Working on developing your brand strategy? Wondering whether you have room in the budget for a professional logo?
Many successful companies spend years perfecting their company's logo. Small businesses, on the other hand, often skip the process and overlook the importance of a thoughtful logo design.
It doesn't have to take years to develop an excellent logo for your business. While it does take time, it is time well spent. Creating a solid logo is an important step in developing your business. Brand identity is crucial to become recognizable in the marketplace.
At the end of the day, the services you provide and the professionalism you offer your customers is critical. Your logo is a visual representation of the experience you deliver to your customers.
Below are the top 10 reasons you need to work hard to create the perfect logo while creating your brand development strategy.
1. First Impressions Are Everything
Logos are the face of your business and as the saying goes, "You only get one chance to make a first impression."
Do you want to simply use your business name in plain text instead of a visually-appealing design? Do you want that to be the first thing that a new potential customer sees?
Probably not. You probably want to "wow" your customers from the very beginning.
A logo is an excellent way to impress your customers from the start. They have plenty of time to get to know you later. In the beginning, a logo speaks volumes about your business.
2. Logos Demonstrate Your Professionalism
The results are in: "Real" businesses have logos. The truth is that even though logos are just a small part of the daily operation of your business, they are still vitally important.
In our society, potential customers have come to have certain expectations. They expect a professional and reliable business to have a logo that shines and looks amazing.
By having a professional logo you automatically set yourself apart from competitors that may not have taken the time to develop their design. Neglecting to fully consider the importance of brand development.
3. Establishes Ownership and Creates Consistency
A logo for your business also establishes ownership over anything that you create or distribute.
You can, of course, place your brand logo on your products. However, you can also place it on your website, on your promotional materials, on your business cards, or around your office.
A logo helps to create a sense of cohesiveness around everything your business does. It also helps you develop a consistent message and story. A professional and well-designed logo helps to give customers a feeling of consistency. This feeling helps them to fully rely on your services.
4. Boosts Your Brand Recognition
A logo is a huge part of brand recognition. Even if a previous customer doesn't remember the name of your brand, chances are that they may remember your logo when they see it.
If they continue to see your logo often enough, it will be imprinted in their brains. It will become a recognized icon to them.
A logo will help your customers and prospects to recognize your brand faster. It will take much less time to recognize your mark on products and promotional materials.
5. Helps to Foster Brand Loyalty
In addition to building brand recognition, a logo is also a successful tool for building brand loyalty. A logo can give customers something to hold onto, both mentally and physically, if they support your business.
Depending on your brand, you may be able to distribute merchandise or promotional items that feature your logo.
Plenty of businesses give out free pens or t-shirts with their logo prominently featured on them. While this can be helpful for gaining new customers, it can also be a great way to create loyalty and appreciation for your brand.
6. Speaks Directly to the Brain
When you're a baby, you couldn't read, but you could recognize certain visual cues. You may have recognized your mother's face. You knew that the image of a bottle meant that it was time to eat.
Visuals speak louder and faster than words. Colorful and visual logos can reach the brain faster.
Additionally, different colors have shown to impact the brain in certain ways. The colors used in your logo matter. Color psychology can have an enormous impact on how people perceive your business, without them even realizing it.
7. Works As Your Official Representative
A professional logo essentially works as a "stand-in" for your brand. It will represent you in many situations both in person and across the web. For this reason, it's important that your logo looks incredible and its design is attractive.
Countries train their diplomats and retail stores train their customer service employees. Similarly, you need to make sure that your logo is fully qualified to speak on behalf of your business.
8. Communicates a Message About Your Business
Believe it or not, logos can say a lot about your business and what it stands for.
Major businesses such as Wal-Mart and eBay have devoted years to redesigns of their logo. They understand that a professional design can communicate a lot about your business.
A designer will think about all of these aspects.
If you're using a logo that has been well-thought out by a professional designer, it will be able to communicate the essence of your product/service and how it is delivered. It may even be able to communicate the exact kind of service you offer.
9. Logos Become a Cumulative Symbol of Your Success
Part of your logo's meaning doesn't exist until well after it has been created. Some of its meaning develops over time based on the success and growth of your business.
A professional logo that stays with your business for a while develops its own history. It gains new meaning as your business develops.
A logo will collect cumulative traits based on how your business proceeds over time. It is essentially a collector and icon of success and your company's milestones.
10. A Logo Is A Brand Development Opportunity to Set Yourself Apart From the Crowd
The truth is that most businesses these days, no matter what the product or service, will have plenty of competitors. A logo is a tool you can use to stand out.
You only get so many opportunities to show your worth. A logo is a visual representation of your business and represents a powerful way to "leave your mark" and reinforce your brand identity. It's your way to show customers that you care and aim to be exceptional in your space.
Final Thoughts
While you may have many other things to focus on when developing your business, don't underestimate the importance of budgeting time and money in a good logo.
A professional logo is an investment in your business and the sooner you create one the better off you'll be. In the long run, it will be well worth it.
There are many graphic design apps that can help you to create a logo that will stand out. Lunacy is a free app like Figma, but it provides you with a built-in graphics to create your logo, like these: plant clipart, light bulb clipart or science clipart. If you're using Figma now, you can easily move from Figma to Lunacy with all your files just in seconds and continue working on your designs there.
Need help creating and implementing a powerful brand development strategy? Contact us today to find out more about what Imagine That can do for your business.