Even despite your best efforts, sometimes you simply need to change your business logos. Perhaps that cutting edge typeface you went with in the dot com boom years is just too dated. Perhaps there are modern values your company would profit from upholding. Maybe you’ve even suffered scandal and controversy, and establishing a new custom logo design will show people that you’ve made sweeping changes. Rebranding is not for the faint of heart, but it may simply be essential if you want to remain competitive.
Consider also what kind of message your rebranding sends to your industry and your existing customers. When massive corporations or big businesses rebrand, they are always in danger of seeming to be spending for spending’s sake. Proving this, the large royalties paid to design agencies for controversially minimalist logo designs end up coating the tabloids. But any business that orders a hefty redesign will look like a defeated business. Redesigning is an concession of defeat: your identity isn’t getting you the market share you want, and you simply want to be a new company. Try as they might, the PR business’s spin can only go so far to deny the issues your company is facing.
But putting an old design out to pasture doesn’t have to be a defeat, just simply a new chapter in the ongoing story of your business success. You may be changing your brand regardless of how you’re doing relative to your competitors. Some brand changes have been simply ’signs of the times’, the result of shifting values in society. An obvious example would be the change in attitudes about the environment during the twentieth century. Faced with this huge issue (and a history a major environmental disasters) BP became ‘Beyond Petroleum’, and they adopted a new green and yellow symbol, intentionally like a sunflower. The symbol is well thought out: it works as both a statement on the centrality of the environment and a commitment to solar / bio fuel. The original logo, the BP shield had become somewhat meaningless after all: and it’s message seemed almost colonial, protecting ‘British’ Petroleum. The change proved itself tragically skin deep of course: once the dust settles on the Deepwater Horizon disaster, expect that sunflower to be floated downstream.
Logos can often be difficult, particularly if you’re not entirely sure what you’re looking for. Your logo says an awful lot about you as a company; not just your industry and your audience but also what type of company you are. It would seem fair to assert then that bad logos can have a hugely detrimental impact on your business, so if you’re going to avoid them, you need to know what makes a bad logo.
Most people will have come across a ‘bad logo’ in their time; although you might argue liking a logo is entirely subjective, there are undoubtedly certain things that can make a logo a poor example, regardless of subjectivity.
A common issue with logo design is unintentional representations or meanings; particularly if they’re not picked up on by the original designer. If you’ve ended up with a logo where sections look like rude or humourous body parts, or you can make out any other unintended imagery, it’s likely to have a considerably negative impact on your company.
You’ll often find a logo that just seems like a lot of nothing; this tends to happen when a designer has tried to translate an idea through the logo and it just hasn’t come off (the London 2012 Olympics Logo is a great example of this).
Double meanings can be spotted in far more logos than you’d imagine, especially in the integration of words and images. You should be especially cautious of this with a company logo, and ensure that if a second meaning can be found that it carries the same meaning as the original logo.
Similarly, you should ensure your company name does’nt have double meanings in it’s name, especially once it’s bunched up into a URL. You’ll come across scores of businesses missing this on the internet; probabaly the most well-known is the infamous Pen Island, which turns into the less inviting penisland when turned into a URL.
You should always try and see your logo from a consumer point of view, and that you get several people to look at it before confirming the decision and putting it out online. You’re far better off being cautious than rushing into a decision and regretting it later on.
There are few more recognisable icons in the world than the Nike logo. The powerful swoosh image is so recognisable, the company no longer needs to add its name for people to know and recognise the brand. Although it undoubtedly is one of the worlds most visible brand designs, it was actually put together for less than $35 by a university student no less. continue reading »
Before the credit crunch, the troubles of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the collapse IndyMac the woes of Goldman Sachs and the warnings that banks such as Bank of America, Citibank, Wachovia, HSBC Bank USA and RBC Citizens are still vulnerable to financial problems twenty months after the $700 billion federal bailout, these institutions represented solidity, security and trust.
Logo design reflected that, often being throwbacks to designs or symbols developed many years ago. In these uncertain times, a logo for any company in finance still has to reflect those properties and attributes. continue reading »
Wherever you go in the world, whether it be backpacking in the Australian Outback, amongst the jungle vines of the Amazon Jungle in a taxi in the centre of New York City or on a boat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean¦ there will always be a logo in sight, most of which we will recognize due to worldwide marketing. Famous Company Logos include those of McDonalds, IBM, Coca Cola, Ford and Nike as popular examples.
Various large businesses throughout the United States have sought design from a well known Custom Logo Design Company that has a glittering portfolio of Blue Chip clients and often comes by recommendation. continue reading »
On the whole, this is quite a tough question to answer – we can all tell a good logo design when we’re present with one, but it’s not easy to clearly define exactly what makes it a strong logo. I tend to look at colour, concept and execution (with the last two being the most critical) as being the factors that contribute to good logo designs. For me, I think all three (or at least the last two) need to be of a high quality for the logo to be considered good; a good concept with poor execution will result in a bad logo, similarly, good execution of a poor concept will generally end up in a poor logo design. continue reading »
Good design all shares the same principles; whether you’re look at logo design, leaflet design, poster design or web design, good design should always emphasize the message you’re trying to get across.
The basic principles of design should apply to all forms of design (graphic, art, fashion, architecture, web, etc) and for me, there are seven key elements that are essential to good design.
The first two i want to look at are regularly grouped together; balance and proportion. continue reading »
Generally, the first thing that’s seen by your customers is your business logo. This is why having a business logo that represents your company is critical for a good first impression. If you don’t have a logo that correctly shows off your business, you may end up losing customers or attracting the wrong target market. continue reading »
A little while ago there was a custom logo design competition for 2010 Merced County Fair, which was won by Mark Keach as Merced Country Fair quoted. His designs will be published on billboards, t-shirts, ads, banners, and other promotional materials.
Shortly there will be a another logo design content at Chippewa Falls, Winconsin for the 8th Annual, Oktoberfest, where logo designers will participate to create the logo for. continue reading »
The logo design and tagline for the Uefa Euro 2012 footbal tournament has been released this week in Kiev, the capital city of Ukraine. Co-hosting with Poland, Ukraine will be hosting the 2012 sporting event in 4 of their cities. The logo has been design by Brandia Central, an experienced Portugueselogo design company. continue reading »