What if I told you that the logo you agonized over is not doing your business any favors?
I don’t want to discourage you, but your logo should work for your business.
My mission is to help women service providers create brands that grow their businesses. For that to happen, a brand, and a logo by extension, should have some strategy.
There are logos that work wonders to support a brand and times when it actually detracts from a brand.
How do you know which it is for you?
Here are some times that a logo loses its power and isn’t effective for your business:
1. There was no larger branding strategy involved in the design.
Many people who set out to brand their business start with the logo.
That’s like painting a house before the siding is installed.
A logo should not be the first step. There are a few things that should come first.
It’s important to think about who your target market is, what your messaging is, and what you want your brand personality to be.
Without that, creating a logo is like stabbing in the dark.
2. It’s unreadable.
I can’t tell you how many times I see logos floating by in Facebook groups that are completely unreadable.
I hate to say it, but if nobody can read or understand your logo, you might as well not have one.
As small businesses, we don’t have the luxury that big brands like Apple or Nike have to drop their name and use a symbol. They didn’t start that way. That was something they came to after their brand was established and became notorious.
Make sure that you are picking fonts that stand out from afar. Be wary of script fonts that may be hard to decipher. Make the font size large enough so it stands out and people can absorb it quickly.
3. It’s too complicated.
Many business owners try to pack in everything they do or represent in one symbol. The result is a mishmash of ideas and graphics that are confusing and overwhelming to the viewer.
Keep it simple and streamlined. Focus on one idea. If you can incorporate another theme without adding complexity do it. But don’t force it.
4. It’s too trendy.
It’s hard not to get sucked into trends when we are creating a logo.
I get it. Pinterest is full of beautiful concepts that are so tempting to replicate. But those trends will pass and your logo will end up looking stale in a few years.
I talked about logo trends to avoid in this post.
Stick to classic choices that will stand the test of time when you are designing your logo.
If you are not a designer, creating a logo can feel overwhelming. There is a lot to consider when creating this mark for your business that will represent it for years.
You can avoid a lot of these pitfalls if you start with a brand strategy.
Need help getting started? Come join me for my Stand Out Brand masterclass in November. Registration opens up soon but you can join the waitlist here to get notified.
PS. Did you know I have a whole module on logo design in my Amplified Brand course? More on that soon!
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