What your logo means to your business
By Raffi Darrow
Oct. 5, 2004
© R-Design, Inc.
When someone is introduced to your business, your logo is often the first thing they see. Whether it is on a business card, brochure or website, your logo needs to give a great first impression! It becomes the visual identifier for your company, like the golden arches of McDonalds or the red and white swirl of Coca-Cola. Your logo will transmit a feeling about your company, and the right logo delivers the right message.
There are some general types of logos. An iconic logo uses a graphical element or icon related to the business field or an abstract image, such as the Nike swoosh. LogoType is a logo based on letters. A unique font used to spell out the company name or rearranging letter patterns can easily make up a logo. Examples of this type of logo are those of General Mills and IBM.
Mascots can also be used as logos, such as the Pillsbury Doughboy. Mascots that seem to come to life add a personal touch to your business, giving it a friendly feel.When determining your logo, lots of aspects need to be taken into consideration. Do you have a slogan or motto that needs to be incorporated? Is there an icon to easily represent your industry, like a house for a Real Estate agent? Also consider the colors being used. Is your logo noticeable? Is it unique? Will it reprint well in shades of grey?
When you have a finished logo, you will need copies of it in different file formats for different purposes. Anytime you have your logo printed, you will need a high resolution vector graphic. This version of your logo can be resized without losing any visual integrity. For online use - in emails and on the web - you can use a lower resolution raster version of your logo. This is art made of tiny pixels that will load quickly online but might look grainy when printed.
The examples above are great logos, but what makes them so recognizable it that they are well advertised. Remember to keep your target audience in mind when thinking about your new logo because it will appear on all of your advertising and marketing efforts.