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How Short-term thinking damages your Corporate Logo!

Corporate logos play a crucial task in establishing the brand identity of any organization. In this day and age, more preference is given on the brand rather than the products or services. For small businesses, building a successful corporate logo is necessary in order to strengthen their position in the marketplace.

But sadly, many small business owners undervalue the value of corporate logos and fall short sighted to the vision of their brand identity. They assume that corporate logos are just a mediocre element of business and do not require time and attention. What they miss out is that corporate logos made with a short-term thinking can harm their corporate identity in the future.

Following are 5 harmful things that include a short-term approach in logo designing.

 

1. Obtaining a quick logo:

When small business owners take on a short-range approach, they try to get for a logo in minutes. They consider that time should not be ‘spent’ on corporate logos. Ultimately, they end up obtaining a worthless icon to represent their business. Corporate logos cannot be created in a matter of minutes because they involve a careful and inclusive research process.
 

2. Diversifying your Business:

When you think about expanding your business, the whole corporate identity of your business goes with it. So if you created a logo with a short-term thinking, it might not be relevant for you when you diversify. This is because, when a company expands its operations, the corporate logo must also cover the new business portfolio. So the next time you think of designing logos, keep a long-term thinking.
 

3. Sticking to Prevailing Trends:

Sometimes, small business owners want to stick to the already prevailing trends of the market. They refrain from predicting future marketing trends and rely on logo design trends that are unstable. Since trends alter every year with the altering inclination of people. The logo you design today may become irrelevant in the future. You should not stick to trends, rather learn from them and try to improve them for the long run.
 
 

4. Shifts in Consumer Preference:

The next harm that short-range approach causes is lack of consumer insight. Without adequate research and analysis, your corporate logos will not be able to correctly attend to the customer preferences. Moreover, we human beings tend to change a lot and preferences and taste change unsteadily. So a short-term thinking can outdate your logo design.
 

5. Occasional Logo Designing:

Sometimes, designers create their logo design ideas on a specific occasion or season like Halloween or Christmas. This generates a temporary and limited range of the corporate logo and it becomes outdated when that particular occasion expires. Hence, logo designers must use design concepts that encapsulate an entire era.
 
 

22 Typography Corporate Logos – Playing with Words!

Corporate logos are of different types and genres. One type uses symbols to carve out a creative logo, like the Shell corporate logo. Then there are simple logos that use the text to incorporate the company message, like the FedEx corporate logo. Irrespective of the industry, corporate logos generally fall into three broad categories:

  • Typographic Logos
  • Symbolic Logos
  • Type and Symbol Logos

Each of the above type has its own positives and negatives. For instance, the typographic corporate logos help customers in remembering the company name, while the symbolic logos create strong associations in the minds of the audience. Today, my topic of discussion is typographic corporate logos. The difficult part about typographic logos is to stimulate creativity using only the lettering. Moreover, the decision of using the right fonts for corporate logos is crucial as well.

Following are 22 meaningful typography logos that will serve as inspiration for corporate logos:

   

8mm

Aqua

   

Adam Nerland

Acid people

   

Falcon Express

Black dog

   

Bag

Exit

   

Cina-Europe Textile Alliance

Bones

   

Great white

Is-this-seat-taken

   

Industrial

Happy Animal

   

Link09

Middle Point

   

Price

Panda

   

Mouse

Pearl

   

Seniors

Sub Zero Seafood

   
   
   

Corporate Logo Branding - Social and Financial Rewards!

A brand serves as the identity of a business and differentiates it from its competitors. Nowadays, people don’t just buy products or services, they buy a BRAND. A brand promises the customers top-quality and reliability. Corporate logos are an integral part of branding process. Without corporate logos, branding is not possible to visualize.

Small business owners underestimate the value of corporate logos and term them as a burden on their budget. Since small business owners are mostly short on financial muscle, they believe that corporate logos give them no rewards whatsoever. Looking from a customer’s perspective, answer these questions…would you prefer buying any pair of sports shoes or the ones with the Nike swoosh on them? Similarly, would you purchase any XYZ cologne or the one with the AXE corporate logo on it?

