Businesses need to have appealing logos. A strong logo design can make the business appear professional, reliable, and genuine in its field. Logo designs can impact your business operations greatly by the impact they leave on your customers. For example, Nike has a tick and their brand name as their logo, which is not only very simple and neat but also symbolizes the ‘tick’ on a checklist which tells the customer that the brand promotes ‘getting things done’. This is further conveyed by their slogan, “Just Do It”. Similarly, when you are starting your own business, you should really focus on your logo, because logos are the identity that you don’t want to change unless necessary.
Now that you know the importance of logo designing, you should read on to understand what ideas work best for logos for smaller businesses:
Logo Ideas for SMEs:
Aim for a minimalistic approach:
Apple and Nike as well as other huge brands in the world have minimalist designs that portray a classy and professional image. You may have heard the famous saying, ‘Less is more’. This applies to logo designs in every industry, regardless of the business size. However, since small businesses are more targeted to segments, it is important to have the logo minimalist and clear so that it catches attention easily. This includes white space.
Try Symbolism:
If you Google the logo of ‘InfiniTea’ brand, you will see it is an example of symbolism in logo designing. It is a tea brand as obvious by its name but has a very creatively designed logo featuring tea leaves that are illustrated in the shape of a teacup. Hence, one element showcases both elements that tell the brand’s nature. Just looking at the element of this logo would tell the customer that this brand belongs in the beverage industry. This form of symbolism has a lasting effect on the viewer’s memory. Why? Because it is very creatively designed and makes the viewer ‘think’ how the logo is connected.
Decide on a Color Palette:
This is not a tip, but an essential part. However, most new and small businesses seem to have too many colors or color variations in their logos and their campaigns. It is essential that not only the same color e.g. Black is used in the other designs as in the logo, but the color code e.g. #000000 must also be the same in the designing elements used in campaigns, ads, social media posts, etc. Deviating from the color palette is like deviating from your identity. For example, everything that McDonald’s uses in their designs are the same shade of Yellow and Red as in their logo.
Steer Clear of Clichés:
Any cliché designs and patterns that are popular in the market currently are not necessarily the best inspirations. For example, the badge style logo designs have become overrated now. However, you may wonder why brands like Starbucks still use badge styled logos if these are the cliché designs now, but established brands had started with these logos before these designs became cliché.
Typography makes everything easier:
Different fonts structured in different sizes and shapes can become a unique logo design in itself. Many modern logos are just type-based, especially those in the technology and science-related industries. Typography, however, is a rather more difficult style to create and be flexible with. Font styles are an important factor to decide as per the brand’s nature. For instance, children’s products’ brands use rather funky and curly fonts to display the playfulness and to attract children’s and their parents’ attention.
Avoid Online Logo Makers:
The logo-design tools available online are used by many organizations in their initial phases, however, these logo makers are not the best option to go for. These tools use general designs and give a computer-generated design without creativity or thought. Long-term profitability and returns require good investment in making a strong base, and logos are a part of this strong base. Instead, invest in quality logo designers who would actually think about the best way to represent your brand in exchange for a cost that fits your budgets. As for small businesses, freelance designers on online platforms are a great alternative because they are much cheaper, yet talented.
Conclusion
These are the basics of what makes a logo design stand out. Since small businesses are the most common type of businesses, they need to have a creative and unique logo that matches their image and impacts their customer’s perception of the brand. Yet, on the other hand, if it is difficult for you to afford professional, it is okay for small businesses to go the shortcut and use free logo design services.
