Your Logo and Slogan
The Logo
Think of a logo as the badge or crest of a company or product. A well-known example is the BP shield or Mercedes Benz’s three-pointed star. Sometimes a logo includes some text in its design, such as the company or brand name.
Sometimes a logo includes some text in its design, such as the company or brand name. It really needs a great deal of thought – don’t leave it up to one of your kids who likes to fiddle on the computer! A logo forms part of your branding and must form a lasting impression on your viewers.
Every aspect of your logo must be there for a reason – every curve, each colour that is chosen. At the end, all the elements must blend together to form a powerful yet clear message.
If you intend having something of your own designed, some guidelines are:
- Identify the qualities or aura of the product that it is intended to convey. Don’t use a roaring lion when the symbolism has nothing at all to do with your product or business.
- A logo should be more than just a pretty decoration on a letterhead or business card, though there’s no harm in it serving that purpose as well.
- Keep it simple, so it is easily recognizable in print and reproduces well in a variety of sizes.
- Make sure it’s original. The public must not confuse it with that of another business, especially a local one.
- Colours have meaning. Some excite you, some calm you. Make sure your logo designer understands this
- Let it possess ready visual comprehension … it should convey an instant impression to the audience. Too many fancy curls can confuse readers. On the other hand, if it’s too simple it might not convey a clear impression of what your company stands for.
- Make sure you can live with it for a long, long time. The last thing you want is a confused public when you chop and change your logo.
A Slogan
A slogan is the company or brand’s statement, a single-sentence summary of the image or promise they wish to project. Slogans are meant to be positive projections, but we’ve all heard of them being thrown back at their owners from time to time — usually in an insulting fashion!
By the way, “slogan” means “battle cry”, derived from a combination of two Gaelic words:
Sluagh = army
Gairm = yell
If you intend using a slogan, make sure it’s an ACCURATE statement of your business and that it won’t backfire on you. If you’re happy with it, use it in your advertising as part of your company signature. And, don’t be tempted into using some vague statement such as “We’re small enough to care”. Let it mean something more to your public.
Often, slogans form part of a logo in print form, and are always depicted in a certain typeface. When spoken they are slogans, but in print form they are then also logos. Confusing? You bet!
Some aspects to bear in mind when creating a slogan are:
- As with a logo, identify the qualities or aura of your product, service or business that you wish the slogan to convey.
- Identify the words most apt to reflect those characteristics.
- Using those words, try them in various combinations.
- Reduce this list to a short one, and research it.
- Keep it simple and easily pronounceable, make it easy to write.
- It MUST be legible in small and large type.
- Be original to avoid confusion with other products and companies.
- Like the logo, visual comprehension must by easy.
- Let it have staying power, but not just so that you can live with it. A topical slogan can easily become a handicap later.
- Be careful of creating a slogan that tells your public too much about what your business does and not enough about what it stands for. Competitors who offer the same products or services can enjoy an advantage if their slogans are more powerful than yours.
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