A brand logo is a symbol of your company and a useful tool for
branding
and product recognition.
If you can create a brand logo that is original and instantly memorable, it will be more effective than the cost of creating it.
This time, we will explain the value and importance of brand logos.
In the second half of the article, we will touch on the flow of creating a brand logo, so please refer to it.
What is a brand logo?
A brand logo is a design that symbolizes a company’s products or services.
Not only does it have the effect of conveying the image and atmosphere of the product at a glance, but it also has the effect of attracting consumers’ attention and arousing their interest.
In addition, an increasing number of companies are creating a “company logo” that is common not only to specific products but also to the entire company, making it possible to give authority to the logo itself.
Effect of brand logo
An effective and marketable brand logo can do a lot of good.
Let’s check them one by one, as they will also be used for the purpose of creating a brand logo.
increase awareness
If you include not only the company name, product name, and service name, but also the brand logo, you can increase your visibility in the market.
Even if you don’t remember the company name, if you can remember the company with that brand logo, your circle of recognition will expand.
Whether it’s a commercial you glance at while you’re doing housework or work, or a billboard you see momentarily through a train window, the brand logo may be the only thing that sticks in your memory.
A brand logo is also effective when you want to convey a concept or brand image without using words, and it is useful as a presence that embodies your company’s identity.
Increase your own fans
Once recognition has spread, a brand logo will be effective in gaining and increasing your company’s “fans.”
If more consumers search for your products based on your brand logo, your brand will stand out on the sales floor.
There is also a high possibility that owning an item with your company’s brand logo on it will give you status.
Even in places such as SNS where you have to reach out with a limited amount of information, a single brand logo can have a tremendous branding effect.
A brand logo is effective not only in acquiring new customers but also in acquiring repeat customers.
Increase employee engagement
Brand logos are not only effective for consumers and business partners.
It is also highly effective for employees working at your company, and particularly contributes to improving engagement.
It can also be an opportunity to deepen your understanding of your company, such as “I was able to understand more deeply the company’s mission, vision, and values,” and “I understood the direction the company should be heading.”
At the same time, you can also foster a sense of pride in having a business card with this brand printed on it.
It is highly effective in improving camaraderie and teamwork, and is an opportunity to instill a spirit of love for the company.
Common elements of effective brand logos
Brand logos that make it easy to tell which company’s product is the product at a glance have hidden common elements.
We will introduce some typical elements below, so please use them as a reference when creating your own brand logo.
Visualize your company’s philosophy and product concepts
An effective brand logo is characterized by being able to visualize the company’s philosophy and the product’s concept.
A brand logo is sometimes used to embody the company’s mission, vision, and values.
It is a good idea to maximize the message you want to convey through your logo.
In other words, the emphasis is on whether you can tell the backstory of the feelings behind the brand logo.
Some companies even explain the meaning behind their logos on their websites or brand sites, so please refer to them.
reference:
- History of the Coca-Cola logo ｜ Coca-Cola Japan Customer Service Office
- who are you? Story of Starbucks’ eternal symbol “Siren”
Can be used in any scene
Brand logos are used in various media such as websites, pamphlets, web advertisements, and flyers.
It is desirable to have a brand logo that is highly versatile and can be used for everything from large outdoor advertisements installed at stations and intersections to small business cards and name tags used by employees on a daily basis.
It is also important to create a design that stands out both in bright outdoors and in dark indoors, and to create a brand logo that is visually appealing, such as in animated commercials.
To increase versatility, be sure to create a brand logo that is simple and easy to understand.
The more elaborate the design, the more problems it will cause, such as “colors not matching the background” and “hard to see when zoomed in/out.”
This is a point that you should be especially careful about, as the unique quality of a brand logo, which is memorable at first glance, will be lost.
Does not infringe on trademark rights
A brand logo with highly original elements unique to your company does not infringe on the trademark rights of others.
Of course, extreme care must be taken to avoid infringing on the rights of third parties.
