![\"photo](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/27091819\/pexels-kindel-media-8325717.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/27125439\/cs-200px.png\")
<\/div>\n![\"logo](\"https:\/\/assets.crowdspring.com\/marketing\/landing-page\/logo-quiz-hero-optimized.png\"){kind=logo}
<\/div>2. Aim for instant recognition<\/h3>\n
Instant recognition is essential.<\/p>\n
People are busy. And they’re distracted. They’re not going to invest time in confirming that they’ve found you and not your competitor.<\/p>\n
Your business name<\/a> is important because you want people to remember your business when they hear or read the name. And, your logo is equally important because it’s your logo’s job to ensure that when people look at your website, storefront, signage, or mobile app they can immediately say, “Oh yeah – that’s the one.”<\/p>\n So, how do you create instantly recognizable branding<\/a>?<\/p>\n A unique, distinctive shape is vital.<\/p>\n So, challenge your logo designer to think beyond the standard name-in-a-box or initials-in-an-oval paradigm.<\/p>\n A signature color combo can also help with immediate recognition. But color alone won’t cut it. Sometimes your logo will have to appear in black and white.<\/p>\n In logo design, the shape is the leading man, and the color is the sidekick.<\/p>\n A logo is intended to represent your business everywhere.<\/p>\n If you have one, it should appear on your website, business cards, and storefront.<\/p>\n Your logo should also appear on all marketing materials, including ebooks, emails, flyers and brochures, social media content, and promotional materials for joint ventures and partnerships<\/a>.<\/p>\n That means your logo must be versatile enough to appear big or small, in color or black and white, in a single color or multiple colors, and still be consistently recognizable.<\/p>\n Here’s a test: can you put your logo in a single color on a brightly patterned business card and still quickly tell what it is?<\/p>\n If not, head back to the drawing board.<\/p>\n The best logos last the test of time.<\/p>\n Think about Disney, Nike<\/a>, and Coca-cola. These brands (and their logos) are recognized throughout the world. And, these companies have kept the same logo for decades.<\/p>\n Repeat exposure helps people to remember a brand. It takes time for a logo to penetrate the public’s consciousness.<\/p>\n And that means that you have to be willing to live with your logo long enough for people to get to know it.<\/p>\n So, avoid trendy design fads that will date your brand. Focus instead on a logo that will represent your business as it grows over the long haul.<\/p>\n Best practices are important.<\/p>\n But they’re not your only resource when planning and designing your logo.<\/p>\n We promised you some science. So settle in.<\/p>\n We’ve previously written about ways that science can improve your marketing<\/a>.<\/p>\n Science can also help you make confident decisions about your company logo.<\/p>\n L to R: Non-descriptive logo, descriptive logo<\/p><\/div>\n Let’s conduct a thought experiment.<\/p>\n Imagine you’re down to the final two options for your logo. <\/em><\/p>\n Logo A features your business name artistically rendered inside a solid-colored circle. Classic. Professional.<\/em><\/p>\n Logo B is a unique custom shape that reflects what your business does. Your company name is beneath. Specific. Unique.<\/em><\/p>\n Which do you choose?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n According to a recent study<\/a>, you should choose Logo B.<\/p>\n In the study, researchers conducted seven separate experiments and analyzed the effect of logo design on brand equity for 597 companies to reach their conclusions.<\/p>\n And their research found that descriptive logos are more effective than non-descriptive logos.<\/p>\n The researchers defined a descriptive logo<\/a> as:<\/p>\n … a logo that includes textual or visual design elements (or a combination of the two) that clearly communicate the type of product or service a brand is marketing.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n But what does having a descriptive logo do for your business?<\/p>\n The researchers explain:<\/p>\n Our studies and analyses reveal that it is easier for consumers to visually process descriptive logos and understand what a brand markets as a result. We also found that, compared with nondescriptive logos, descriptive logos:<\/p>\n It doesn’t get much more compelling than that.<\/p>\n Descriptive logos make it easier for potential customers to determine what your business does. People like that. And it leads to more sales.<\/p>\n A picture is worth a thousand words.<\/p>\n And even simple shapes communicate more than you might suspect.<\/p>\n A study<\/a> in the Journal of Consumer Research revealed that,<\/p>\n \u00a0…the mere circularity and angularity of a brand logo is powerful enough to affect perceptions of the attributes of a product or company.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n This research confirms what experts have long known – the shape of your logo matters.<\/p>\n Different shapes communicate different traits. And choosing the shape that communicates the qualities you want people to associate with your business significantly impacts how effective your logo is.<\/p>\n So, let’s look deeper. The researchers explain:<\/p>\n While there are an almost infinite variety of possible shapes, broadly speaking, shapes can be classified as circular, angular, or a combination of the two. Circular shapes are curved and without sharp angles (e.g., an oval or a circle); angular shapes consist of straight lines and sharp corners (e.g., a triangle or a square).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n This same study showed that circular shapes and angular shapes could reliably be associated with certain perceptions.<\/p>\n Circular shapes were found to be perceived as:<\/p>\n Angular shapes were found to be perceived as:<\/p>\n Neither circular nor angular logos are inherently better than the other. But they do communicate different messages.<\/p>\n And shapes can fall anywhere on a broad spectrum between circular and angular. So, don’t be afraid to encourage your logo designer to experiment with circular and angular elements in your logo.<\/p>\n But, most important of all, keep the perceptions associated with these shapes in mind when choosing a logo design. It’s essential to send the right message about your brand.<\/p>\n Color is powerful.<\/p>\n The Impact of Color on Marketing<\/a> study found that people subconsciously judge products within the first 90 seconds of seeing them.<\/p>\n And almost 85% of consumers cited color as the main reason they bought a specific product.<\/strong><\/p>\n Why does something as seemingly irrelevant as color influence so many people?<\/p>\n The reality is that color is not a superficial factor.<\/p>\n Science has revealed that color can impact people’s emotions, perceptions, and even bodies.<\/p>\n A 1974 study<\/a> by K.W. Jacobs and F.E. Hustmyer measured the galvanic skin response (GSR), heart rate, and respiration of men in response to specific colors. The study found that red was significantly more arousing to the participants’ GSR than blue or yellow. And green was more arousing to the GSR than blue.<\/p>\n Various studies<\/a> by Rikard K\u00fcller revealed that colors could impact viewers’ heart rates and autonomic nervous systems. Red stimulates the sympathetic (or fight-or-flight) nervous response, while blue stimulates the parasympathetic (or relaxation) nervous response.<\/p>\n Collectively, these studies show that color can impact our bodies’ behavior. Red excites our bodies, leading to anger, aggression, or passion based on the context. Shades of blue calm the body – leading people to experience feelings of peace, trust, or sadness based on the context.<\/p>\n So, what’s your takeaway when choosing a logo?<\/p>\n Colors are scientifically shown to impact people on a deep level. So, choose colors<\/a> that communicate how you want people to feel about your brand.<\/p>\n3. Test for versatility<\/h3>\n
4. Plan for longevity<\/h3>\n
The science of logo design<\/h2>\n
Descriptive vs. non-descriptive logos<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/23153955\/untitled-design-13.png\")
\n
Circular vs. angular logo shapes<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/23152823\/untitled-design-12.png\")
<\/p>\n\n
\n
The impact of color on the mind and body<\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/23153023\/pexels-pixabay-39828.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/images.crowdspring.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/06164945\/small-business-blog-master-cta.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"