There’s a reason why businesses can spend up to millions of dollars just to come up with the right logo.  

Think about today’s most iconic businesses and chances are, you’ll have their logo imprinted in your mind.  

When you think of Apple Inc. for example, you’ll have the image of an apple with part of it bitten-off. The name IBM will instantly conjure that iconic, blocky fancy font.  

Why is a business logo important?

Your logo is one of the most important assets your business has. It’s your business’ face, something your customers can instantly relate to at a glance.  

A good logo will not only attract attention, but it will also convey a positive aura around your business.

Your logo can also bring out subconscious feelings and thoughts to people about you.

What does your logo say about your business?

Here are some of the important components of a logo that can convey information about your brand.

1. Your choice of fonts

Your choice of fonts is a good place to start. Fonts that resemble script handwriting and calligraphy can bring out an impression that your company is creative or playful, blocky text (like in the case of IBM) screams that you are all about business and more geometric modern fonts can convey an image of trendiness around you.

2. How you use image

How you use images in your logo also creates an impression.  If you use images you found on the internet, for example, your business may be perceived as less creative and un-original.  

It can also come out as a business that doesn’t care much about its image.  It’s for this reason that good marketers and designers will insist on original images or illustrations for company logos.  

If someone tells you to use clipart from an online source to use in your logo, then you’ll know they don’t know what they’re talking about. The problem with online clipart is that if you found it, chances are someone else did too.  You want your logo to be unique and using online clipart is a sure way not to reach that objective.

3. Colour choice 

The colours you choose is also important. Studies in human psychology have found that certain colours invoke certain impressions or feelings.  

Red for example can be seen as aggressive or attention-grabbing. Black in its simplicity can imply timelessness and sophistication. Green has been linked to nature and health.

Understanding your business is the key to good logo design

It is best to start with setting your company’s mission and vision before creating your logo. Your company’s vision and goals will be the foundation of its identity, the identity that your logo will have to convey.  

Once you’ve built that foundation, you’d want to start creating your logo.  This has to be done early in the development of your company.  

It would be unprofessional if you handed out business letters without a proper letterhead with your logo. Likewise, handing out generic business cards without your logo or branding won’t create a good impression.

Top tips for logo design 

Ideally, you’d want your logo to be simple and functional.  Because you’d want it to appear everywhere, it has to be able to scale up or down properly.  

Overly-complex designs might look cluttered and un-decipherable in small business cards and other print, and pixelated and unsightly for large advertising billboards and posters.  

Strive for something that looks good across all media you plan on emblazing your logo on.

Should I hire a professional logo designer?

Creating the ideal logo for your business is as much an art as it is a science. Because there are a lot of factors that can go into creating a beautiful, functional logo that reflects your business’ identity, it might be best to seek professional help.  

Sure, you might be able to create an awesome logo by yourself, but it can be a good long-term decision for your business to hire a professional designer to build your logo for you.  

A designer with good marketing background will have the experience in finding and combining elements that would create a logo that would work great for your business.