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Fox Logo

How to Choose a Logo for Your Business

Having a good, strong logo is essential to any business. Your logo tells a quick story – what your site is about, what you are selling and what visitors can expect from your site. Your logo is your brand – it helps to distinguish your site from competing sites, makes it easily recognizable and helps you to build a visible reminder to your customers and potential customers alike.

Think about some of the world’s most recognizable symbols and logos and you can understand why creating a quality logo is worth its weight in gold. The Playboy bunny logo, the Coca-Cola script, the Mercedes-Benz symbol, the Mac apple – even the golden arches of McDonald’s – are symbolic with the companies they represent and instantly tell consumers what they can expect when they see those logos.

In this age of super high-speed broadband connections where visitors make their minds up about your site in mere seconds, a recognizable and solid logo is more than just important – it’s essential. But with so many logos out there floating around on the Internet – and off – how can you create an original symbol that will both represent your site and/or company, but will also stand out strong enough to be noticed and become recognized by consumers around the globe?

Blueprint to a Good Logo

So what makes a good logo? How can you design a logo that is both in the “here and now” as a representative of what’s “hot” or trendy as well as stand the test of time? If your logo is meant to brand your site and/or product, it should be simple yet well-crafted. A good logo is born out of inspiration in response to the thing that you are selling – and with a nod to the audience you hope to capture.

Some logos are easier to think of as recognizable icons than others – Apple’s use of an apple, Firefox’s use of a fox with a flame-like tail – these are no-brainers. But if your company doesn’t have a straight-forward object that it can use as its logo, you’re going to have to dig a little deeper. Of course your company’s name and what you sell are obvious inspirations, but taking a step outside the box of your site’s theme or main niche can help you see creative options that you may not have considered before. Think futuristic, new wave – even retro or vintage – to come up with a unique logo that will both tell a story about your site yet be simple enough to become a solid brand.

A successful logo will communicate your message effectively to your audience in a way that is quick to recognize and digest. A humorous or intelligent play on words can be a great way to snag a portion of your target audience, but if the other 75% don’t get it, you’ve missed the mark. Keep it simple – yet creative; dynamic – yet obvious; layered – yet not overly complex. It’s definitely a balancing act that won’t be achieved in a single attempt.

Variations on a Theme: Polish and Perfect

One way to help you choose the perfect logo is to start with a key idea and allow it to evolve. Try your symbol in different colors, using a range of fonts, sizes and even textures. Print out all of your logo designs onto a single piece of paper to compare them – get a 2nd opinion if need be – and circle the ones you like best, noting why you prefer one over the other, until you get it right.

Giving yourself options – even when your decision is clear and your symbol is easy to create – can help you to polish and perfect your logo, giving you a professional, quality end result. And keep in mind, designing a logo isn’t just about making a cool looking graphic. Your logo is often times the first chance impression that your site has to make on a potential customer. It needs to reflect the product, professionalism and service that you will be providing. It is more than just a part of your overall site design – a good logo should be a stand-alone reminder and symbol that represents your company and/or product as a whole.

Resist the urge to be too trendy and give in to fads and styles of the current day. Remember, a good logo should stand the test of time and continue to speak to your audience for years to come. Avoid over styling or over-designing your logo – this is definitely a time when less is more. Make sure that every element – every color, shape, font and bit of text – makes sense and enhances your finished project.

Take time and care when developing your site’s logo. Many logos go through periods of change, update and evolution throughout the years, but the main message and the visual communication remains the same. Get that right the first time and you will create a symbol that will represent your company well for years to come.

About the Author

Mona Sutherland graduated summa cum laude from UCLA in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Mona moved to the Republic of Panama to pursue certain entrepreneurial endeavors, including graduating valdevictorian from her MBA course at the University of Lousiville. Mona is currently an Internet Marketing Specialist.

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