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Do I need a logo?

Your visual identity must be an integral part of your business plan and should even be part of your marketing strategy if you really want to make your mark.

You need a logo if you have a message to convey to a public, whether you want to entice it with a product or service, or you want to capture its attention to raise awareness or inform about a topic.

So, in summary, a good logo:

  1. Makes an excellent impression
  2. Attracts new customers
  3. … and preserves your current customers
  4. Helps you stand out from your competition
  5. Generates trust and professionalism

To help you in your reflection, let me give you a little history lesson before moving on to the more technical concepts of design and marketing.

The evolution of the modern logo

Typography to remember your printer

The modern graphic logo is an evolution of the printers’ typographic logo, in the early nineteenth century. The printers were often booksellers and editors of their own works. So, it was self-evident to find their shop signs on book covers once printed.

A visual identity to stand out from the crowd

We can then attribute the popularity of the logo to the arrival of industrialization, the beginnings of competition and the use of advertising to stand out.

It now becomes important, even essential to create a strong visual identity to differentiate our products from those of another. In general, use is made of advertising shops / agencies and graphic designers to design a logo. It may take the form of a logotype associated with the name of the company, a service, or a product.

The logo quickly became an important component in advertising and the economy. Some companies came to acquire such a commercial notoriety that their name no longer needs to be included in the visual. The emblem logo is enough.

The modern logo

An abbreviation of the word logotype, a logo is “a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition”.

 

But a good logo that stands out – how do we get there? What factors make a logo that marks the imagination and holds a place in the collective consciousness of a potential audience?

Let’s find out…

A trendy or more classic logo?

It is easy to be seduced by trends and fashions and they certainly must be considered. But, too often, some logo treatments are anchored in the period at which they were designed, using popular treatments such as new effects in Photoshop or the color or font / typography of the year.

A relatively recent time when the integrity of the logo was put to the test was the arrival of the Internet and the ability to animate logos like animated GIF on a web page. As is often said, it is not because it is possible that it is a good idea. Fashion is soon forgotten.

One of the biggest challenges in designing a good logo remains its long-term relevance. Having said that, it is not necessary to stick to absolute rigidity about the use of a logo. Since the advent of interactive design, many companies have made good use of this trend to experiment with their brand through advertising campaigns or via gamification.

So finally, what makes a good logo?

Some key principles:

  1. Exclusivity (unique). Simply to avoid confusion with other logos.
  2. Can be used in several contexts while maintaining its integrity.
  3. Always effective whether enlarged or reduced.
  4. Retains its integrity when printed on different materials.
  5. Readability (contrast). Can work as well in color as in black and white.
  6. Symbolizes the message and / or values of the company, product, or service.
  7. Has a long lifetime. Not designed in a passing fashion.

The Style Guide

Often included as a deliverable in the design of a logo, this is a user’s guide / instruction manual. Basically, this document illustrates fonts (typographies) and colors used. It can go as far as illustrating your logo in the most likely contexts of use such as a letterhead, a business card, or a printed document. For a few years now, it has also included the use on a website, an online advertisement, an application and more recently, on social networks.

What options are available?

Several options are available to obtain a logo for your business, product, or service. As in any market, there are different levels of quality, but also tastes. An attentive graphic designer will know what you want and will ensure that your logo communicates your message.

Now where do you start?

For a long time, there have been agencies that specialized in branding. An agency will sometimes have several people attached to the development of a brand, but in general, a graphic designer will be responsible for developing a logo according to customer information collected via a questionnaire and / or brainstorming sessions with them.

Freelance graphic designers (freelancers) can also offer logo design and branding services. They are often seen as a viable option for smaller budgets. On the other hand, it is likely that the time devoted to research and analysis of client needs / preferences will also be reduced. Far from talking about reduced quality (several independent graphic designers are specialists in logo design and often offer higher quality than some agencies), make sure that the mandated graphic designer understands your situation and your needs.

As with any professional graphics, the portfolio is the best way to ensure that you are dealing with someone whose past work you enjoy. And finally, with any sound business relationship it is always more pleasant to work with an agency or professional individual whose ego is set aside to ensure they offer a product that meets YOUR needs above all.

Ah yes. Let’s not forget, there are also companies that offer, such as with ready-made website templates, pre-produced logos at greatly reduced prices. As in other commercial spheres, the level of exclusivity establishes the price. For example, a logo purchased through an online site may be useful to you in the short term, but be aware that it has been designed with the intention of being sold in series. So, exclusivity is probably not part of the deal. That said, it can be OK for now, depending on what you are looking for.

OK, I’m ready to act … but how much does it cost?

The price of a logo can range from a few hundred to several thousand dollars depending on who you are dealing with and the scope of the mandate. The costs will be justified not only by the equivalent quality of the work, but also the amount of work, the creative process and research made prior to the design. In general, we will offer you a few (2-3) artistic directions, to offer you a choice. Once the final selection is made, one or two rounds of adjustments will be offered so that your logo accurately reflects your business, product, or service. Thereafter you will have the option of adding a guide of simple or more elaborate style, per your needs.

No matter your need for a visual identity, whether it is for a brand refresher or a brand-new logo, MultipleMedia will make sure your logo is a proper match!

On this, I leave you with the path of a product logotype that needs no introduction. Its viability through time and its commercial successes continue to accumulate, but as your next project, it took shape on a piece of paper using a simple pencil …

… a long time ago in a galaxy not so far away;)

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