteria is what gives any company logo credibility and hence POWER to influence messages.

Company managers, large and small, can now assess the power of their logo design. We know how effective credible people are, but now credibility principles apply to company logos. When a company speaks with its logo, it must be considered a credible source.

The company logo on a business card or letterhead will have logo identification good, bad or indifferent. Successful logos have power to help achieve company goals. Bad or indifferent logo design may actually undermine company efforts. Most companies have bad or indifferent logos.

Where did credible logos get their start? This requirement stems from the teachings of my mentor late graphic design legend, Saul Bass, who is famous for his successful logos for AT&T, United Airlines, United Way, Rockwell International, Alcoa and Continental Airlines (during the period 1968 to 1989). If logos symbolize the company business, characterize particular company attributes and are contemporary they will have power, he would say.

It all goes back to Communication 101. There are three elements in the communication process:
1.  The source or sender of the message (the company).
2.  The message.
3.  The receiver (stakeholder, i.e., customers, employees, banks, suppliers, etc.)

Many studies in interpersonal communication (people to people) conclude that if the source is competent, reliable, and forward thinking the message will be more readily accepted by the receiver. Competent, reliable and forward thinking make up the components of being credible in interpersonal communication.

For example, a computer wiz would be more influential on what mouse or software program to buy than, say, a chef. But a chef, on the other hand, would be more influential when it comes to the best curry to buy and where, or the latest cookbook. You wouldn’t go to the computer wiz for food-related suggestions, and you wouldn’t go to the chef for electronic-related suggestions. Well, in most cases.

In short, a person high in the dimensions of competent, reliable and forward thinking will be more credible, and, therefore, more influential. Again, these are the three prongs of being credible. Research has now demonstrated that a company high in dimensions of expert, trustworthy and forward thinking will be credible and, therefore, more influential. (Note the similarity of words.) This is because people relate to companies the same way they relate to people. These are brand-customer relationships.

How Does a Graphic Designer Create a Credibility-Based Logo Design?

Home marketing company logo’s

The first thing a designer does is symbolize the company business. This says the company is an expert in that business. Like the shoe repair shop with a sign hanging on the store front with a “boot” or “shoe” symbol together with the text “Joe’s Shoe Repair.” The designer then makes the boot or shoe “contemporary” or “forward-thinking” and Joe is almost there. Make it look trustworthy with traits that define the descriptive nature of the shoe repair shop such as “experienced,” “professional” and “friendly” and Joe has a credible logo design, a power logo.

Joe’s company name, “Joe’s Shoe Repair” is also credibility-based. “Shoe Repair” says Joe is an expert in that field. Joe lends his name “Joe” indicating that he will stand by his work, thereby being trustworthy. And, Joe is short for Joseph which is more streamlined, more forward thinking (maybe a stretch, but you get what I mean).

Successful logos are not an abstract concept any longer. They are credibility-based. This is their role in the greater role of a total credibility-based integrated marketing communication system, which makes a great company brand. The payoff is in loyal customers, high caliber employees, dedicated suppliers, understanding governmental bodies and great financial relations.

About the Author
William Haig is Chairman/CEO of Powerlogos Design, a credibility-based branding and logo design firm. He is a graduate of UCLA in psychology, has a Master of Arts degree in Communication with honors from the University of Hawaii and is the co-author of The Power of Logos: How to Create Effective Company Logos. He can be reached by email at bill@powerlogos.com or by phone at 808.922.4042 (Hawaii Standard Time).

Here are a few links I found Interesting on Successful Logo Design

1. The LOGOS Ministry- the most successful LOGOS
2. Great Logos and Why logos that work
3. Great Logos and Why Increase your design skills
4. Financial Logos: Logo Design Financial logo design
5. Good logos are made of this Successful logos stand the test of time
6. 5 Characteristics of a Highly Successful Logo Being a successful logo
7. Unrealized logos designed by Daniel Will-Harris
8. Branding Secrets in New Book by Leslie What makes a successful logo? Maxi-media design firm theMechanism was honored to have three logos featured in the latest book by author and graphic
9. logo design 1000+ successful logo design experience
10. Cartoon Mascot Characters in Successful Logo Designing
11. Bridge-Logos Publishing the Changeless
12. Solar logos foundation
13. Logos Glossary definition for Logo

Tags: logo designer, production company logo, logo font, production company logos, create a logo, how to create a logo, logo online, company logos

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