Fallen out of love with your logo?

Did you start your business a number of years ago and rush your branding? Maybe you created the logo yourself or used an online template to get started. Now, years later, you feel no pride or connection to your logo, it's bland and lacks relevance. 

Is it time to look with fresh eyes? 👀

With the help of a good designer you can get a new logo that works harder for your business. A well-thought-out logo and branding can elevate your business, attracting more clients/customers and even bring you a little bit of joy along the way! 😄

“A brand identity is the face of your business.”

Amazon’s Jeff Bezos

Five benefits of getting your logo right

You shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but let's face it – we do! We make snap judgements all the time and a bad looking visual identity can influence our clients into going elsewhere.

Here are the top five benefits of having a well-thought-out logo:

1. Gives you identity

Like a name, a good identity is instantly recognisable. A simple and professional logo has the power to make a lasting impression. Consistently incorporating a brand's logo across platforms makes it more memorable.

"A logo doesn't sell (directly) it identifies."

Paul Rand, American art director and graphic designer. Think of it as your business’s ambassador.

2. Builds trust

Looking professional builds trust and credibility and in turn makes it more likely that customers will do business with you. It also increases the likelihood of gaining referrals and new customers.

3. Helps your business stand out from the competition

4. Gives greater financial value

A strong brand that customers trust can give you future business. It acts to consistently build the value of your brand and, ultimately, your financial return. 

5. Inspires employees

When employees understand what your brand stands for, they will feel pride in working towards the company's goals. 

When I visit the Apple store, I see that the staff are an extension of the brand and are welcoming, professional and knowledgeable. They also know their customers and are often customers themselves. 

What are the stages in designing a new logo?

Creating a new logo design for your business consists of three main stages.

Discovery Phase

After defining the brief, the discovery stage answers the who, where, why, when and what questions surrounding your business. A 'deep dive' with a brand consultant can help you to unlock some important gems and help you define your business brand. For example, your business values, personality and (crucially) working out what attracts your clientele.

Visuals Phase

Once you have completed the discovery work, it's time to translate the answers into something! Ideally you would work with an expert (either with a freelancer or a design agency) to translate these findings into a visual identity that works for you and resonates with your customers. 

A professional will help refine the findings by creating mood boards and visuals. Examples will be mocked up with your logo in situ, whether that be for your social media or printed materials.

Refine and Fulfilment Phase

There is likely to be some back and forth in order to get the logo and visuals just right. Once they are finalised, the designer will deliver a brand toolkit to you. This will include your logo in a variety of formats for screen and print, along with any guidelines and imagery agreed along the way. Guidance on colours, fonts, imagery and production of templates all help keep your branding consistent going forward.

And finally, some thoughts to consider when designing your logo:

Keep it simple! The best logos are simple, this doesn’t mean that they are cheap or easy to create. A simple shape/graphic/text is easier to recognise, just look at the Nike tick.

Will it work when small? Bear in mind that the logo will be viewed very small on a mobile. Alternatively, you can get a favicon too for this purpose. 

See my logo and favicon:

Design with meaning: Amazon's A-Z smile shows the product range and the positive customer experience. The FedEx’s negative space arrow, has a clear meaning of moving forward.

Consider that sometimes the logo has no real meaning: As the brand grows, it becomes an entity in itself. For example, Apple has no literal meaning; however, the brand element and graphic style are deliberate and demonstrate values at the heart of the business.

The Nike swoosh is more abstract denoting the wing of Nike, the Greek Goddess of Victory.

Use emotion, it’s a powerful tool. For example, EasyJet’s bargain flights or John Lewis' values of trust and quality.

Be aware of the bigger picture: A logo is only one part of your brand, so as well as a fabulous logo, it is important to get your full branding right. From colours and type, to the words which convey your voice and story. 

A well-thought-out logo and brand can work wonders for your business. If you think your business is ready to elevate to the next level, please get in touch with me to find out more about the brand packages I offer. 

Book a FREE 30 minute discovery call and we can arrange a chat over a virtual coffee, so we can talk about how branding can work for you.