Caring for a business and giving it everything it needs to grow up big and strong is a never-ending task. There are always new things to learn and apply and countless smaller things that need to be done for each normal-sized thing on your to-do list. The following will explore just one element of good business management: logo design. The emphasis will be on the importance of a strong logo as well as a few critical things that a good logo will accomplish.
Branding Creates Emotions
First and foremost, it’s important to understand that humans are not rational creatures. We pretend that’s what we are, but it’s not. There was even a lengthy analysis done on a man who, due to a tumour in his brain, only had access to the logical part of his brain. The result was that the man couldn’t make decisions. He could spend a full eight hours contemplating all the ways he could organize files on his computer (alphabetical, size, type, etc.). But he couldn’t actually choose a way to organize his files because prioritizing the benefits of each option required an emotional decision.
Without emotions, people can’t make basic choices like which spot on the couch they want to sit at (having the best view of the tv versus being nearer the bathroom in case they need to use it and want a shorter journey, versus being nearer the kitchen should they want a snack, versus being able to put their feet up on the ottoman, etc.). Without emotion, they also can’t decide to use your product or service.
This means that every opportunity you have to create emotional resonance with a potential customer is an opportunity to make a sale (or multiple sales). This is called branding. Branding is a lot of things, but one of those things involves selecting the right logo with the right vibe for your company.
Branding, if done correctly, creates emotions. It stirs something within your potential customers, whether that’s excitement, interest, hope, faith, or trust. One logo design firm found here points out that if you were to remove the Apple logo from a phone, way fewer people would be willing to buy that phone. Why? Because they have an emotional response to the Apple brand.
Recognizability
If you have a logo and that logo is on your products, website, storefront and content, the people who have previously interacted with your product or service and would like to do so again can easily recognize you. Likewise, the people who have been shown your product or told about it will be able to recognize you. If you change the shape or design of something, people will still know it was made by you, and if they like you and your previous work, they’re going to feel a lot better about trying out this new design. If you decide to include a new product or service, people who have used your old products or services will be able to recognize that this offering comes from the same people.
Recognizability is vital if you want to develop a long-term relationship with your customers and clients. Just try to imagine developing a relationship with a person that looked completely different every time you met them; it would be hard. Products and services are like people in this regard. People need to have some indication that the products or services they’re looking at are tied to your business; this way, if they like these products or services, they know who to reach out to for more.
Legitimacy
When it comes to first impressions, logos are still a good idea. A clean, crisp logo that is aesthetically pleasing and looks like it was designed recently communicates to potential customers that you’re a real company with the means to secure a high-quality logo. A strong logo can grab people’s attention and make a fantastic first impression in under two seconds. Humans are visual creatures, and this means they use their eyes to make judgements about whether something is worth their time or not.
Audiences today expect logos, and they expect those logos to be visually appealing. If a company has a dated or poorly-designed logo, this communicates to potential customers that the brand is amateur, unprofessional or illegitimate.
The above information should have outlined a few key reasons why a good brand logo is of vital importance for business managers. A great logo builds emotional rapport with potential and returning customers, it serves as a recognizable anchor connecting all the pieces of your business into one cohesive thing, and it helps establish you as a legitimate business in your field.