Your company’s identity is absolutely vital to its success. Its image, reputation and aesthetics are all about as important as services rendered. And the very first point of contact that a prospective client or customer has with your company is the logo.
On “America’s Next Great Restaurant,” contestants vying to open three branches of a brand new food-service chain devoted one episode to putting their logos to the test. They had an objective audience vote on where they’d pay cash to eat based on the look of the logos alone. Contestants learned a fast lesson about how important this sort of choice can be when it comes to starting a new business. Other image-related challenges included designing uniforms, menus and restaurant decor. All of these things, the celeb judges asserted, were just as important to the potential chains’ success as the food, name or location.
As a society, we’re very visually oriented. People are quick to make a decision based on their first, entirely sight-based impression–and then they just as quickly move on. So having a logo that packs a wallop with one solid, clear thought is necessary. Imagine it as your company’s firm handshake. You can convey a sense of sincerity, energy and longevity with the right look.
Think about it: What colors, fonts and symbols represent what you do? More importantly, how can you tie a sense of personality (that’s unique to your brand and “voice”) into a singular image that also stands for your company’s name? Plus, you want to be memorable. If your logo shows up next to a list of your competitors’, you want yours to be the one that stands out.
When designing your logo, Mad 4 Marketing takes into account all of your brand’s key messages. What are the thoughts you want to convey? Although these won’t literally translate into your logo, they can affect its design. Are you all about being modern and edgy? Maybe a chic and bold font is right for you. Are you aiming for a low-key, tropical vibe suitable for South Florida? Perhaps a sea blue is a better choice than boring old white for framing your logo.
Whether you’re handing out pens at a trade show or having individuals step in the front doors of your office (your outside signage and reception area should not be overlooked), any first encounter with your logo can impact your chance of success. Even if you have a logo that’s suited you well, maybe your customers are too used to it; you can grab some new attention with a slightly tweaked, fresher vibe. Retooling your logo is also a wonderful excuse to reach out to colleagues and customers alike to let them know about the change and send over some promotional materials.
Don’t hesitate to ask how Mad 4 Marketing can integrate your brand and business goals into a new logo that really makes your audience stop and take notice.