What’s the most immediately recognizable part of a person?
In most cases, it is their face.
We even refer to whole human beings as “faces” from time to time (as in “faces in the crowd,” etc.).
When we close our eyes and think about people, we usually remember their face.
You have a face.
Your business doesn’t.
Your business could have your face.
You could plug a photo of your smiling face on every document that leaves your desk.
How about putting your grinning mug on every bag that leaves your store?
Why not?
It worked for Colonel Sanders and his fried chicken shops!
Most of us aren’t quite that photogenic or vain.
So we try to find another way to give our business a memorable “face” of its own.
We call it a logo.
A logo is the very symbol of your business.
The logo is an immediately recognisable representation of the business.
A good logo design will send a clear message.
The logo is the most powerful branding tool around and it is an absolute essential.
If your business is operating without a logo, you are far too forgettable.
So, how should you choose a logo?
The best answer to that question is that you probably shouldn’t.
Well, at least you shouldn’t dream up a logo completely by yourself.
A professional logo designer is a much better choice.
Logo design specialists know about things like colour psychology.
They understand the various subconscious messages conveyed by shape.
A skilled logo designer takes into consideration many factors that can result in a spectacular logo.
Your sketch on the back of a cocktail napkin might seem great as closing time approaches.
But your design won’t hold a candle to what a trained professional can produce for you.
It is quite reasonable to bring your thoughts of design into the process.
If you absolutely can’t live without a monkey appearing in your logo, tell that to the designer and see if they can find a way to make it work.
Not everyone has the budget for high-end professional logo design.
Instead, many small business owners work with online logo design firms and graphics artists.
You can find skilled people on Fiverr or 99-Designs.
Use the ratings awarded to identify artists who produce high-quality logos at a reasonable price.
That’s a workable solution to get your started.
Once your small business grows to be an industry leader, you can always have the big boys tweak the design.
When dealing with a freelance designer or a budget logo design firm, there are a few things you should keep in mind.
Make sure the work is 100% original
You’ll be using this logo everywhere and you want it to be uniquely yours.
Even more important, you must ensure you have the rights to this intellectual property to protect it from wrongful use or theft.
To copyright or trademark the logo, you have to be certain it truly belongs to you.
Ask for vector graphics
In simple terms, there are two types of graphics when you are dealing with logos. The raster graphics will work fine for everyday online use.
But you will want to be able to scale that symbol and to use it on everything from free giveaway coffee mugs to paper brochures.
Scaling-up the raster leads to an unsatisfactory result.
Using a fully scaleable vector, works like a charm at any size.
Find out about the colours
Your logo will end up in print and you will want to make sure you can keep color consistency.
The better logo designers use special colour schemes that any printer can reproduce exactly.
The most popular of these is the Pantone system.
Not all reds look like your red.
Not all blues are the one you want to see reproduced.
Make sure you have a colour scheme with which you can get consistent results.
