You’ve done it. You’ve taken the leap to start your own small business, putting your passion to work for you. I know exactly the kind of leap of faith it takes to leave behind the consistency of a regular paycheque, plus benefits (if you were lucky), and make a go of it on your own, especially in the uncertain economy we face today.
I also know the satisfaction that comes with making a business out of your passion, and knowing that you are giving your clients and customers exactly want they are looking for … on your own terms. There isn’t a much better feeling, actually. That’s why we love what we do at Emphasize. Not only are we doing what we love – creating beautiful and user-friendly website designs that are also effective online marketing tools – we also get to help others succeed at doing what they love, too. And that feels pretty great.
As Emphasize’s creative lead, logo design is part of what I do. Your logo design should say a lot about your company, who you are and what you do, and get it all done within one small visual concept. Without a lot of thought put into them, logo designs tend to fail spectacularly. So before getting started, ask yourself these few important questions.
What is My Brand?
You can’t create a good logo without being well cognizant of your brand. We talk a lot about brand identity at Emphasize, and not just because it’s an interesting topic. Your brand identity is the core of your business, the heart and soul of who and what you are. It describes exactly what you want to do with your business, and how you want to do it. A brand has to be honest, because an untruthful brand is so obvious it can only damage your business’s reputation.
Your brand is the culmination of everything you do. It’s the products you sell, the services you provide, the people you employ, the choice of your storefront, your website design, the content you create, your social media presence, plus everything else. The best companies are able to describe their brands in only a few words, and those few words should silently resonate all the time.
A mistake a lot of small businesses make it to come up with their logo without first thinking long and hard about their brand. If you have a professional designing your logo, you’ll more than likely end up with something that looks good, but it’s also more than likely that your logo will not stand the test of time as your business grows. Logo design should always come after you have determined your brand, and this knowledge will give you a good headstart on the logo design process.
Your Logo is Only Part of Your Brand
A logo is what we in marketing call a brand representation. It is a visual depiction of your brand, but is only part of what makes up the whole. But even though it’s not everything, it’s important to get it right. You want your logo to have a strong presence and to stimulate the right emotions, and you also want to be able to keep it around. The more longevity a logo has, the more effective it will be for your business.
Before we start your logo design, it’s important to ask yourself the following questions:
- Who is my target audience? One of the best ways to determine your target audience is to look at your social media following and try to find the similarities between them. If it seems that the vast majority of them are educated females between the ages of 30 to 50, then you should take that into account with your logo design.
- What are your favourite logos and why? This is one of my favourite questions to ask clients. If you can tell me what your favourite logos are and why, then we have a great base to work for in the designing of yours.
- What do you want to emphasize and how? Logos create art with words, and I can place more emphasis on one than the other, depending on the goals of your business. I can also add visual elements, such as an animal, item, or symbol that you feel represents your business’s personality. At the same time, you need to decide whether you want your logo design to be mainly text-based, mainly graphic, or a combination of both.
- What colours would you like to use? This is important, as numerous studies show that different colours mean different things. For example, red can mean both love and anger. Yellow can mean happiness, but also cowardice. Green can mean renewal, but also envy and jealousy. It all depends on the context within they are being used.
Test Your Logo Design
As business owners, sometimes what appeals to us is not what will appeal to the majority. That’s normal. When I design a logo, I’ll make several versions for you to choose from. You can choose, of course, and I highly recommend you ask others their opinions, too, and be ready to hear their opinions. One great way to engage your customers is to put out a survey on social media and have them weigh in on what they think is the best logo for your business. They will appreciate your asking, and remember the trust you placed in them.
Emphasize Offers the Full Suite of Website Services
There are many examples of some of the logo designs I have done over the years, and these are just a few. In addition to that, Emphasize provides website design, content development, online marketing, and brand reputation management services, among many others. Our business was built to help your business. Contact us to see what we can do for you.
