DESIGNW

Small businesses and start-ups do not need to spend a fortune to look like they mean business. Your potential clients see you for the first time ONCE ONLY. That first impression can make or break your future together in an instance. Give the wrong impression and your relationship is in tatters before it has even started. Give the right impression and it could be a marriage made in heaven.

How do you give the right impression?

Visually:
Through the visual image of your company you are giving off vibes to your potential clients. The media you use to do this could be almost anything, your website, your ad in the newspaper, your signage, decal on your vehicle, your letterhead or business card design and literally thousands of other types of media too.

Verbally:
Over the telephone or in front of your client the language you use says more about you than what you actually say. Speak professionally and with authority and you will be taken seriously. Speak unsurely and your product and company will be perceived as weak.

If you communicate with your clients in any way at all you need to make sure it is professional and with authority.

A logo design is the corner stone to your corporate identity. It is the one thing that ties together everything else as far as your printed collateral goes and it is your front line salesman working tirelessly greeting your clients. The only problem with a professional logo design is the PRICE. "They cost thousands of dollars don't they?" Yes, they can cost thousands that is true. It is also true that with the right team of designers on board and the right business model a graphic design company can produce logo designs for a much lower price.

If your business could benefit from a corporate face lift then the first thing to change is that old logo. That tired old bit of clipart you have been using for years is doing nothing for your image. In fact it is probably doing you more harm than good. Upgrade it to a professional business logo design today and face your clients with THE RIGHT IMPRESSION first time.

Designing a Successful Logo

Is Your Logo Helping or Hurting Your Business?

The quality of your logo design can mean the difference between success or failure. It can be that simple! Trademarks and Logos make up the most international language in the world. An excellent logo design can cross many barriers and provide your organization with a means of delivering to your customers an unequivocal and uniform message.

Every successful company has its own "personality," and just as human personalities are complex, so too is your company's personality. A successful logo is a means of condensing a complex reality into a single, simple statement, one that can be controlled, modified, developed and matured over time. Your logo needs to be much more than just a distinguishing mark for your company. It must be an indication of quality, value, and reliability.

Does your logo do these things successfully?:

Identify - your company, product, or service.

Differentiate - it from the mass of other similar companies.

Communicate - information as to your products value and quality.

Add value - by causing you to provide a quality service in order to maintain your company's reputation.

Represent - potentially valuable assets. When people see your logo design, can they tell by the design that your product or service is of high quality.

If your logo design doesn't do these things, then you might need to update it, possibly seeking professional advice.

Is your logo design really that important?

It is extremely important! Your logo is a part of the foundation on which you build your brand. Especially since the recent explosion of Internet businesses, but even before that, consumers have an overwhelming variety of choices. Chances are that whatever you are selling, there is something similar to it available. Chances are there is someone in direct competition with you right now. Yes, there are very few products that are shielded from direct competition because of a patent or for some other reason.

It is because of this that much of your efforts in marketing and branding should be concentrated on building a distinctive and differentiated "brand personality" for your company.

Take the success of Coca-Cola and Pepsi-Cola. There is some difference between these two products, but this difference is very subtle. Plus, there are hundreds of other brands of cola on the market. Even so, these two brands, Coke and Pepsi, are able to dominate the worldwide cola market. What is the main factor for their success? It is the strength and appeal of their brands.

And what is the foundation for their brands? It is their powerful Logo designs!

Your logo design is the means by which you can distinguish your products and services and therefore serve both your needs and the needs of your customers.

The Five Essential Logo Design Elements

1) Long lasting style

It is often tempting to adopt a design that looks really cool at the time but that can become outdated very quickly. This leads to the logo being constantly changed. Your logo designer should resist the urge to change your logo design unless it is really necessary. It is only after consumers frequently see your logo that people may start to notice it.

2) Distinctiveness

It is interesting to note that many new companies adopt logo design styles that are very similar to everyone else's. Don't go overboard though, your designer should be sensitive to cultural norms. A really wacko logo design wouldn't do well in a funeral home. However, you should still seek distinctiveness.

3) Appealing to consumers

Your logo must be appealing to those who aren't affiliated with your company. This means you must test your logo design. Show it to your customers and see what they think. Ask them what emotions it evokes in them.

4) Conveys the right image

What image are you trying to get across to your customers? Corporate? Upscale? Franchise looking?

5) Legibility

No matter what you do, if people don't understand your logo design, then it will be ineffective. Who are you trying to target? Where are you going to be displaying your logo design other than your web site? Will it be on your letterhead, business cards, auto signs? Does your logo design put out the same message no matter where it is displayed.

In conclusion, your logo design is central to your company's "personality". Even if your company has a great personality, if your logo design doesn't convey that, then people may get the wrong idea and never do business with you. Within your logo design and company name is held all of your investments, because it is this clear, identifiable aspect of your brand that the consumer uses in selecting your company or purchasing your products.