The most seemingly simple and valuable tool in a marketing toolbox is a company’s logo. But sometimes the most basic tool can also be the most complex. The checklist of things it has to acheive seems endless and the process often trying. Plus, how can you tell if the logo is even working?

Some things a logo must have is:

Size:
How small can you make your logo? 1″ wide? 1/2″ wide? 2″ wide? If you printed it on a pen, would you be able to recognize it or read it? Or maybe the smallest application you will ever use it for will be a business card. That’s ok. Just remember that a logo can go small, can also be easily read from far, far away. So, even If you want to see your company’s logo in lights one day, start by visualizing it on a flash drive.

Format/Colors
What if you have to put your logo on a black background or on top of a photograph? How does it look if it’s reversed? In some instances, it works to just make the logo white instead of black. Did you know if your logo has a face in it, the eyes will go white, that will not be a endearing feature. 3-dimensional objects with shadows will invert causing the shadows to be highlights. When reversed these objects become all messed up. Are you going full color, one color or two?

Easy to copy
How many times have you run an ad, or sponsored an event, or tried to take advantage of some free publicity and someone asks you for an electronic file of your logo? It’s always good to have a vector-based .EPS version of the logo that can be scaled or reduced without distorting or pixelating. I’ve seen many a great logo turned to garbage because of bad reproduction.

Easy to read
Is it clear what your message is?

Get out there!
If you have a great logo but nobody sees It, Is It really a great logo?! Get it out there. Put it on everything you have. Make sure people connect it with the positive experiences they have with your company. It doesn’t need to be huge. It just needs to envoke emotion when they see it.

If your logo meets these minimum requirements, you should feel good. You should like your logo. I’ve tried to change mine many times, I just can’t do it. It has been with me since 1995 and while other designers think I should change and that maybe it doesn’t even fit into some of these requirements, it works for me and continues to promote my business the way I want it to.

My Best,
Kathy Kane
Market Insights, LLC