Logo Creation – Don’t Copy But Be Inspired

If you are a small business starting up with limited resources in marketing and branding, you should be aware about creating your own brand and logo.

A logo will represent your brand in all forms of communication, and will speak for your brand’s identity.

Here are some useful steps in logo creation for your brand.

1. Know the difference between print ready and web ready logos

Printing often needs a larger version of the logo, and therefore needs to be created with a design technology known as vectors. Often images in logos are difficult to resize, unless created in this format. Therefore when creating a logo see that your designer users a vector creating software (Such as Adobe Illustrator) for creating the original logo. This is easily passed onto printers, and third parties like agencies when needing to print or use your logo.

2. Use a logo that can fit in all communication formats

There are several communications that any business will go through that you will need to use your logo in. Some of them are;

§  Business cards and letter heads

§  Online communications – website, newsletters, social media

§  Print advertising

§  Out-door-advertising

§  Online advertising

§  Email signatures

It is best to use a logo that is easily adaptable to all forms of communication. If this is not the case, you will need to have variations of your logo that still have the styles in mind.

3.  Have a logo that is unique and cannot be easily copied

It is tempting to take a logo off a web search and modify it, but keep in mind that most global brands have intellectual property rights to some of these logos and you can be in trouble if they decide to enter Sri Lanka only to find that their brand is being used by you.

If you are purchasing the logos from an image site, it is always recommended to modify the logo at least by 80% so that there is something unique in it that is represents your brand.

Be inspired but do not copy. See this article by awwwards.com that shares some very unique logos.

4.  Have a logo that is easy for people to remember

If your name is not mentioned, you logo will speak for you. It is best to have something that is easy to recall.

People can easily remember Pepsi or Coca Cola as the names are mentioned right in the logo, though its not always essential. A good example is “Apple” products – any guesses why? It is an apple after all.

Read on for more from Interbrands best global brands for 2013 for inspiration.

Created : July 5th, 2013