If you are a new business, having a professional logo is something that can be easily overlooked. This can be attributed to low cash flow or you might not see value in spending on a professional logo. I believe some business owners think that a logo is just something to have on your business cards or website but it's much more than that. Having a professionally designed logo can be the difference on whether someone makes a purchase from your company. I have listed 5 reason below on why every business should have a professionally designed logo.
A logo is an image that represents your company. It can be a drawing or typography that spells out the name of your company in a creative way. When your logo is used, it should give your customers a feeling of what your company represents. Your logo should also tell the story of your brand and customers should get a sense of what your brand is about by just looking at your logo. Similar to having a company name that is easy to remember, your logo should be memorable and should stand out when placed beside other logos. If you want to represent fashion, your logo could use fonts similar to Vogue Magazine or any of the top fashion houses. If your brand is a high end jewelry brand, it would have a clean and luxurious feel. Your customers should be able to get a sense of what your company is about with the first interaction with your logo.
Having a professional logo gives a sense of confidence to your brand. When you have an image that represents your company that looks good, it is like giving your company it's own personality. It's a consistent image that can be used across all your networks and no matter where your customers are, they will always be able to pick you out in a crowd. If you work with a professional graphic designer, they will give you a variety of logo treatments for placement and use of your logo. you will be able to use your logo in a variety of scenarios but still have the consistent look and feel across platforms. This will give potential customers confidence in your brand and a sense that they will get the same product or service as long as your logo is present.
When you get a professional logo created by a graphic designer, the designer should also work with you to create a brand usage guide. The brand usage guide is a document that instructs users of the different ways your logo can or cannot be used. Along with your brand guide, you should also get a few variations of your logo that can be used in a variety of situations. i.e. print, website or social media use. This will give you the confidence that your logo will look professional and consistent whether it is uploaded to social media site or printed on a flyer. The beauty about having a consistent brand is that your customers will start to see a consistent message and know what to expect from your company.
When you are starting a company, you can never know for sure where it will go and how big it will get. When you start a company with a distinguishable logo, users will get used to seeing your logo. In the event that your company becomes a huge national or intentional success, customers can rest assured that you are the same company and the same brand that gave them great service in the past. If you have been around for a while, customers will start to take notice if you maintain consistent branding over time.
A professional logo is like a calling card of sorts for customers and other businesses, it communicates that you are ready to do business. We have always as humans had a connection to brands through logos. This has been the case since they started using images to represent businesses. Because of this fact, having a professional logo separates your business from the rest. if you look at some of the most successful companies, you can see that this is true. A few examples are Apple, McDonalds and Google. We are used to seeing these logos and know exactly what to expect when interacting with these companies. Imagine having to choose a burger, one had the McDonalds logo on top and the other was in a plain brown box, which would you choose?
Overall, having a professional logo is one ingredient in having a successful business. It's not the only ingredient but it is a great starting point on a journey to success. If you are going to start a journey into the business world, it better to start on the right foot and a professional logo gives a sense that you belong.
