Creating a Logo

Hi Friends,

A strong brand identity is crucial for building brand awareness and brand recall. It is easy to get caught up with what colour a logo is, what typeface is used and keeping costs low. Investing in memorable branding will pay off in the long term, so resist the urge to create a logo yourself or use a standard cursive script!

What are the non negotiables?

• An easy to spell name.
• An easy to read logotype (that's designer speak for your brand written using text) which doesn't use stock-standard Microsoft Word generated text. WordArt, fun for school projects but unprofessional for branding. Don't go there.

Some examples of strong logotypes:

 

 

 

• A logo. You have three choices, either, a logotype which works like a pictorial logo would, adding a logo to work alongside your logotype or as a combined version. This will help make your brand memorable and gives you options when you roll out your brand across different sorts of collateral.

Pictorial Logos - Chanel and Warner Bros:

 

Combined logo and logotype - Nike and Walt Disney:

 

 

 

Logotypes which work as logos - IBM and Ray Ban:

• A square version of your logo. This could be a square version of your logotype, your logo, or a combined version of both. This will be used as an icon for social media, for power points, for your book mark icon or "favicon" on your website. It will come in very handy!

Square versions- MTV and Microsoft:

 

 

• Think about longevity. Will this logo date? Will the font date? Have a few outsiders have a look and ask them what ideas it conjures up for them. Make sure the logo can't be interpreted in a way which doesn't suit your brand. We've all seen logos that look like something they aren't meant to such as... well, I will leave your imagination to complete the end of that sentence.
• A black and white version
• A coloured version
• A style guide to how your logo should be applied. This should include what dimensions the logo is, where it should be placed on a page, how it should be incorporated when using a coloured image or background, what corporate colours you can use, what fonts you can use. I will be sure to cover off more about this style guide in a blog post to come.
• A COPY OF THE ORIGINAL FILES. Sorry for shouting, but I really have to put that in capitals. If you don't have copies of the original vector image files, you won't be able to change the scale (the size) of the logo in the future. It also makes printing your logo difficult, chances are you will end up with a fuzzy logo. It doesn't matter if you can't open these files (for example, they might end in .ai .indd .psd), store them somewhere safe so that when it comes to using your logo, you have them ready for the designer.

Your brand identity needs to feel right, if it's over designed, confusing, doesn't sit with your brand values or brand personality, then it's not right for you. Costs for branding vary from $500 for a small business with 1 or 2 logo variations to $1Million for an organisation that needs brand research to discover which direction is best for them. Make sure you brief your designer on everything you need, and also what styles best suit you. Consider giving them your vision, your values, a background story about your business, a few links to designs you like, anything you really don't like, what colours you were visualising, and if you can, a moodboard with images, words and colours which match your brand. Effectively briefing the designer is the key to a quick turn around with the design, eliminates frustration and makes sure they present you with concepts which are right on-brand for you. If you are confused about your brand, they will be too!

What are your thoughts on branding identity? Have you experienced any pain-points? Do you have any tips for making the most from your branding identity?

Stay relevant!

Caitlin

Caitlin Davey
Director of Communications at Piggieback