If you think that corporate logo and branding yield no monetary benefits, then you’re mistaken. Corporate logos are also a source of financial and social rewards. Here are the social and monetary rewards that your business gains from corporate logo and branding:

 

1. Gain Customers Loyalty:

The first social benefit that corporate logos provide you is with customer’s loyalty. When a person buys a shoe with the Nike corporate logo imprinted on it, he holds a firm belief that he is wearing the best there is. The firm Nike branding has satisfied him that he will want to purchase Nike again. This is something you cannot achieve in business without proper corporate logo branding.
 

2. Charge Premium Price:

A simple pair of sunglasses can cost you around $20-50, but put the Gucci corporate logo on it and you can charge $150 for the same. This is another monetary reward that corporate logo and branding yields. Customers are ready to pay premium price for a product or service that gives them a sense of affinity and belonging. They know that by paying a little extra, they will be getting a branded item that is reliable and durable.
 

3. Corporate Logo acts as Salesmen:

You must be surprised as to how corporate logos eliminate the need for salesmen. Imagine yourself as a customer and you go to a superstore to buy a t-shirt. The ‘Polo by Ralph Lauren’ corporate logo will help you making your purchase decision. You wouldn’t need a salesman to tell you which shirt is good and which one isn’t. The corporate logo defines the product itself to the customers.
 

4. Save Cost in Business Expansion:

Imagine you are running a business without an identity. One day you plan on diversifying your business to other realms. What would happen? How would you familiarize that new business to your present customers? Without a name and a corporate logo, they won’t be to recognize your newly launched business. A prime example is ‘Virgin Group’ that diversifies into all fields under its umbrella brand.
 

5. Change Customer Attitudes:

Sometimes a brand helps in altering the attitudes and preferences of customers. For example, a person who wasn’t fond of sports may still want to buy Nike or Adidas shoes so that it makes him/her feel athletic and sporty. This is something that an anonymous product or service cannot achieve. Moreover, your corporate logo and branding helps you when your business gets caught in a controversy. It alters the perception of the customers through its longstanding image.
 
 

Famous Corporate Logos with Occult Symbols – Weird Controversies!

Corporate logos are tools that leave an impression on your customers. Since your first impression is you last impression, it is vital to make sure your corporate logos are free from deficiencies and controversies. The slightest mistake in your logo design can cause a catastrophe for your corporate image. There have numerous been cases of famous brands and corporations that went under controversies because of their corporate logos.

Symbols that infer to the evil and supernatural world are known as occult symbols. They have weird connotations that refer to supernatural events and mythical creatures. Corporations must be aware of using any symbol in their logos that connote to these signs. This is one of the corporate logo mistakes that can spell trouble for corporations. But let me be clear that I do not intend to accuse any corporation of wrongdoing since controversies are controversies…nothing can be concretely said about them. Hence I will let it up to you to decide what you think about these weird controversies.

 
 

Apple Logo – Forbidden Fruit:

We are all familiar with the story behind the Apple logo, portraying an apple that has had a bite taken out of it. The logo designer of the logo, Rob Janoff, never contemplated as to how this symbol might be associated with an Occult symbol. Some occult followers say that the logo implies eating the forbidden fruit by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden was a good, however it was not. Moreover when Apple first marketed their first PC, they put a price tag of $666 on the product. Was that coincidental or intentional?
 

Proctor & Gamble Logo - Old Man in the Moon:

The ‘old man in the moon’ logo used by Proctor & Gamble was a centre of controversy as well. Oculist people alleged that the stars represent the occultism figure 13, moreover they were arranged to roughly appear as a 6. They also claimed the two horns coming out of the old man’s head to resemble the beast of revelation. The company clarified that the horns were only curls of hair while the 13 stars represented the original 13 colonies of the U.S. Eventually they were forced to opt for a logo redesign due to the controversy.

 

Walt Disney Logo – 666:

Being a Disney cartoon lover, I was surprised to read the controversy surrounding its corporate logo. Rumors are that “the Walt Disney corporate logo conceals three ingeniously hidden "6s"–referring to the devil number 666”. See in this Disney logo if you can find the alleged three 6s (666) hidden? Is it only coincidental or was it something done on purpose? You decide!

