Your company’s logo design is something you probably invested a lot of time and effort into.
After all, it’s the single most important element that represents your organization and your brand on every level. It’s on your business cards, letterhead and front door, and it’s on your website and other digital platforms. You may also use your logo on company vehicles, uniforms, promotional items and signage.
And, of course, your logo is featured prominently on your website and other digital platforms.
When planning your logo design, it’s important to consider how and where you will use it. It’s even more important to make sure you have the right design and types of digital files so that your logo can be adapted for use everywhere you’ll need it.
The overarching principles of logo design today consider the important aspects of the user experience (UX) and branding. This means your design must be simple, easy to read and — most important — easy to identify as your brand.
Today, this means keeping things simple. Using a lot of detail, overly fussy fonts or too many colors creates an unintelligible jumble in small places. Your prospects will form an impression in a split second, so they’ll have no time (or interest) in trying to sort through the nuances of a complex or busy logo.
Think of some of today’s most memorable brands: Apple, Nike and Microsoft. Look at how simple, recognizable and classic these logos are, and you’ll the idea.
To ensure that your logo design looks fresh, it’s also important to use a flat style. Drop shadows, shading, gradients and other three-dimensional devices detract from the message. It should also look as good in black and white as it does in color.
Most companies use a two-part logo with a graphic device (symbol) and text for the business name. These two components must work seamlessly together, but each must be able to stand alone as well. And ideally, your graphic device should be strong enough to serve as your icon.
Let’s look at two familiar brands, Pepsi and the U.S. Postal Service. Both use a two-part logo, but most of us would recognize either brand from their icon alone. The full logo can be used horizontally, which is highly desirable on most website’s homepages. But the graphic element by itself can be used as a favicon. On Pepsi’s packaging, both elements are used in various configurations. They can also be used equally well on any color background.
To work well on your website, your logo design should be equally versatile.
This creates the need for several versions of your logo, so you (and your web designer, graphic designer, sign company, printer, etc.) can use the most appropriate version in every scenario. This includes a version that works vertically as well as in a square configuration.
Your logo must also be scalable so it can respond and render effectively on every device from a smartphone to a large-screen monitor.
Your logo design must also work for other online marketing applications. Social media profiles, cover images, directory listings and email signature blocks are just some of the places that your logo must shine.
For most of these uses, your design must effectively scale to a small electronic file. It must also be adapted to fit the aspect ratio required by social media and directory platforms.
And much like your website, you must ensure that your logo has a transparent background.
Graphic designers understand all the important aspects of logo design for today’s digital-heavy marketing needs. But if you didn’t (or don’t plan to) use a professional graphic designer for your logo, you may run into trouble.
To use your logo effectively online and in print, you will need the artwork in a variety of formats, including JPG, EPS and ideally, Vector.
A designer can ensure that your design is scalable and compatible with a variety of online applications. Even if you have no plans to redesign your basic logo, you may want to contact a designer to provide high-resolution graphics files as well as square and vertical versions of your design.
If you’ve used the same logo for years (or decades), you may be hesitant to consider a redesign. But refreshing your brand’s image doesn’t always require throwing out what’s worked for you up until now.
A good graphic designer can help you update your company’s logo design to meet the demands of online marketing. The result will be a fresh, memorable brand identity that you can use for all of your traditional and online marketing needs.
Here at Be Locally SEO, we assist our clients in creating memorable branding that will help grow your business. We specialize in professional website design and search engine optimization. We can also help with the other important aspects of digital marketing, including social media, content marketing, directory listings, reviews and AdWords pay-per-click campaigns.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can incorporate your logo design into a comprehensive digital marketing plan customized for your goals.