Does Your Logo Match?

Are you starting to think that you need a new look and feel? That you’re old logo, that was created in-house or by a family member at the start, might not fit your business today? Are you constantly trying to defend your logo with the statement “we’ve had this logo for ___ years”?

If any of these thoughts have entered your mind recently then you should continue reading. Especially if you are on the fence on the subject and are not sure whether or not changing your identity is a good move or a bad one.

First off I think it’s important to answer this question:

When is the right time to consider changing and upgrading your identity?

The simple answer is: when it doesn’t match your business any longer. An identity is meant to visually support, enhance, and most important represent your business accurately. The size, emotion, character, differentiators, industry, etc. all might need to be displayed accurately. Many times companies create their logo when they first start and are afraid to change it as they grow. This can be damaging to the brand because it doesn’t reflect the new growth, changed size, and relay the success to the audience.

There are several things you might be hearing that are key indicators that it might be time to fine tune that logo a little bit. You might be hearing people say … “oh I didn’t know that’s what you guys did!” or “wow … I didn’t realize you guys were that big.” Another popular one that I’ve heard is “they might not look good, but they really know what they are doing.”

If you’ve started to hear these things from outside perspectives it might be time to consider changing. Don’t be scared to improve your look and feel to represent your success. It’s expected. And many times your clients and fans want to be proud to show you off. So give them something exciting and professional for show and tell.

So once you think you are ready for a new identity the following question can steer you in the right direction:

What things do you need before starting the process of creating a new identity?

Often times when companies decide to upgrade their identity they start looking for a designer or design firm to work with. They assume that the better the designer or firm the better the logo will turn out. They choose someone to work with and rely on the talent to accurately represent the brand in a “fresh” new look.

Although good designers can create awesome looking identities, they are usually horrible at identifying the business messages that need to be represented in the logo. They will create something that has people saying “wow” and “cool,” but shortly after the same people will say “so what is it you do?”

So here is a list of things that you need to have identified to help create an identity that represents your brand correctly:

1. What makes you different?
2. Who is your audience?
3. What emotions do they experience thru your service?
4. What brands do they associate with other than yours?
5. What are the first three words that come into your mind when you think about your business?
6. How about the first three words from your customers?
7. What are the standards in your industry that people recognize quickly?

By answering these questions and doing a little homework you can give a designer (with talent) the things they need to create an identity that matches. And remember two important things. One … it’s good to change and improve your logo as you grow! Two … when you see that logo that represents the items above you will know it. It will resonate with you. With your employees. And your audience!

One Response to “Does Your Logo Match?”

1. Brandtats: Brands that make their mark! Created by Johnathan Hardesty » Blog Archive » Does Your Logo Match? on March 3rd, 2008 3:02 am

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