- January 28, 2021
- 3 minute read
Amidst intense competition on and offline, a unique logo is a powerful visual calling card, designed to set you apart, cultivate customer recognition, and grow loyalty.
In this piece, we discuss the impact of a great logo design – and the thought process behind it.
Logos, memorability, and consistency
Worldwide, 94% of us recognise Coca-Cola’s logo. Even toddlers know the golden arches of McDonald’s and the Nike Swoosh. When it comes to memorability, your logo is an incredibly valuable asset.
It takes roughly 5 to 7 impressions for someone to remember a brand. Your logo is easy to apply across multiple channels, making it a clever means of quickly imprinting yourself on a customer’s memory – especially given that our brains are wired to process visuals 60,000x faster than text.
BP splashed out over £150m on a new logo, with the understanding that a strong visual identity equals increased revenue.
Profits can be boosted by 23% when brands are presented consistently across every platform; your logo can be seamlessly featured almost anywhere you appear: a short-form ad, social media, product packaging, the side of a van, a business card – wherever. It brings uniformity and, over time, instant brand recognition. In terms of talent, it helps attract good candidates for your team and fosters employee pride.
Shaping brand perception
You have a tiny window to project a compelling brand image. Our brains are pretty quick assessors: it takes a mere tenth of a second to form first impressions of people, and only one-twentieth to judge a website. Subsequently, your logo plays a pivotal role in shaping perceptions of your brand identity, whether you’re launching a new business or rebranding.
Apple’s logo reboot in the 90s is seen as fundamental to its shift from failing company to household name. It personified the sleek minimalism Apple is now synonymous with – and helped foster some serious brand love. Big players such as Starbucks and Instagram are among many others to have undergone logo redesigns to change brand direction.
From the type of design you choose (wordmark, pictorial, combination mark, etc.) to its colour and shape, your logo is a visual personification of your brand.
Looking to present a modern, professional image? Then perhaps you’d opt for a neutral, pared-back design. Want to come across as warm and playful? Selecting a rounder, softer design in a vibrant shade might be best.
After you’ve nailed your brand ethos and point of difference, you can start thinking about your logo.
Our logo design process
The best logos have careful thought and research backing them. We’ve designed over 350 beautiful logos here at Resolution, so we like to think we know what makes a good’un.
Typically, we craft a logo design as part of a full-scale branding application. Clients tend to approach us for one of two reasons: they’re starting a new business and want consistent branding, or they feel their current brand identity needs a reboot.
The beginning
It all starts with a conversation about your offering: your USP, your competitors, your audience. Once we’ve understood this, we might do additional research on your industry, to better assess your positioning.
Creation phase
Next comes the super creative part. We’ll sketch out our ideas for logo designs reflective of your brand identity.
We work hard to conceptualise an exclusive logo that is highly relevant to your business, considering application and usage within a range of contexts. This might lead us to a wordmark logo, or it might involve graphical elements: it all depends on your business.
We’ll whittle our designs down into a small shortlist, which generally includes a choice of 2-3 logos – the strongest contenders.
Final steps
Next, we show the logo designs to you in various applications. Once we’ve received your feedback, there might be one or two rounds of changes to refine your chosen logo, so it perfectly fits your vision.
The process ends with the delivery of spec sheets detailing brand colours, fonts, and your logo design in different formats – social media icons, letterheads, jpegs, and more.
Using an agency for your logo design
Your company’s visual identity doesn’t start and finish with a logo. It’s part of an overarching brand application and story.
Beyond designing your logo, an experienced agency can act as a guardian for every element of your brand, helping you navigate challenges while maintaining a consistent look and voice.
Sometimes, situations may arise that necessitate changes to your visuals. For example, you may wish to use your logo in a new application – perhaps on a sign or vehicle livery. We assist you in ensuring any adaptations remain true to your brand – rather than dilute it. This is how the strongest brands are built: ones people know, remember, and love.
A new logo can give your brand a fresh leash of life and recast you as serious competition. To wrap things up, here are just some of the logo redesigns we’ve done over the years…
