A logo is an important part of any business. A logo can be almost as important as a companies products or services. The reason is that a logo is a big part of how you sell and market your company.

Strong logos establish trust, and people only do business with companies they trust. A logo also helps make a good first impression. With a strong logo, you are able to build pride within the company, entice new business prospects and intimidate the competition. A weak logo can make a prospect doubt the quality of your company.

A Logotype uses type to create the logo. Some recognizable logotypes would be the Microsoft or FedEx logos.

Notice the arrow pointing forward in FedEx's logo (between the E & X) and how the "s" and the "o" are connected in Microsoft. This made the logos different then standard fonts and sets them apart from other logos.

The second kind of logo is icon based, using a graphic element with your logotype. An example of this is the Nike "swoosh". This icon is instantly recognizable. In fact, I bet when you read the word "swoosh" the image of Nike's logo popped into your head. This is the power of a good logo.

Ask yourself these questions:

1. What does your company stand for? What does your company do? Is this instantly recognizable in your logo?
2. Does your logo stand out? Is it unique and able to differentiate you from your competition?
3. Does your logo use a color that will help define your company or industry? Green for an environmental organization for example.
4. If your logo is just a logotype, is it customized or unique? Examples would be FedEx and Microsoft.
5. Does your logo produce as well on a pen as it does on a billboard?
6. Does your logo work as well in black as it does in color?
7. Do you have a logo for every medium? You'll need a high-resolution file for jobs going to a professional printer. A vector eps logo works best (ask your designer for this). You'll also need a low-resolution logo (jpg or gif file) for your web site. Lastly, don't forget logos for internal use (word documents and such) tif or bmp files work nicely for this.
8. Is your logo on everything that leaves your office? Envelopes, letterhead, invoices, estimates, fax sheets, proposals etc.

You are probably thinking, how much is this going to cost? A logo can be pricey, but it is an investment in your company. What would you spend to have Nike's market share?

Many companies try cutting costs by going to the neighbor kid with a computer. This is great in the short-term, but ends up needing redone in the future to grow the business. Here is something to think about. If a loved one were seriously hurt in an accident, would you go to the neighbor kid that had a box of band-aides? Of course not, so why would you trust your companies image to anything less then a professional? A strong logo will help build a strong business.

How do you want to be seen in the marketplace?

Posted by: Dale Berkebile