Correct use of fonts is a very significant part of logo design that many of us overlook. The job of a logo designer is to make the message in the corporate logo design appropriate for the targeted customers. In order to do this, the font used in the logo design should be functional and meaningful. Several famous corporate logos are identified only because of their specific typography. Think of valuable corporate fonts like Coca-Cola and Walt Disney for instance. These corporate giants have logos with stylish and elegant fonts. Only their typography has made it a successful corporate brand.

Anyhow, the title in itself is a confident statement; I am just here to tell “WHY” small business owners should have a professionally designed logo.  

1 ) To look "bigger" and "established": No matter which field you belong to…your image should be imposing and stable. Either you are a small business owner or an established entrepreneur; we all need to have a strong corporate identity which can be only earned by a perfect logo.
2 ) To increase your sales: If you present a well-rounded business package that includes marketing materials and graphics, your business will look more complete.
3 ) To attract more clients. Some clients look for a well-defined company, and your first impact help them making a purchasing decision.
4 ) To brand yourself: If you are a consultant, you need a logo in order to build an image and a brand that is greater than your individual identity. Be sure to avoid some common branding mistakes.
5 ) To convey that you are reputable: A logo and professionally-printed materials show that you are committed to both your business and to your clients.
6 ) To win clients trust. You may not have been in business "since 1908," but if you have
invested in your identity, you are more likely to remain firm and relevant in the eyes of your customers. It goes a long way toward building that all-important "trust."
7 ) To differentiate you from your competitors: A well-designed logo can have many subtle meanings and can begin to tell the story of how you do business, including the special practices that make you stand apart from the competition.
8 ) To explain your line of business: If your business is nontraditional or in a hard-to-explain industry, a logo can help to clarify exactly what it is that you do.
So its all simple and clear…if you want to achieve the above mentioned targets and want to be among successful business owners, you have to get a professional corporate logo. Building a strong corporate identity is no easy task but a captivating logo can surely help you reach the skies.

]]> http://blog.corporatelogos.ws/small-business-owners-need-corporate-logo/feed 3 http://blog.corporatelogos.ws/nickolodeon-logo-revamped http://blog.corporatelogos.ws/nickolodeon-logo-revamped#comments Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:34:31 +0000 Michael J. Taylor http://blog.corporatelogos.ws/?p=986

                  The MTV-owned cable channel, Nickelodeon has come a long way to be on the list of world famous brands, with big fan following from territories including Europe, the Middle-East, Russia and Asia. The channel aims to entertain children of ages 6 to 20 and is an important part of the golden memories of our childhood and teenage. Since its launch December 1, 1977 the Nickelodeon team thinks it’s high time that 30-year-old identity should be changed.

1) The memorable old “Nickelodeon Logo":

2) The New “Nickelodeon” Logo:

3) Why “Nick” wanted a new Corporate Identity?

Armin (from under consideration) inquired the reason of this change from Russell Hicks (executive vice president and creative director of Nickelodeon), who explained that internet has made kids very fast. They enjoy innovative and trendy stuff. Therefore, the 30-year-old identity had to change.

Nickelodeon today is a media enterprise that consists of multiple channels that air in 175 countries, a motion picture production company, an ever-growing online presence, and outlets of numerous consumer products. Therefore, the team working on the redesign was briefed how the new logo should compliment different upcoming projects (channels and divisions.)

4) Will you miss the old logo:( ?

However, once a logo is created, it becomes difficult and expensive to change it frequently. Therefore, it should be developed with intricate care, avoiding all the mistakes which can spoil your corporate emblem.

Below I list some traits of logo designing, which immensely contribute in making a logo successful. You might get irritated with constant reference of these features but trust me they make your corporate Logo a BIG hit.

• A simple but memorable icon: It is believed that most significant part of a logo is the icon, the first thing which attracts the viewer. Therefore, it is very important to opt for a catchy, simple and creative icon. A sophisticated and elegant icon makes your logo stand out in this overcrowded world of logos…so try searching for creative icons for your corporate logo.
  
  
• Punching tagline: A grasping tagline insistently conveys your company’s efficiency and reliability, to your customers. An elegant icon accompanied with a strong tagline will help you win numerous profitable customers.

