How Logo Design Affects Brand Image
When you’re just starting out, you may think that getting a professionally designed logo is just an unnecessary cost. But as your business gains more visibility, your logo is going to play a bigger role in your marketing efforts.
Even if you don’t have the budget to pay a top firm to create all your marketing collateral, you can always start with a simple logo and redesign it later. Just don’t do it randomly and out of nowhere. You might end up throwing away all the brand awareness and brand equity you’ve built up using your old logo if you suddenly decide to revamp it completely.
Why Logos Are Important
If you think of your favorite brand, you’re almost certainly going to think of their logo first. This brand association is one of the main reasons why big companies put a very high value on their logo.
A logo is more than just an image with a fancy design. It’s a symbol that not only represents your company, but also gives people something to easily remember you by.
If that’s not enough, read on to find out how logos can impact your brand’s image and people’s perception of your company.
Facilitates Positive Associations With Your Brand
If your logo looks amateurish and hastily put together, people will assume that you do business in the same way.
In a lot of situations, your name and logo are going to be the first things that people will see. A poorly designed logo will negatively affect people’s perception of your company even before they take a look at your products and services.
It’s hard enough to get people’s attention. When you do get people to notice you, a logo can help reinforce positive feelings about your brand. When people are in a positive frame of mind, they’ll be more receptive to your brand’s messaging.
Differentiates you From Your Competitors
With the amount of ads and information most people are exposed to everyday, you can easily get lost in the mix and quickly be forgotten just a few minutes later.
A great looking logo helps bridge this gap when it’s consistently placed on all your marketing materials. Logos can replace lengthy names and descriptions, and can be easily placed everywhere.
Even if someone likes the message that you’re putting out, there’s no guarantee that they’ll remember where it came from. A persistent logo that’s unique makes it easier to identify your brand and your products, and set it apart from other businesses in the same space.
The Psychological Impact of Logo Designs
Many studies have shown that different visual elements can influence how people perceive your brand and their buying decisions. These psychological effects also apply to your logo’s design.
Your logo’s color, shape and fonts all play a role in how consumers see your brand. As a quick example, your logo can help your company come across as either conservative or modern. Your design choices can also make your brand look either very exclusive, or more approachable and down to earth. Each element has to be planned carefully so that the resulting design can convey your company’s story and its values.
The elements you choose also have to work well together so that it’s more pleasing to the eye. A logo that has too many elements can also be difficult to understand, and end up not being very remarkable to consumers. Most iconic logos are relatively simple with only one or two outstanding features, but they’re all very effective at capturing people’s attention.
Final Words
At the end of the day, a logo is just a symbol. It means nothing if your brand can’t live up to people’s expectations. In a sense, it’s value lies in the aspirational qualities it can deliver to both the consumer and the business itself.