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<\/div>Now, some business owners worry that the cost of designing a logo<\/span><\/a> can be prohibitively expensive.<\/p>\n Many design companies and agencies charge thousands to tens of thousands of dollars for their services. But this isn’t universally true (crowdspring’s custom logo design<\/span><\/a> projects start at just $299, including all fees).<\/p>\n Let’s examine these concepts in more detail – and discuss what you can do to ensure that your logo meets these essential criteria. Please take advantage of our quick and easy questionnaire at the end of the article to determine how your logo stacks up!<\/p>\n First and foremost, a logo should embody your business’s brand.<\/strong> This is more important than simplicity, balance, line, or color.<\/p>\n Even an aesthetically perfect<\/em> logo fails in its purpose if it doesn’t communicate the essence of the brand it represents. Author and branding expert Martha Spelman explains<\/a>:<\/p>\n The logo plays a pivotal role in any company \u2013 it\u2019s the visual representation of a brand and will convey, in one quick peek, all the emotions, thoughts, connections, offerings, benefits and value of that particular brand.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Your logo is a vital part of your brand identity<\/a> – visual shorthand for your business. You want it to convey the essence of your business quickly and effortlessly. This is the one quality that genuinely gives a logo any chance at being effective.<\/p>\n This is challenging when starting your business<\/a> because you haven’t yet built a brand. But even early on, hope is not lost.<\/p>\n If your logo doesn’t make consumers think of your brand, you should head straight to the drawing board.<\/p>\n And if you find yourself in that situation, it’s time to ask the tough question – do you understand your brand?<\/em><\/p>\n Before a logo can communicate anything about your brand, you need to understand your brand. What values, practices, benefits, products, or services set your company apart and make it unique?<\/p>\n As we previously\u00a0wrote<\/a>:<\/p>\n Your logo has to derive meaning from your brand, not the other way around. The world\u2019s best brands are not well-known because of their logo, they are known because of the people and vision that the logo represents.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n For art’s sake, it’s okay to make choices based on aesthetics alone. However, a logo’s primary function (its raison d’etre<\/em>) is to communicate brand identity. Arbitrary design choices won’t do. All aesthetic considerations must serve the brand, from line weight to color to form.<\/p>\n Your logo to-do list:<\/strong><\/p>\n Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons<\/p><\/div>\n As your brand’s visual ambassador, a logo must be easily and instantly recognizable. After all, that’s the whole point, right?<\/p>\n You want people to see your logo and instantly think of your brand.<\/p>\n Let’s look at three famous, existing logos (Starbucks, Sony VAIO, and Baskin Robbins) to see how they incorporated their company’s story<\/a> into their branding.<\/p>\n The original Starbucks logo<\/a> started as a brown, more “scandalous” version of its current logo. Initially, the company’s logo included an unclothed siren (double-tailed mermaid) inspired by history. In the logo, the siren was placed in a brown circle with the Starbucks original name, “Starbucks Coffee, Tea, and Spices.”<\/p>\n According to Greek mythology, sirens were seductive and a popular image among churches in Medieval Northern Europe. The idea was that the siren would symbolize the seductive nature of coffee and Seattle’s seaport ties (the source of Starbucks coffee).<\/p>\n A few years later, Howard Schultz acquired the company and set out to modernize the logo. Several iterations of the logo later, the siren was simplified, the name was removed, and the logo looks much cleaner. But the charm and the story didn’t change, contributing to the logo’s widespread success and fame.<\/p>\n When Sony sought to make their Sony Vaio logo, they looked at how Sony was transitioning into the future with the help of new technology. Originally a TV company, Sony Vaio allowed Sony to move towards digital products, and the logo reflects that.<\/p>\n The “v” and the “a” in the logo make up an analog wave, which is an older form of transmitting images and sound (think: TV antennas, radios, etc.). But the second half of the word, the “i” and the “o,” looks like a one and a 0, the two numbers that make up binary code. The binary code makes up digital waves, which have helped make signals transmit faster, higher quality, and overall more advanced data.<\/p>\n Just like Starbucks didn’t set a goal to create the next great coffee logo, Sony didn’t decide to make the next best tech logo. They created a great logo by following their company’s history.<\/p>\n Our third favorite logo origin story is the evolution of the Baskin Robbins logo. Originally an innovative merger of two ice cream parlors, Baskin Robbins changed the ice cream business by offering 31 unique flavors. Customers could identify them by that number, and the small pink spoons were given out when taste-testing (another ice cream trend they helped start).<\/p>\n Initially, the Baskin Robbins logo bore the company’s name in blue with the number 31 in the middle.<\/p>\n Several years later, Baskin Robbins decided to take a leap of faith and redesign its logo<\/a> to create something more unique. While the old logo was to the point, plenty of other ice cream shops had their name as the logo. So instead, Baskin Robbins opted to combine the number 31 into the initials of their company name.<\/p>\n This change made the logo more unique because it took a more innovative approach to its logo, putting the primary goal of the company front and center without pushing too hard.<\/p>\n Companies focused on creating unique logos have more successfully increased recognition, recall, and branding. But how can you create a unique logo that accurately represents your brand?<\/p>\n To achieve that goal, you must keep a few considerations in mind.<\/p>\n This is where design trends (and stock logo art) become your enemy. Logos that take their cue from design trends or stock rather than the brands they represent begin to look mighty similar – and that’s a problem.<\/p>\n As we’ve previously explained<\/a>:<\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t matter if a different company is similar to yours, what matters is that your logos are different. As a result, you have an opportunity to make a unique first impression. Often, a logo is one of the first defense barriers against competition. Besides your company\u2019s name, it\u2019s the first difference customers and prospects will notice.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Your logo’s job is to identify your brand visually. To accomplish that goal, a logo must be unique. You want consumers to associate your logo with your<\/em> company. You want them to build a trusting relationship with that logo; and, consequently, your<\/em> brand.<\/p>\n If your logo looks like your competitor’s, they’re not building a trusting relationship with you. They’re two-timing you with your twin brother, and they don’t even know it.<\/p>\n At best, you can hope that the consumer will only be confused by a similarity between your logo and your competitor’s. At worst, they may feel tricked or even associate your competitor’s poor behavior with your brand. As we mentioned in our article 5 Ways Stock Art is Killing Your Small Business Brand<\/a>:<\/p>\n If your competition does something unethical and their reputation takes a hit, your reputation may be impacted as well! Guilt by association, fair or not, is a real threat.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n To avoid the trap of an indistinct, generic logo, always take your design cues from your unique brand.<\/p>\n Whatever makes your company unique and stand out from competitors will also make your logo memorable. Be sure to let your designer(s) know what makes your company unique – they’re not mind-readers.<\/p>\n For example, if you’re starting a brewery business<\/a>, consider how beer brewers approach logos.<\/p>\nA good logo must embody your brand<\/h2>\n
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A good logo must be instantly recognizable<\/h2>\n
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Starbucks logo<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nSony VAIO logo<\/h3>\n
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<\/p>\nBaskin Robbins logo<\/h2>\n
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<\/p>\nFirst, a logo must be sufficiently unique that it only<\/em> reminds consumers of your<\/em> brand.<\/h3>\n