• Not stuffed with multiple design elements: Logos with a simple design never go out of fashion. Although the advance techniques of graphic design have introduced several trends in world of logo design but avoid making your logo busy. A clean, simple, and uncluttered looking logo normally is the best selection for all types of business fields.

• Resizes well for every media: A logo is claimed to be well-designed if it effectively resizes for all the available marketing and advertising media. Unfortunately, many famous company logos turn out to be a disappointment when resized to be used for different media. A successful corporate mark, should look great in all sizes, no matter wherever you use it.

• Looks best in Black and White: Never skip the black and white aspect of your logo because it is equally important as its colorful version. For example, when you need to send a letterhead to your client, your logo will show in black and white.
  Your logo should have an ability to grab the viewer’s attention even in black and white. Therefore, don’t forget to highlight the black and white side of your logo.

• Clean and readable fonts: Using too many fonts at once confuses the viewer. Using a maximum of two fonts of different weights is standard practice. Although it is quiet tricky, but try choosing the right font for your logo design which complements the style of the icon. Clean and readable fonts make it easy for the viewer to remember your logo.

• Right use of Colors: It’s true that a human eye never skips a colorful vision but many businessmen use this theory in wrong means. They ask their designers to come up with colorful logos so that everyone is attracted towards them. Surely, a logo is incomplete without colors but it is important to use the colors in their right sense. Just adding multiple colors, does not add beauty to a logo. It is important to sensibly use colors which relate to your industry as well.

Your logo plays the lead role in marketing and advertising your business. Many business owners think that designing a logo is not a complicated task and assume that anyone with some artistic inclinations can design a logo for them. This is their biggest mistake because many of them are not ready to pay heavy amounts to graphic designers and handover their work to amateur designers.

Here, I would like to suggest a great platform like logosnap.com of DIY logos which offer you an opportunity to create effective logos according to your requirements. Just follow the above given features, I am sure you will take over the market with your extraordinary corporate logos. ]]> http://blog.corporatelogos.ws/features-making-corporate-logo-successful/feed 1 http://blog.corporatelogos.ws/corporate-logos-minimal-redesigning http://blog.corporatelogos.ws/corporate-logos-minimal-redesigning#comments Thu, 10 Sep 2009 08:47:32 +0000 Michael J. Taylor http://blog.corporatelogos.ws/?p=926 While designing a logo for any corporate brand or company, certain principles should never be neglected or forgotten. We all know our target audience and want to own a logo which makes us outstand among our industry competitors. Therefore we keep following new logo trends and ideas to make our company logo appear updated and successful.

However, abstraction and minimalism are the effective aspects which help us create true aesthetic corporate logos. Worldwide logo designers are utilizing the concept of minimal art to revive the corporate identity of top brands. The new approach of adding simple elements and subtle changes to famous company logos is widely appreciated nowadays.

Below I showcase top corporate logos which have undergone minimal redesigning lately without losing their elegance and charm.

Mozilla Firefox Logo:

This foxy holds a strong ranking among the list of world famous logos and is always appreciated for its classiness and choice of colors. The logo is said to be undergone process of redesigning but the transformation is so subtle that you won’t be able to point out any evident change. So let me point out the features of the new Firefox logo: less furry, glossier, more defined flames in the tail, fiery tones of orange and aqua tones are made evident.

Sony Ericsson adds colors to its company logo:

As a top brand “Sony” has always opted for major changes in its logo and packaging. So, once again it is ready to refresh its brand identity but this time it plans to add color to its Green Liquid Density. The brand will now be featured in pink, blue, orange, and purple. Dave Hilton, UK marketing director at Sony Ericsson, clearly expressed that they wanted to freshen up their advertising but have a belief that too much of change can backfire a stable corporate brand identity.

Carrefour New logo:

With more than 15,000 stores in 35 countries Carrefour is a French international supermarket claimed to be world’s second largest retail group in terms of revenue after Wal-Mart. Carrefour in French means “crossroads” and one of the reasons for the fame of this logo is its shape. It shows two opposite arrows inside a diamond shaping the “C” letter with the negative space between them. Carrefour logo with its red, blue and white colors and clean fonts has remained the same since it was created in 1966. However, this September, along with a new campaign titled “Positive is Back,” Carrefour has introduced a new word mark and a slightly modified icon.

