How Your Logo Design Reflects Your Brand Identity
If you had to think about what matters most regarding brand identity, what would be three things that came to mind?
If it were me, I would say uniqueness, quality and a clear message .
There is nothing more important than conveying your message loud and clear, especially if we talk about a unique, high-quality type of message.
Your brand identity is what your clients remember you for and the reason they stay loyal to you.
One of the things we have learnt this past year, during the Covid-19 pandemic, is that having the proper visual identity is the perfect way to ensure business success, especially during hard times.
Let’s see together why brand identity is so important, what logo design says about your brand, and how you can build the perfect logo for your business.
Brand Identity Matters
Just think about Apple or Coca-Cola.
Their brand identity is so well-established that when you hear their name, you already know who they are, what their values are and what you can expect from them.
This happens because they have put in hours of developing a good brand strategy that would set them apart from their competition.
These companies have established such strong brand identities that you would only need to see their logo to know very well who they are and what they do.
Your brand identity is what matters most when it comes to how people remember you.
But a solid brand has a plethora of other benefits: it builds trust, filters out bad leads , and supports new products (or services) launches.
What Makes a Strong Brand Identity?
If we journey back to the logo history of some famous brands , we’ll see that Coca-Cola had such a strong brand identity from the very beginning that it did not have to undergo any extensive rebranding over the years.
Their image was well put together, and if we were to talk about their logo, you could recognise those beautiful Coca-Cola swirls from miles away, which in business means a lot .
We learn from their branding history that radical changes are not always needed (as was the case with Apple).
That logo is an integral part of the brand identity, and that nothing communicates your business personality better than your brand.
But Coca-Cola isn’t the only one with a great brand identity. Think about Apple, Nike, Samsung, or Windows. These companies have many things in common when it comes to their brand identities:
- They are recognisable – you read their name or see their logo, and you know who they are;
- They built trust – would you think twice before making a purchase? If you’ve used their products before or read the online reviews, probably not – this is because you already trust them, and you know they offer quality products. This also means customers stay loyal to the brand because they know they get their money’s worth;
- They can introduce new products successfully – once a brand has established its name, it becomes easier and cheaper to launch new products, as customers already trust them;
- They filter out bad leads – it is essential to have good customers with whom you can establish an emotional connection—having a solid brand identity weeds out the less-desirable ones.
The take-away from all this is that having a solid brand identity is crucial for business success.
If you take your time and put in the right amount of resources into developing a great brand strategy , you will surely succeed.
Why is Logo Design so Important for Business?
Although brand identity means more than just a logo or a name, as we have already established, it is crucial to understand that your logo is one of the first things people notice about you.
We have discussed a bit about Coca-Cola’s logo, so let’s dive in a little deeper and try to understand what an exceptional logo design can do for your business.
Your logo is the first impression you leave on someone.
It encompasses everything about your brand, and it lets people know you are a professional.
A well-thought-out logo will not only get you recognised but will also foster brand loyalty , build trust, create consistency and establish emotional connections.
And all these things are essential for developing a flourishing business, especially in this day and age.
But what do you do if you haven’t taken brand identity seriously and then a thing like the Covid-19 pandemic hit?
During this past year, the digital world has changed the face of businesses around the world!
Some were not ready to go digital, while others thrived in this environment for years.
Being consistent with your brand, both offline and online, is very important!
And this year has taught us that some brands were not ready for the revolution that Covid started in the online world.
But how do you stay consistent?
You have your logo to rely on! Yes, your logo is the thing that creates consistency for your brand!
This is why it is crucial to have it ready for use in all shapes and sizes for all social media platforms or online devices.
This will help ensure that you apply your brand identity equally to any environment – here come at play different shapes, colours and fonts , and we will discuss how these impact the greatness of your logo a bit later.
What Makes a Good Logo Design?
Let’s focus first on what makes a good logo design .
If we look at all the famous companies globally, we can all agree that their logos are memorable.
Just think about it; some of the most popular phone games are where you have to guess the brand behind the logo.
