When you’re in the thick of it, creating or recreating your business’s logo might feel like one of the most important projects you will ever work on. Of course, logos matter, but they aren’t the only thing that drives business success—or lack thereof. In this article, we will discuss how you can learn from others’ mistakes, why good logos matter, and what you need to do beyond your logo to truly drive results.
Learning from Others’ Logo Mistakes
While learning from your own mistakes is a great way to grow, learning from others’ mistakes can be even more useful. That way, you can benefit from the lesson without paying the price of learning it yourself. Here are some common logo design mistakes and how your business can make better choices:
- Overspending: Investing in a logo can be a great use of funds, but not if it means spending a lot of money your business doesn’t have. Large companies may spend millions of dollars on their logos, but you can get excellent logo designs at more affordable prices.
- Being Inconsistent: From branding to content marketing, it’s hard to overstate the value of being consistent. There’s nothing wrong with having a few versions of your logo, but as much as possible, you should use the same one or two variations of it across your marketing materials so you can stay recognizable.
- Skipping Feedback: One of the most iconic examples of this is Gap’s logo change back in 2010, which lasted less than a week due to consumer backlash. They didn’t consider the level of emotional connection that consumers felt with their existing branding and failed to gather enough feedback to see how people may react.
These mistakes can be costly for businesses, but in the same way that a bad logo can hurt your bottom line, a good logo can help your business reach new heights.
Why Good Logos Matter
When it comes to logo design, we love helping people see why good logos matter. After all, we wouldn’t work so hard on creating the perfect logo for each client if we didn’t think it would have an impact! Having the right logo can help to generate interest, set your business apart from competitors, and even communicate your products or services with a single image. Logos matter for your business’s success, whether you’re pitching it as a concept to potential investors or rebranding to reach a new audience.
We would never tell you the right logo isn’t important because that simply isn’t true. What we will tell you, however, is that logos aren’t the only part of your branding and marketing that can impact your business’s success.
Going Beyond Logo Design: Brand Development
Your logo is an integral part of your brand development and strategy, but it isn’t the entire project. Here are some other aspects of your brand that are equally worthy of time, consideration, and investment.
Clearly Defined Audience
To make sure your brand resonates with the right people, you will need to clearly define your audience. From demographic data to what motivates their purchasing decisions, understanding who your ideal customer is will help you develop a brand that speaks to their wants and needs. This will impact every aspect of your brand development, from the words in your brand voice to the color variations in your brand kit.
Print Media Use Cases
Whether you’re a brick-and-mortar establishment or a fully remote company that attends events, seeing how your branding works with various types of print media is a part of brand development that you cannot overlook. From T-shirts to stickers to brochures, there are a variety of factors to consider that may not be as significant for digital marketing. You should work with someone who understands the value of your brand being equally captivating online or in print and knows the right questions to ask.
For example, what color background will you print media on, and how will that impact how readable your materials are? Will you need monochromatic, lighter, or darker versions of your logo and brand colors to improve readability? How will that readability translate across different materials, such as fabric, paper, or plastic? All of these questions and more should be considered not just when it’s time to place a print order but also at every stage of your brand development process.
Memorable Tagline or Slogan
When people think of your business, what do they think of? You’ll want to develop a tagline that can be paired with your business’s name or logo that is memorable, short, and effectively captures what you want everyone to know about your business. A good tagline will connect with your target audience and help them remember that you have the perfect solution for them. It may also be part of a jingle for video or radio advertising if that’s a format your business uses.
Fonts
If you aren’t involved in graphic design, you may not have thought much about fonts since your last teacher told you to use Times New Roman 12-point font for your assignments. When it comes to brand design, however, choosing a font is one of the many details that come together to create a business’s unique look! Whether you go with a sleek, minimalist Montserrat or an artsy handwritten font, using it consistently will help make your brand cohesive. Once you choose a font, you can also evaluate other aspects of typography for your brand, such as line spacing and point size.
Colors
In addition to whatever colors you include in your logo, you may also include some other colors in your brand kit. For example, if you’re using a monochromatic logo, you may want another color to use as the background on your website. Beyond aesthetic appeal, the brand colors you choose have a direct impact on how your business is perceived. Using an orange may signify playfulness, while blue can give people the impression that you’re trustworthy.
Other Important Visual Marketing Materials
In addition to your brand development, there are a variety of visual marketing materials that can help your business get results. Some examples include:
- Illustrations
- Custom photography
- Infographics
- Videos
- GIFs
- Branded social media posts
- Web design
Every piece of creative your business shares with the world, from landing pages to video ads, is an opportunity to further solidify your branding and help customers recognize you. Your logo is one influential part of designing each piece, especially if you’re using it as a watermark, but it is not the only visual marketing aspect that matters. To have a successful marketing campaign, you need to consider all the visual elements you may use.
Drive Results with Matcha Design
Whether you’re considering getting a logo for the very first time or revamping your existing branding, at Matcha Design, we know how to design visual marketing materials that generate results. We can work with you on every aspect of your brand, from creating your logo to making sure your entire website aligns with your brand’s current iteration. To get help with branding and marketing that can drive results, contact us today so we can discuss your unique needs and goals.