The changes are so minimal that on a first glance you might not be able to notice them; therefore I have mentioned them here. The old blocked Serif fonts are replaced by smooth, curvy and friendly typeface. The sharp curves of the new icon have been replaced giving a smooth look to the logo. Lastly but most importantly, the icon has been released in a wide range of gradients.

The changes are so minimal that on a first glance you might not be able to notice them; therefore I have mentioned them here. The old blocked Serif fonts are replaced by smooth, curvy and friendly typeface. The sharp curves of the new icon have been replaced to give a smooth and sleek look to the logo. Lastly but most importantly, the icon has been released in a wide range of gradients which I stumbled across on famous site “Brand New” These new icons have started appearing on the packets and advertising billboards of Carrefour.

In the end I would like to know your opinion …corporate brands should opt for minimal redesigning for their logos to continue with their old charm or after every few years they should get a major redesign for their company logo?

Starbucks Corporation, one of the largest coffeehouse companies in the world, with 16,120 stores in 49 countries, has come up with a new strategy to fight back their stagnant stock price. After a six percent decrease in sales due to recession, this corporate company has decided to do an experiment… selling alcohol.

The coffeehouse chain has introduced their new enterprise with a new logo and name, known as “15th Ave. Coffee and Tea inspired by Starbucks" The brand famous for its drip brewed coffee, espresso-based hot drinks, snacks and other items such as mugs and coffee beans has added wine and beer to its menu.

USA Today reported

“Starbucks plans to create two more similar stores in the Seattle area at locations that aren’t currently Starbucks stores. And if the concept works, it could be tested in other cities, says Major Cohen, senior project manager at Starbucks.”

The main aim of coming up with this idea is due to the crisis company has faced in last quarter… closed stores, employee layoffs and decline sales during the recession. CEO of consulting firm Brandstream and former marketing chief at Starbucks,

So for now, the lone test store will serve half-dozen kinds of beer and wine, ranging in price from $4 to $7. Right now the company is not sure if this concept would be incorporated into all Starbucks stores if it’s successful.

"We’ll be equally as proud of our beer and wine as we are of our coffee," Cohen says.

I would like to know your opinion over this move of Starbucks….do you think this venture will give a tough competition to their competitors (McDonald’s and Dunkin Donuts) and help them survive recession?

         Hey friends…today I have another big and high-budget logo redesign to share with you all. However, this time it is not any soft drink or Software company logos which is redesigned. The city of Melbourne, Australia revealed their new corporate identity last week. The identity design was developed by the Sydney office of Landor, who were paid $A91, 000 (US$74,000) in “preliminary research for the new brand” and $A148, 000 (US$120,000) for the design itself.

Last week when Melbourne’s new logo was announced, the fat block of “M” costing for $240,000 was highly criticized.
Lord Mayor Robert Doyle unveiled the new logo for the city, saying:

“Old logo was "a bit daggy" and Melbourne needed a new design to reflect its cool sophistication on the world stage.”  

To defend the claim of extra cost, he explains that the new logo would save the council money in the long run by gradually replacing about 50 different logos the city now uses for its various services. Furthermore, on the Melbourne’s website, Dr Kathy Alexander lists the benefits the City will be earning from this redesign.

• Consolidation of multiple logos into a single, strong, cutting-edge design
• Better identification of services City of Melbourne is delivering
• Greater brand impact and flexibility
• More cost and time-effective in-house design and brand management

Where, majority people find the new logo to be a disaster, some design experts find it quiet sensible, saying:

"It’s certainly not a disaster and considering the amounts some companies spend on rebranding, it might even turn out to be a bargain,”

says the managing director of  Brand Behavior, Karl Treacher.

Further, Mr Treacher quotes:

"Of course, when you’re a government or public body people will say the money could have been spent elsewhere or possibly better. But in the scale of logos $240,000 isn’t over the odds.”  

The main grounds, government is using to avoid facing criticism is that of “London Olympic Logo 2012” They think it is less of a disaster than London’s logo for the 2012 Olympic Games as within hours of its launch in 2007,  30,000 Britons signed a petition calling for it to be scrapped.

Here, I will drop my opinion and would like to know yours…don’t you think, it is utterly unethical of government to support their wrong decision by referring to any old blunder. If they have ended up with something foolish, at least they should have the guts to accept it.

So guys, how do you see this redesigned logo of Melbourne city…. a waste of money or a step towards progress?