I bet most of us would be very good at the game, as all these big players have memorable logos.
Plus, they also have another thing in common; they are simple.
Simplicity is a precious asset – think about the Nike tick , Apple’s apple and the McDonald’s M .
There are no intricate details or crazy colour schemes there; there’s just this one element.
And what a powerful element that is – it’s simple, but it’s easily recognisable, and that is what all brands are looking for.
Another essential feature of an inspiring logo design is how appropriate it is for your brand.
This is where your branding strategy comes at play – before starting to design your logo, sit down with your team and decide upon details such as: what your target audience is, how young or old they are, whether this is a brand for children or it is more appealing for the older segment, or even what the buyer’s personality is.
Once you have these details pinpointed, you can decide upon the direction your logo design can take.
And since we have already talked about Coca-Cola earlier, their logo is a perfect example of your logo’s next important element – timelessness .
You don’t want to update your logo every five years.
It’s essential to be consistent and keep in mind that what is trendy now might not be trendy in 10 years.
It might not be even trendy next year.
So it would help if you based your decision on factors other than what’s popular at this time.
Versatility and scalability are also two fundamental aspects that must be taken into consideration when designing your logo.
They will ensure that your logo keeps its core layout, whether you print it on a billboard or a small patch of material.
All the details of your logo must be recognisable regardless of where you put it.
Make sure it’s also scalable for all the different online platforms.
Try to anticipate how and where you’re going to use your logo to make sure you create a perfect design.
If you consider all these things mentioned above and build a solid strategy, you will ensure that your logo will create a lasting impression and your whole brand.
While it might be overwhelming to consider everything necessary for creating your logo, if you have the right team and a terrific strategy and, most importantly, if you thoroughly understand your business and what your brand stands for , you will be successful.
How to Design a Stunning Logo
Creating a solid visual identity is part of a good branding strategy, and you can achieve that by creating a meaningful logo design .
And while that may sound like an easy thing to do, it involves more than just creating a representation of your brand.
But do not fret; we’re going to list some of the most important things to be aware of when designing your logo.
The first thing to keep in mind when starting the process is that you want your logo to effectively communicate who you are as a brand, your values and connect to people at an emotional level.
If you understand your brand values , you can quickly put together a brand strategy to help you in your creative process.
Knowing what shapes, colours and typography to use is also extremely important, as is using negative space .
Another vital aspect is selecting the right logo style for your brand.
There are quite a few to choose from – abstract, mascot logo, emblem logo , combination mark, lettermark, wordmark, or pictorial mark.
Depending on your needs, one of the styles above might be more suitable for your brand.
A lettermark, for instance, would make your company name instantly recognisable, while a more abstract one might help you connect deeper with your customers.
Whichever one you choose, though, make sure it’s the right one for the message you want to convey.
Before you start your journey, you must have all these details down.
And remember – if you want your logo to be memorable, make sure that it is simple, timeless and that it connects to people at a deep, emotional level.
That is the perfect recipe for establishing a solid brand identity – always focus on your values and your customers.
Conclusions
As we have discussed throughout this article, brand identity matters significantly in establishing a successful business.
A look at the history of the most famous brands in the world has shown us that it is crucial to remember who you are and whom your business is dedicated to.
Their history has also taught us that your logo design is one of the most important things that reflect the brand identity.
While it may be extremely challenging, time-consuming and exhausting to come up with the perfect logo, it is all worth it in the end.
If you want to build a memorable brand like Coca-Cola, Nike or Apple, you must put all your efforts into creating a stunning visual identity.
It is not enough to just come up with a great idea; you have to make sure that idea is suitable for your brand, your customers, and the digital world.
It is also simple enough to be memorable, while at the same time, complex enough to create an impact.
This is more actual now than ever due to the Covid pandemic that has shown us that not all brands (and logos) are created equal.
Just remember that your logo design reflects your brand identity.
The benefit of having an impactful logo is that it sparks the right kind of emotions into your audience, turning them into loyal customers.