 

Vodafone Logo – Devil 6’s:

The famous Vodafone ‘Speechmark’ logo was introduced in 1997. It consists of three quotation marks. One is in the symbol itself making the number ‘6’, and two within the O’s of the logotype. Although they are supposed to be opening and closing quotation marks, suggesting conversation, controversially it has been connected with the number “6” representing the devil. The red color in the logo reinforces the allegations all the more.

 

Shell Logo – Rising Sun:

As if controversies weren’t enough, I stumbled onto yet another corporate logo stuck in an imbroglio over its weird resemblance. This time its “The Rising Sun” symbol that has been associated with the Shell corporate logo. Occult believers profess that it is a symbol of a rising sun associating to worship of the sun. Now I don’t know if it’s a good thing or not, but is the resemblance really unintentional?

 
 

Business Logos need Creative Slogans – Say your Business!!

How do your friends and acquaintances remember you? Surely, they must have a superlative that best describe your personality and nature. For example, he/she is a generous and considerate individual. This in turn becomes your motto through which others remember you. Similar is the case with brands and business logos that need to be memorized by their customers. This is why a slogan with business logos makes a huge impact in brand name retention.

All famous brands and business logos are accompanied by 3-4 words that best suit their personality and services they offer. These words are slogans that mesmerize the minds of the customers and are retained for a long time. One of the best examples is the “I’m lovin it” Slogan by McDonalds. Short and precise, these three words remind us of the thrills and entertainment that McDonalds provides us through its fast food.
 

• Composing a creative slogan:

A slogan for business logos is like a mantra, a song that mesmerizes customers into remembering the company name. But slogans are not merely 3-4 words that you can just conjure up from nowhere. There is a proper and thorough analysis and comprehensive brainstorming that you need to do prior to it. For small business owners this could be a tedious task, so here are three easy steps to conjure a creative and alluring tagline for business logos.

 
 

• Mind Mapping

The first step in creating a slogan is to sit down with a pen and paper in hand for a little mind mapping. Jot down whatever comes into your mind that relates with your company and businesses. This is relatively easier for small businesses that have restricted domain and thus can easily identify their business purpose and functions. The words may include catchy adjectives, nouns, superlatives or even an alphabet, but they should relate to your business stature.
 

Choose a functional benefit

Next you need to assemble the scribbled words into groups based on similarity of purpose. The simply select the word that best defines your product/service functionality. Case in point is the BMW slogan which says “Ultimate Driving Machine”. Here the word that illustrates functionality of BMW is “machine”. You can also add a superlative to modify the functionality. The word “Driving” in BMW slogan serves that purpose.
 

Choose an emotional benefit:

After having chosen your functional word, select a word that evokes emotional benefit of your product/service. This helps in generating consumer connectivity and evokes their emotions and sentiments towards your brand. Words that relate to the human emotion and sentiments like “care”, “health”, “love”, and “dream” can be used to make a good tagline. Case in point is the Honda slogan “The power of dreams”, where the word ‘dream’ illustrates an emotional benefit.
 

• Keep it short:

An ideal slogan should not exceed more than 3-4 words. The best of famous brand slogans say it all in maximum 3 words. “Just Do it”, “Impossible is Nothing” and “I’m lovin it” are examples of simple and short but effective slogans of famous brand logos. The lengthier your slogan will be, the more difficult it will become for your customers to remember it.
 
 

25 Creative Business Logos – Fresh Collection!!

Commercialization is rapidly increasing with new businesses evolving every now and then. With the escalating competition in the business sector, people often find it difficult to differentiate themselves from their competitors. This is where clever business logos come in handy. In order to be unique and recognized, your business logos must portray creativity that has never been witnessed before. This makes the logo attractive, appealing and eye-catching for the customers.

