On an everyday basis we encounter up to 3500 marketing messages, most of them ads on the route we are travelling in. Being bombarded by so many ads, we take notice of only creative ads which stands out and we also associate it with a brand. A logo is the one which helps us identify this brand in the blink of an eye . So what is a logo?
According to Wikipedia ” A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition. Logos are either purely graphic (symbols/icons) or are composed of the name of the organization (a logotype or wordmark).”
There is a common saying that a picture can speak a thousand words, but for me a logo speaks a million words. The logo has the ability to tell everything about the company and what they stand for. Also we remember graphics and pictures better than words and we are visually attracted to creative and well designed logos, when it is added onto all marketing media.
To look at this hierarchically, the company brand entails the brand identity which in turn entails the logo. So it is just a small but a very important part of the brand and company. There are many aspects which affect the brand value of a company, but the logo is the one which comes to our minds when we think of the company. So designing a logo must be very difficult?
I wouldn’t call it arduous , but it definitely requires a creative journey which starts at just a concept then leading through a path of whole lot of possibilities then finally consolidating and compressing all this into an everlasting symbol.
In my opinion, a good logo must have a few characteristics:
A logo must be simple but complex within
If too complex by design itself then people may not understand or even remember them. So the logo must be simple enough for any one to recall, but it must have a depth to it which would lead to an ‘aha’ moment on its discovery, like when you understand the significance of the arrow in the Amazon logo.
The other reason it must be simple is because you would be printing and using various sizes of the logo on various media, t-shirts, caps and you don’t want to run into issues then.
A logo must invoke emotion
They must be pleasing, soothing, beautiful, colourful, eye catching and a lot more. The colours in the logo triggers responses in subconscious level (as I wrote in a previous article). In short they must be invoking a slight positive emotion when one sees a logo, something which tingles the visual cortex .
A logo must be related to what the brand or company stands for
Having an abstract logo may not help unless you are already well established firm. So for the sake of brand recognition, try to always symbolize what you stand for graphically.
harish.balasubramanian 