Surprisingly, many managers, ordering the development of a logo, do not even know what it is! Someone thinks that a logo is just a pretty picture. Someone that has a logo and a trademark – the same thing. And a lot of people think that a logo is just a symbol that you can draw yourself. To answer the question of what a logo is and why designing quality logos is expensive, let’s understand the concept and function of a logo. And What types of Logos are there?
What is a logo?
A logo is an identifying mark that is one of the elements of the identity that represents your brand. A logo doesn’t have to be a meaningless set of symbols or an eye-catching picture. However, a logo is not always created just for a firm. Also – it can be an accompanying symbol of a particular brand, which can be anything, for example, a channel on YouTube, a fictional character, an animal, or a group of people. The purpose of a logo is to convey a company’s message to its target audience.
The logo is the most important element of a company’s image. Logos have emerged to distinguish the products of different firms within the same industry. In addition, a registered trademark protects the company from unfair competition and allows it to protect its rights in court. In the perception of consumers, the presence of a logo or trademark of a company with a well-established reputation is a guarantee of quality.
Why do I need a logo?
A logo performs several extremely important functions. Let’s take a look at a few of the functions that a well-designed logo successfully performs:
A logo helps to differentiate a business from its competitors
A logo is the first thing your customer gets to know about your company. It is the basis for many people to judge the services and products offered and often decide whether to give their preference to your business or to go to the competitors. Therefore, the logo design should be as associative as possible and evoke only positive emotions in the client.
Legal assurance of ownership
The logo is as much the property of the business as the products it produces. Therefore, it is some form of protection of the rights to the goods. If another company uses the logo, it can be held criminally or administratively liable.
The trust of the client
Not all companies have their logo, but the company, focused on quality and love of customers, just has to have one. Customers trust more products that have a logo on them. Think back to the last time you bought something without such identifying marks. Chances are, it hasn’t happened in a long time.
Unusualness and aesthetics
Don’t forget that a logo helps to make any product unusual, to add some kind of distinctive mark to it. An example would be, the bullseye on all products from Apple. No one would argue that any laptop is ready to buy only because of the one glowing apple, the other parameters will look after it.
Help in Promotion
The logo can help a lot in the promotion of the product because it is printed everywhere:
- on products;
- on-brand stores;
- business cards;
- banners and advertisements;
- in social networks.
That’s why it should be easy to remember so that anyone could mention in a story to a friend just what the logo looks like, and it would be immediately put off in memory.
Different Types of Logos
There is a huge variety of logos, but many of them can be classified into one of three types: text, combination, and emblems.
Textual
This type of logo is a spelling of the company name using company colors and fonts. This type is good because, constantly faced with the name of the brand, people quickly remember it. According to statistics, about 40% of the world’s companies use only text in their logo. This style of logo is used by many companies:
- Virgin;
- Facebook;
- Disney;
- Coca-Cola;
- Sony;
- Samsung;
- others.
Combined
These logos usually use a symbol and company name, or a symbol and an abbreviation. This approach has two advantages at once: the symbol or picture helps to draw attention to the brand, while the presence of the name makes it more memorable. This approach can be especially good for new companies, but it is also used by major global brands. Among them:
- Adidas;
- Reebok;
- Microsoft;
- Gazprom;
- Aeroflot;
- British Petroleum;
- Eurosport;
- others.
Emblems
Logos of this type include the company name in a special artistic image. This is perhaps the most spectacular type of logo, but it is also the most complex. It’s important to consider that both the text and the image are readable at any size. Such logos are common in sports, and government agencies, and are also found in the auto business. Examples:
- Starbucks;
- Harley-Davidson;
- NFL;
- FC Liverpool;
- Paramount Pictures;
- BMW;
- others.
Conclusion
There are many different types and forms of logos, each of which works great for a certain segment of the audience. It is worth understanding that a quality logo is an important component of the image. Such an element can ensure the success of the company. It allows the average person to realize the essence of the company, what mission it fulfills, and what ideals it follows. The logo should be remembered not only on a conscious level but also on a subconscious emotional level.
Suggested:
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Top 3 Key Reasons for Not Designing a Logo in Photoshop.