How Durable is Your Logo?

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary online, durable is defined as: “able to exist for a long time without significant deterioration.”

When your logo was designed did your designer take into consideration if your logo could withstand the test of time?

Do you feel that your logo truly represents the present and future goals of your business?

Did your designer explain to you why he chose the typography he did? Did he choose a typeface or type style that will be strong for a great length of time or is it something more trendy that EVERY designer decides to use and only become unpopular in the coming months?

Does the icon (if any) of your logo symbolize something that your business stands for?

Was your icon crafted well enough to last for years and years?

These are all questions that ALL business owners should consider. Sadly, people will spend a great deal of time and money and decide on a logo that wasn’t given much detailed time and attention.

Logos should not explain what a business is all about. A logo should be considered an identifier of a business. The logo should, when viewed, be an instant identifiable mark. Many business owners want the logo to explain every facet of a business. Unfortunately, this only makes identifying the business behind the logo more of a challenge.

In this post I will touch on common attributes and characteristics of logos and identity systems that can have great impact on how your business is perceived.

How memorable is your logo? Is there anything about your logo that helps lock it into the memory of whoever sees it?

I’m sure you’ve heard the expression “less is more.” This statement is what most good graphic designers wish their clients would understand. To stand out from your competition your logo must be different in some way. You must imprint your brand into the minds of your customers or potential customers so they only think of YOU when it’s time to make a buying decision.

It’s possible to distinguish your business from the competition. Two effective methods of distinguishing your business from the rest are using thought-provoking colors and appropriate shapes.

How was the color of your logo chosen? In design everything that is created should have a reason behind its creation. Much research should be done in the beginning stages of logo and design development. One important research criteria is color. Different colors have different meanings in different parts of the world. For instance, in the United States, the following colors can have these subsequent meanings.

• Red - Passion, Anger, Stop
• Yellow - Joy, Intellect, Caution
• Green - Fertility, Money, Healing
• White - Perfection, Purity, Wedding
• Blue - Knowledge, Tranquility, Calm
• Black - Fear, Negativity, Death
• Purple - Royalty, Wisdom, Spirtuality
• Orange - Creativity, Invigoration, Unique
• Grey - Neutrality, Uncommitted, Uncertain

Does the shape of your logo or icon truly represent your business? Powerful logos are generally reduced down to the simplest shape possible. Elements within the logo design will generally involve a shape that directly relates to the business or business goals.

Color and shape are only two of many different ways to differentiate a business logo or identity. Other ways you can differentiate a logo from the next are through typographic choice, typographic treatment, letter orientation, etc.

There are thousands of possibilities in each case and it’s a graphic designer’s job to explore the possibilities.

Look at some of these logo examples and try to see if the designer clearly differentiated the businesses they are attached to by using color or shape.

In future posts concerning logo and identity design, I will touch on different pitfalls of amateurish logo design including scalability, multi-channel implementation, brand standards and many more insightful topics.

Some information that I gathered for this post can be found in an excellent resource I use titled, Logo Design Workbook by Rockport