I connected with Ben Johnson of custom logo design company Logoinn and was interested on his take of what makes a logo engaging, Ben was kind enough to send these ideas and maybe I can persuade him to come on The Engaging Brand podcast so that we can find out more in the future. Here are some of Ben's thoughts on engaging logo's....
Companies like Nike, Google, Mastercard and so many others have done this in the past even when they’re the market leaders in their respective industries.
Why did they go for logo modification…what was the need?
They all want to look fresh to their customers with minor changes in their logos as this would definitely make their customers talk about it.
If I give you an example of yourself, you as a person would want to change your appearance with time, because that is something essential to keep you active and if that change suits you and your personality, it would definitely get a hype.
Similarly, companies undergo subtle changes in their logos according to the mood of the company and the personal taste of the business owner, which is understandable to some extent. However, you should keep in mind that your logo is the face of your company and it will always be judged by your customers. So, whether you love the way your logo looks, you should consider the following aspects while altering your logo.Now have a look at these three logos David Airey has mentioned
in his article ‘5 Vital Logo Design Tips’ We can’t deny the fact that ‘Nike’ is a super hit logo. It has everything to be called has one hell of a popular logo. But what about ‘Advanced Vision Surveillance’ logo, the owner of this business must have liked the design that’s why it is this way, but in actual, it has failed miserably to be liked by the masses. So...
Analyze your Logo and see if it is only liked by you or by everyone. To help you with this, following are the guidelines you must stick to.
- Make your logo describable You need to ask yourself whether your logo is describable or is it ambiguous. Is it communicating any tangible brand attribute or not? Many companies struggle in describing their logos and their connection with the company’s goals and objectives due to a weak or vague logo that portrays a different image than what the company is actually about. In this case, no slogan line, any suggestive image, or color element help much. Your logo must be describable in order to gain popularity.
- Make your logo memorable. So appealing that people recognize you even if they are not your customers or clients. It can be gauged if your logo is instantly recognized by your target market; you can assert that your logo is memorable. Your logo should be creative enough that it could be remembered at a glance. Usually graphics are the focus when designing a logo and business owners should keep in mind the simpler the logo is, the more effective it will be. Your logo should be so perfectly designed that the customer gets influenced by it upon first sight. Don’t make your customers to spend more than a few seconds thinking about your logo.
- Make your logo
look good in black & white
It happens to companies most of the times that their logos look good in full color, but insipid when displayed in black and white. See how IBM’s logo transformed itself so elegantly in black and white.
- When designing a logo, one should keep in mind that your logo should have an ability to draw attention when displayed in black and white. Your logo should look appropriate when shown as black and white. It happens to companies most of the times that their logos look good in full color, but insipid when displayed in black and white. See how IBM’s logo transformed itself so elegantly in black and white.
- Make your logo resizable This happens majorly because of two reasons either due to lack of creative thoughts of a logo designer or a big communication gap between the business owner and the logo designer. So, brief the designer about what exactly you require and ask for redraws if you feel your logo resembles any other brand identity. Select appropriate font, look at INTEL how they have played with the design and font.
You don’t need to question yourself anymore that why companies modify their logos. After complying with the aforementioned guidelines, and making alterations accordingly, I am sure you would definitely come up with a good logo for your business.
