One of the first facts you learn about branding is how important the logo is. This single element can easily make or break an entire branding campaign, being important for all businesses, small to huge.
While in corporate branding there is usually a large team that works on every single aspect of branding, small businesses do not have such resources. In many cases the logo is designed in-house or through a freelancer. Mistakes are human but you should at least be aware of how a great logo is created. Remember the following whenever faced with such a process.
Logos Do Not Count When Brand Reputation Is Low
There are countless bad businesses that have incredibly good design. Company reputation will always eclipse the best graphic concept because how people see you is very important, especially during rebranding since the new logo will be associated with the old one during the change. People often say Apple or Nike when they are asked about great logo examples. This is in big part because they like what the companies are doing.
Abstraction Is Very Important
A logo is a symbol and a symbol will highlight what the brand is all about. Some time ago logos were pretty synonymous to the business. If there was a company that built chairs, the logo was some sort of chair. When fixing cell phones, the logo was some sort of phone. This is no longer something that should be the case.
Most of the logos that are really well-known are very simple. They are abstract and do not necessarily say what the company does. This even goes further with the name of the brand. Apple is a great example of this. Logos that do not say much are generally better. As time passes the logo takes on the good or bad characteristics of the company.
Research Is Vital For A Good Logo
Every single trademark and logo that is very good will come from a highly intensive research that will be focused on communication challenges that the brand has. The real problem that exists has to be defined. In many cases this is not obvious. Solutions are then developed. Basically, in order to create a really good logo for someone you need to understand who that someone is. In most situations a client is not going to mention the real things that have to be taken into account. Company culture needs to be completely understood for proper design.
Final Thoughts
The notion that designing a really good logo is simple needs to stop. There are way too many freelancers that sell general logos on websites like Fiverr for $5 or $10. If you opt for a logo that is very cheap, you have to expect something that will not help the company on the long run.
The best logos are always created by those that have a lot of experience and by those that are willing to conduct the necessary research. This is, perhaps, the most important fact that every single business owner should know.