A logo is the most important branding element for a business as it represents that business as its face. This is all the more true when it comes to online businesses, websites, apps etc., where the users only can see your online presence and not meet that business’ rep face to face. The logo can communicate the essence of the business – the values, culture, philosophy, where the company wants to go, mission, vision etc., Not many businesses give any heed to their logo and end up in having it as an image that is below average that does not correctly communicate anything about them. Think of the logo as a rep or an image of your business. How do you want to come across to your prospective customers and to the world – a business that’s customer centric, smart, agile etc., or a business that’s shabby and confusing. Thus logo along with WEBSITE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT is an important element of effective online branding.
Here are some guiding principles to keep in mind when getting a logo designed:
Analysis: Before diving into the logo design process it is imperative to understand the target audience – their age, demographics, culture, motivations, likes/dislikes etc., Being insightful about who your target audience is and what motives them helps in moving in a direction that creates a logo that ‘connects’ with them.
Color choices: Colors create different impact in the mind of the people. Black and blue are commonly used by B2B businesses, green by finance industry, orange, yellow etc by food industry. Its been seen that using the right color for your logo creates the right type of image. Like use of correct hues of yellow and orange in a food logo with an appropriate graphic can create an image of ‘being appetizing’.
Shapes: Square shape denotes stability, reliability etc., triangle shape denotes many things such as masculinity, direction etc., – being aware of what shape creates what cognitive image in the mind helps in choosing the right one.
Fonts: The choice of the correct font can really uplift the logo. A fun font rather than a serious professional font for kids entertainment websites like for amusement park make the logo stand out. On the other hand within the business industry, the fonts vary based on the sub category the business belongs in.
