Why do I need a logo?

Logos build trust and brand loyalty

They communicate your identity and services and showcase your professionalism. They help boost brand recognition, attract new customers and retain old ones.

A graphic designer aims to make a simple, clear, concise, and memorable logo while communicating core values. They are a part of your brand's visual identity and must communicate your brand's strategy, company spirit and brand attributes. Its shapes, colours, fonts and images should differ from other logos in the same market niche. Logos help you stand out.

One often overlooked thing is how colour, shape and words impact consumer behaviour and influence the brand's perception.

Different selections evoke different emotions and influence the consumers decision-making. So, making sure each decision on the colour, shapes, typography and words fits the brand's strategy is essential.

Logos and personal branding

When it comes to personal branding, there's very few reasons to have a personal logo. They serve as a visual representation of your identity, the values you uphold and your expertise. Here's a couple things a logo can do for you:

1. A personal logo helps to differentiate you. It allows you to stand out and be easily recognised, especially in industries where competition is high.
2. A well-designed logo can create a sense of professionalism and credibility, making potential clients or employers more likely to trust and remember you.
3. They can enhance your branding efforts. It can be used consistently across various platforms, such as websites, social media profiles, business cards, and email signatures. This consistency helps to reinforce the individuals brand identity and create a cohesive and professional image.
4. They can also be valuable for networking and career advancement. It can leave a lasting impression on colleagues, clients, and industry professionals, making it easier for others to remember and refer the individual for opportunities.

You need to weigh up whether those benefits will help grow your brand and career.

The importance of having a logo for your business

They are essential for any business. Here's what we need a corporate logo to do:

1. Create a strong and memorable identity, to make it easier for customers to recognise and recall the business.
2. Convey the values, personality, and professionalism of the brand, to help build trust and credibility among customers.
3. Differentiate your business from competitors in the market, to allow you to stand out and make a unique impression on potential customers.
4. Be flexible enough to be used across various marketing materials, such as websites, social media profiles, business cards, advertisements and anywhere else you could print it. This provides a consistent and cohesive brand image.
5. Contribute to the overall success of a business by increasing brand recognition and customer loyalty.

Consumers are more likely to choose a brand they recognise and trust. A professional logo can help to create a positive perception of the brand and encourage repeat business.

What makes a good logo?

To make sure your logos lifespan is longer than a tailors tape measure, you need to apply 5 fundamental design principles.

You need a simple logo

‍Your logo needs to be quickly identifiable.

According to a 2015 Time Magazine article, our attention span is 8 seconds and probably shorter.

That's a whole second less than a goldfish.

So before you run off, your customers need to know it's you straight away. Good logos deliver the unexpected, they are unique without being complex.

Look at Apple's logo, it simple, and while it's changed form and colour over the years, it's hung around for 46+ years. It lends itself to every area of the brand's visual identity.

It needs to be memorable – for the right reasons

‍Keep it appropriate to your business.

If you're a florist whose logo is wilting leaves, it will be memorable, but because is suggests your flowers are on their last legs.

Think carefully about the message you send – a good designer will always check that the logo isn't phallic or featuring icons that can be misinterpreted.

Make sure it's timeless

Avoid design trends! This logo needs to stand the test of time. How will your logo look in 10 years time?

It's not unusual for a logo to hit 100 years, look at the London Underground logo. A red circle with a blue horizontal bar going through it that simply reads UNDERGROUND.

The design of the underground Roundel was eventually adopted, with additional colours, to cover the entire London Transport network. Read all about the history at the London Transport Museum.

It needs to be versatile

Modern logos come in a variety of shapes for use at different sizes.

With the evolution of smartphones, it became the necessary for smaller logo formats to be created.

Your logo should have the versatility to appear on anything from a smartphone or a pen to a billboard or a plane.

Make it appropriate

Your logo should be fit for your audience.

For example a logo for a feminine jewellery brand could be sleek and sexy in execution. Targeting partners of the women. But, this wouldn't work for a professional service like a lawyers office, or a kids toyshop.

Why do I need a logo?

A logo is crucial for any business, it helps to establish a strong brand identity, differentiate from competitors, and build customer trust and loyalty.

Your logo needs to define who the brand is and what you do.