Vantage Point: Ideas and advice to improve your marketing

Sizing Up Your Logo

Don’t underestimate the power of a logo. It’s the most visible representation of your company’s identity. And it’s this unique combination of words, logo, fonts, colors, and graphic style that conveys a certain personality and conjures up feelings toward your products and services. Believe it or not, this image can affect a prospects’ decision to buy (or not!). Especially if your target market is large corporations.

So, given that a clear identity is important to your customers (and therefore your business), how do you know if your logo presents the right image? And whether or not it’s memorable?

Here are eight parameters to consider when evaluating whether a logo is a good fit for your company:

What personality traits does your logo convey—leadership, strength, trendy vs. stodgy, high-energy vs. easy-going, etc.? Do those traits convey an accurate image of your company?
Does your logo look fresh? A dated-looking logo may be OK if you’re selling history books, but not if you’re in the business of providing the latest technology.
Be sure your logo is distinctive from the logos of your competition and others in your industry.
Make your logo memorable. If a logo looks complicated or contains too many elements, it will be difficult to grasp at a glance. It may give an unclear or incorrect impression.
Consider your company’s future. For example, don’t use regional symbolism in your logo if you want a global presence.
Your logo needs to be adaptable. These days, your logo has to work in any medium, whether it’s on paper, on a website, in a presentation, on television, on a shirt—anywhere.
Sizability is key. Make sure your logo design lends itself to various sizes, whether it’s sized for a business card, a website or a billboard.
Colors are critical. Use colors that give the best impression of your company. And—it’s inevitable—you’ll also need your logo to present itself well in black and white or reversed-out.

Once you get a logo you’re satisfied represents the image you want, don’t make the mistake of using it haphazardly. Make sure it’s used and treated consistently. Set standards for size, placement, how text flows around the logo, and so on. Publish the standards for your employees. If you don’t, you’ll be amazed at the variations you’ll see. That’s when your logo loses its power to convey your identity—the very thing you sought when you chose it.