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A few words about branding.
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"BRANDING: The marketing practice of creating a name, symbol or design that identifies and differentiates a product or service from it's competition".
Simply put, your brand is your promise to your customer. It tells them what they can expect from your products and services, and it differentiates your offering from that of your competitors. Your brand is derived from who you are, who you want to be and who people perceive you to be.
Are you the innovative maverick in your industry? Or the experienced, reliable one? Is your product the high-cost, high-quality option, or the low-cost, high-value option? You can't be both, and you can't be all things to all people. Who you are should be based to some extent on who your target customers want and need you to be.
The foundation of your brand is your logo. Your website, packaging and promotional materials--all of which should integrate your logo--communicate your brand.
Your brand strategy is how, what, where, when and to whom you plan on communicating and delivering on your brand messages. Where you advertise is part of your brand strategy. Your distribution channels are also part of your brand strategy. And what you communicate visually and verbally is part of your brand strategy, too.
Logo Definitions
The logo is a unique mark that identifies and differentiates your business. This logo can sometimes be just typographical (your name in a particular font and color) this is a wordmark. It often also includes an icon or symbol that helps to further communicate your brand message. It can also include a brief statement to add clarification, the tagline. When these parts are combined in a specific relationship it is often referred to as a lockup. For large companies the use of the logo, company fonts and colors are defined and controlled through the creation of "brand guidelines" and a "corporate brand manual". For smaller companies that dont have different designers and print shops working separately on brand related projects around the world, the objective is much simpler; to communicate a unique message about your business. Such as, "I am the experienced, reliable, high-end option".
Effective Logo Design
Great logos must be
- Simple
- Memorable
- Timeless
- Versatile
- Appropriate
- Effective without colour
- Scalable - works when just an inch in size