[Updated February 2019]
In the world of small business, what customers think about your brand and whether they remember it (or not) is a big deal. As a small-business owner, you have the difficult task of communicating exactly what your business stands for and how you can make a difference in your customers’ lives.
How logos help with brand image
And when it comes to making a first impression with your customers, your logo takes on the bulk of the work.
Whether you put in on a sign, a uniform, your website, a business card or anywhere else, your logo is the main visual representation of your small business.
Take a look around… how many logos can you count in a minute? Check your computer, the soda can on your desk, the spines of books, your phone, your clothing, business cards, etc. You are surrounded by logos vying for your attention. Your customers see the same thing.
So how do you make your logo stand out?
Or, more importantly, how do you make sure your logo conveys the message you want?
Choose images, fonts, and colors that represent the idea behind your brand. Or a combination that can mean what you want it to.
Then (and this is the important part), use it consistently everywhere.
Logo design consistency is key for brand recognition
A swoosh didn’t mean anything until Nike used it consistently over two decades to represent athletic achievement. And that script used by Coca-Cola for their logo? Hard to read, except we’ve been looking at it for years, so we immediately recognize it. And that big letter M you see everywhere? It doesn’t have much to do with hamburgers except that McDonald’s has been using the same logo consistently for years. Below are just a few quick tips to making sure your logo is capturing the attention your brand needs.
- Don’t use more than one logo to represent your business.
- Don’t change your logo’s colors every time you print your logo on something.
- Stick with the font you selected when you created your logo.
- Don’t change your logo after a year or so because you simply want something new.
Consistency is the #1 secret to a great logo design.
It really doesn’t matter how you get your logo—whether you create your logo design yourself or hire someone to do the work for you (there are good reasons to choose either option, see here for example). Once you have your logo, stick with it. And over time, your logo will stand out from all the others.