Also, be aware that using a brand logo that looks like you’ve seen it somewhere or a brand logo that resembles that of company XX may actually undermine your superiority and end up giving you a mediocre image.
It is also important that the product does not infringe on design rights or intellectual property rights.
It is necessary to consider possible risks while paying attention not only to the brand logos of other companies in the same industry, but also to other countries around the world.
How to make a brand logo
From here, we will introduce the flow of creating your own brand logo.
If you want to create a brand logo but don’t know where to start, please use this as a reference.
Establish a project team within your company
We will set up an in-house project team to create a brand logo.
Although it can be created by a limited number of executives, such as the founder, president, and executives, the final brand logo may not necessarily be permeated throughout the company.
Although it is necessary to gather opinions effectively, it is ideal to form a project team that involves many people, even if it is a tedious task.
If you are still having trouble forming a team, please refer to the members below.
1. People who deeply understand the company’s mission, vision, and values, such as founders and presidents
2. Leader who manages the progress of the project
3. Personnel who have many opportunities to directly meet customers (sales staff, field employees, etc.)
4. Personnel with knowledge of market trends and other companies’ brand logos (marketing staff, etc.)
5. Personnel in charge of release after decision and dissemination within the company (public relations staff, general affairs staff, etc.)
6. Personnel with design knowledge
In addition, if you are unable to secure “6. Personnel with design consciousness” in-house, one option is to rely on a specialized design company.
However, even if you rely on professionals, be sure to start your own project team.
Only the company’s own personnel can determine whether the company’s culture is reflected in the brand logo, and multifaceted verification is required.
Clarify the purpose of creating a brand logo
Once the project team is established, clearly define the purpose of creating the brand logo.
Let’s explain why you wanted to create a brand logo and the idea of the creator.
After that, it is ideal to have a common understanding of what you want to achieve through the brand logo and the expectations for the functions it will perform.
It’s easy to skip this step, thinking that there are many benefits to creating a brand logo, so there’s no need to go through the trouble of checking it, but the point is to check it carefully, even if it takes some time.
For example, there will naturally be a difference in direction between someone who thinks creating a brand logo useful for public relations and
PR
and someone who thinks creating a brand logo for inner branding and communication.
Be sure to get started in order to unify the entire team and avoid losing direction.
Clarify the backstory of your logo
It’s not enough for a brand logo to just be brand new, simple, and memorable.
Think of it as the first step towards establishing your brand by incorporating your company’s mission, vision, values, and backstory, including the thoughts behind the brand name, into your brand logo.
It is also important to consider multiple perspectives, such as “What kind of impression do you want to give to people who see it?” and “What is a universal brand logo that can be used even 100 years from now?”
Designers who actually come up with brand logos tend to place particular emphasis on the backstory, so they first visualize
the needs
in order to clarify them.
Design creation/correction
Once the necessary elements are finalized, we move on to actual design production.
Leave it to the designer to some extent to come up with a plan, and verify whether it matches the purpose and backstory that was created in the previous section.
As much as possible, leave the design work to a professional designer or your company’s design department.
It is possible for members without knowledge to decide on the design and ask an outside party to just digitize it, but there is a high possibility that specialized knowledge such as fonts, colors, sizes, visuals, etc. will be lost.
It is important to find a trustworthy partner, as it is possible to include too many elements or end up with a brand logo that is similar to that of other companies.
Creating guidelines and rules
Once the brand logo is completed, we will develop guidelines and rules for using the brand logo.
This will prevent your image from being altered or used for unintended purposes.
Please be aware that if you do not clearly state the guidelines, you may end up in trouble due to differences in understanding, or even end up at a disadvantage to your company.
Companies that already have a famous brand logo often publish guidelines on their official website.
It is important to draw up common rules for both external and internal use, while also referring to examples from other companies.
summary
An effective brand logo brings many benefits, including increasing market recognition, attracting consumers who become fans, and increasing engagement among your employees.
Before you hire a designer, why not start your own project team, visualize the purpose and backstory, and create a common understanding of what kind of brand logo you want.