8 Tips To Get A Great Logo
 By Terry M. Blair

You don’t have to be a graphic designer to know what you want in a logo. And you don’t have to hand over the whole process of creating a logo to some high-priced advertising agency.

By following a few steps and a few tips, you can get a great logo for your startup business.

Your basic logo choices include:

• A memorable graphic that brands your small business. Think about Nike’s swoosh and McDonald’s golden arches.

• A text logo that uses only letters in a distinctive font. Think IBM.

• A combination of the previous two.

Don’t start drawing pictures, choosing type or talking to logo designers just yet. First spend time brainstorming about your company and the type of logo you want.

1. Consider how a logo reflects your type of business
A company that sells party supplies might want a wild, colorful logo that says, “We’re a fun group.” An accounting firm would probably choose something more formal that reflects professionalism. A consultant might opt for a logo that conveys credibility.

What do you want consumers to feel about your company just by looking at your logo?

2. Decide what you want to say about your company’s culture
Are you buttoned-down and serious? Is your small business relaxed and laid back? Are you located in a high-tech corridor or a funky part of town?

All of these things – and more – contribute to the image of your small business. Your logo will be your public face. It should accurately reflect your image.

3. Determine how your logo will be used
Your logo won’t just show up on business cards, letterhead and other paper documents. It will also appear in advertisements and on your Web site.

Many businesses also need a logo that will work well on product packaging, building signs, billboards, vehicle signs and banners.

If you plan to use promotional items like coffee mugs or refrigerator magnets, make sure your logo can maintain its integrity when being shrunk down to a small size. For instance, a single-graphic logo will look better than one with a multitude of details.

Knowing how your logo will be used, now and in the future, will help you choose one that works for the long haul.

4. Think about colors
Do you want a cool blue or a jazzy orange? A sunny yellow or a muted gray?

There are good reasons that landscape companies often choose the color green for their logos. That green automatically conveys a sense of growth and lushness.

You want the colors you choose to give consumers a sense of what your small business can do for them.

5. Consider a tagline
Nike’s “Just Do It.” Coke’s “The Real Thing.” Those taglines are etched into the consumer consciousness.

If you plan to use a tagline, develop some ideas now, before you make a final decision about your logo. The logo and the tagline should complement each other and work together to create the image you want for your small business.

6. Keep it simple
Between graphics and text and taglines and colors, it’s easy for logos to get messy. Don’t let that happen to yours. Keep it clean. Keep it professional.

7. Work with a designer
It’s tempting for small-business owners to try their hands at logo design. It can also be a bad idea. Professional designers know what works and what doesn’t.

Good designers will listen to your thoughts about colors, text style, image and logo usage. They’ll take all of that into account when designing your original logo.

One place to begin your design hunt is with AlphaGraphics. AlphaGraphics can not only design your logo, but also design and print your marketing materials. Best of all, AFS Members enjoy significant discounts.

8. Get feedback
Your designer should provide with you several logo ideas. Before you make a final decision, get more opinions. Ask business colleagues and friends which logo they prefer and why.

Remember. Your logo doesn’t have to satisfy just you. It has to speak to the world about your business.

(Posted July 2006)

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