The business logo can be the most impactful component in a branding effort. It’s generally the most recognizable image and impression in a customer’s mind. Whatever the logo instills in a person’s mind is what they’ll think of when remembering the company. A logo should be easy to view, easy to interpret and should stimulate the desired response. The shape, content and colors used all contribute to the quality of the logo. The purpose of the logo is to elicit the desired emotional response from the viewer. Following are considerations in logo development:
- Select the Best Logo Shape – Conventional theory is that the best shape for a logo is a wide (but not too wide) rectangle. This is based on the idea that this is the natural viewing area for the human eye. For a rectangular logo the ratio of height to width would be about the same as TV screen or computer monitor. There are some applications that require a square logo and this may require a second logo version. Also a circle or triangle can be used. If so it’s recommended that their dimensions match so they’ll fit within a square.
- Develop the Logo Text Content – The text in the logo generally will contain the name of the company. This can work out OK with a relatively short company name. But in some cases abbreviations or initials may be needed. If this is the case the abbreviation should be make sense and be recognizable. One of the most famous and successful branding endeavors is that of Federal Express when they modified their logo to FedEx. This was so successful that the name of the product became synonymous with the action taken. People began to say ‘I need to FedEx this package’.
- Select the Best Colors – Different colors stimulate different emotional responses in people. So in order to develop the most effective logo the emotional responses you wish to stimulate should be identified first then the appropriate colors should be selected. For example the color yellow elicits optimism while red elicits excitement. Blue communicates trust and strength while green elicits peacefulness. The colors and emotional responses sought are defined by the target market.
