It’s More Than Just A Mark, It’s An Impression
3 Things That Make Or Break Your Logo
As the Visionary, you can only be in one place. That leans into the heart of the logo: what does it say about you when you're not in the room? I advocate for logos that reveal identity and don’t communicate products, offers, variety, etc.
Is your logo cheap?
Does it resemble the taste of plain oatmeal?
Perhaps that is its purpose: remember, art is subjective, and design is objective to your audience. Join me today as we dive deep into complex world of logos and how they might just make or break a first impression.
Simple and Complex
Show the least amount while giving the most.
Logos are the least used part of visual identity. Your colors literally pain your website, and your fonts are everywhere. However, despite its minimal appearance in literature, watermarks, and backdrops, it’s important, and when people see it, they judge it.
As the center of your visual identity system, the logo needs to convey the least amount of information, meaning it should be simple, while evoking the most emotions possible without becoming too complex.
Wow, that’s kind complicated.
Yes, it is! It’s a fine line to walk, the one between a beige logo and one that makes you feel overly confused. Above all, you want to be the logo that your ideal audience understands, remembers, and connects with.
Memorable and Impressionable
People need to be able to remember it.
I don’t use the classic logo test. You know, the one I learned in college, where you show someone your logo for 10 seconds and have them redraw it.
Consider your logo a person, better yet, your visual identity as a whole. What does it say about you when you are not in the room? They may remember what your logo looks like; it's better to see it as an impression rather than just a mark. Branding is all about impressions, and the first impression is the most important.
The key question here: what emotions does your logo carry with it?
Adaptive and User Friendly
Can it be broken down?
The best logos can be broken down into three variations: a small, simple mark that is understandable if shrunk, a tall one, and a wide one.
Why is this important:
You need a logo that can be adapted to many different applications
It gives your visual identity “creative legs”
You get your money’s worth by having logo suite instead of just one logo that cannot be used in every place you want to “show up”
Aligned With Other Brand Elements
In this series, and yes, we are in a series, I have been going over the three areas of branding every storyteller needs to focus on. I decided to dedicate this section to tying it back to those points:
Presence: can your logo be visualized—placed in areas where you aren't able to be. I am talking social media, merchandise, business cards…
Audience: how can you logo embody your ideal audience?
Values: how can your logo embody your brand?
Vision: does it paint a picture? What does it say?
Mission: does tell a story?
TLDR (Too Long Didn’t Read)
Show the least amount while giving the most.
A good first impression goes a long way.
Make your logo adaptive.
Make it align with other components of your brand.
