Logo Design: 3 Tips for Success

So, you’ve decided after reading our last blog post that rebranding with a new logo could help provide that updating and vitality your business needs. While the actual steps obviously vary by industry and company, we’ve compiled a list of 3 of the most important things to keep in mind when creating your new logo as a part of rebranding.

            1. Find a great graphic artist.

Whether you already have images scribbled on a napkin or want someone to brainstorm fresh ideas, a graphic artist will be able to provide the professional quality work that your brand deserves. During your drafting meetings, be sure to convey your company’s mission statement and vision. He or she also will be able to help you decide what elements (if any) from your existing logo should be used in your new logo… this was one of the biggest challenges we encountered during the process. Here are a few examples of companies that made a few tweaks to their logos over the years…

             And here are a few that started completely fresh…

We ultimately decided that while our original brand was recognized by our customers and the community, we’ve expanded our products and services so much over the years that a re-vamp of the logo that reflected these improvements was necessary. See our "before and after" here.

            2. Pay close attention to color.

Think beyond how the logo will look on a business card. Will the new logo show up well on promotional items like pens that may have to be imprinted in one color only? Are your gradients too detailed to be used on embroidered logo-wear? Keep in mind your logo may not always be in the full-color format that your graphic designer presents it in. We suggest asking your graphic artist to layout a draft of your logo on business cards and letterheads, the basic staples of every office place, to see how it looks. You might next ask for an example of how the logo would be used on a presentation folder, banner or flyer. Before you make any final decisions, also review how the logo will look when produced three ways: full-color, one color with “screens” or “gradients,” and one color only.

            3. Round up a small committee.

Corral a small group from your office to give input on the new logo. We suggest resisting the temptation to poll everyone on every decision, as this will significantly slow down the process and may add unnecessary complication. At Professional Systems USA, we asked a member from each department to give their input, so we were able to create a comprehensive logo that reflected each dynamic of our company.

Do you think it's best for companies to tweak their logos every once in awhile, or completely re-design when rebranding? Comment below!

Remember the 80's?

 

So do we... that’s why we rebranded! Since 1984, Professional Systems has been dedicated to providing the most modern business solutions to our local and nationwide clients. But just like the days of cropped shirts and leg warmers have passed, we noticed that our own brand was in need of an update, including our logo and website.

We’d like to share our story, as well as some tricks and tips on how you can take advantage of brand messaging to refresh your success. Ask yourself these questions when you consider whether rebranding could help your business:

1. Has your list of products or services expanded over the years?

When Professional Systems opened its doors over 25 years ago, our most popular products were pegboard business forms (which most of you don’t even remember) and manila file folders.   Today, our range of products includes beautiful full-color print for marketing, electronic document management, furniture, and a wide range of promo products, and our new logo needed to reflect this dynamic range of business solutions. We chose upbeat colors to reflect creativity that we put into every project, and simple shapes that represent comprehensive collection of product that help to organize and optimize your business.

2. Has it been awhile since you’ve branded?

Even five or ten years can pass and make a brand outdated.   Trends change.  Technology makes advances.  When we first created our logo in the 80’s, it was impractical and extremely expensive to consider a full-color imprint.  Today, with the advancement of printing processes, there is no reason for a logo and a brand not to be just as colorful as you wish for it to be.  Our first logo was teal  (remember when that was popular?)  and pretty rudimentary by today’s standards.  Modifications made a few years ago brought us more up to date, but we decided that our dated logo might carry the message that we were not keeping up with the times.

3. Could some simple changes make a difference to your brand?

We tweaked our logo several years ago with good result.  Large companies do this all the time.  Take a look at logos like the Pepsi® "globe" and the CBS "eye" to see how they have evolved over the years. 

4. Do you have an active, useful online presence?

While most of our communication with our clients is either in person or in print, we realized that it was time for an update on the web, where it is even more important to give clients a contemporary, up-to-date user-friendly experience.  Clients should be able to easily find you, learn about you and connect with you online.  

So, the next chapter to this story should be, “so how do I get there?”  Check back in at our blog next week for more details!

Coming Soon!

Our new website was launched October 12, 2011.  Please check back here within the next few days for our first blog posts.  We hope that this will become a helpful resource for you!