No matter whatever genre you are catering, the first impression is always the last impression. Especially for small business, first impressions are everything. But how can one define creative business logos? Let me explain…A logo is creative if it has the ability to mesmerize its viewer and communicate the company message in a clever and unique way. For your inspiration, here are 25 fresh business logos that display utmost creativity and resourcefulness in them:

   

2011 Year of Rabbit

Aquaris

   

Branding in Business

Bossa Nova Café

   

BATTERY

Bullock

   

Chef’s Art

Empire Dentistry

   

Crowd Think Tank

Digital Tree

   

dig

Cut

   

Consummate Pet

Heavy Design

   

Handy Andy

FatCat coffee

   

Illuminarty Creatives

Lunch with me

   

Mysore Dasara

Kitchens in Bloom

   

Lighthouse Stories

Tutti i fiori

   

Venture Network

World Wine Fest

   

Twyst

 
   

7 Silly Mistakes to avoid when getting Corporate Logos!!

Corporate logos are the face of any business. They are a visual representation of what the company stands for and what it has to offer to its customers. Therefore, you simply cannot afford to overlook the importance of corporate logos in building the identity of a company. Often, people neglect the gravity of logo design and end up getting dreadful logos.

That is why, it is imperative to take necessary precautions in advance and answer all questions before designing your logo. Below are 7 deadly sins to avoid when getting corporate logos.

 

1. Logos without a meaning:

Corporate logos are intended to deliver a concrete meaning and communicate a message to the customers. Designing logos that have no meaning is a futile practice. If your brand logo doesn’t tell, it doesn’t sell. Like most famous logos have hidden messages in them, you must also incorporate the core purpose of your company’s existence in your corporate logo.

 

2. Letting amateurs design your logo:

The first and foremost mistake that you can make in getting a corporate logo is to approach amateurs. Now amateurs don’t mean logo designers with little experience. When you think that your business logo can be designed by your 5-year-old child, this is where you are mistaken. Everybody who knows how to operate Adobe Photoshop isn’t a designer. So make sure you approach a professional for your corporate logos.
 

3. Too many details:

Another grave mistake that you need to avoid while getting corporate logos is clutter. Don’t try to put in too many things into a single logo design or else it becomes too complex to comprehend by the customers. Complex logos also lose the main idea to be shown in the identity. Always remember that all best corporate logos are devoid of complexity and are neat and simple.

 

4. Similar design to competitors:

Plagiarism is rampant in all spheres of life. Logo designing is also a target of this menace. One of the logo designing mistakes is to adopt a similar design to your competitors. This is because the purpose of a corporate logo is to differentiate your company from your rival firms and make it stand out from the crowd. Similar design kills the purpose of corporate logos.
 

5. Adopting a ‘5 minute logo’:

It is truly said that haste makes waste, and logo designing also applies the same adage. Corporate image is not a toy to be played with and so isn’t your corporate logo. Both deserve your proper time and attention because the first impression you make on your customers will be your last impression.

 

6. Typographic chaos:

The fundamentals of corporate logos are dependent on the typography being used. This is because it can make or break our brand identity. The incorrect use of type space, font and colors can wreck your business image. For example “Kids Exchange” if written together implies a wrong name as show below.
 

7. ‘One size fits all’ approach:

Logo design for every industry type is different and unique. The deadliest sin in logo designing is to keep the “one-size-fits-all” approach. This is because, what is suitable for a toy store might not be suitable for a real estate agency. This is one way how NOT to create business logos. Each industry must be treated separately and its vital features should be highlighted in the logo design.

 
 

7 Ways To Attract New Clients For Your Small Business

The first objective of establishing any small business is to attract new and potential clients. But gaining clients is one of the biggest challenges for small business owners, start-up entrepreneurs, and freelancers. The cut-throat and ruthlessly competitive business environment has made life miserable for small business start-ups to make an impact.

But you need to realize one thing…Clients don’t just come to you, you have to persuade them to do so. This is also one of the underlying principles of having business logos. In order to attract new clients, here are some ways to increase your client base and make more money.

1. Client referral:

One of the easiest ways of expanding your client list is by obtaining referrals through existing clients .Don’t be frightened to ask clients for referrals, once the job is completed and they are impressed by your work. You can give incentives to them by offering future discounts if they refer new clients to you.
 

2. Press release:

Show your business expertise and knowledge by writing a short, one page article about your business and services you provide and submit it to local and national publications. The best thing about this is that they are FREE! You have to educate the potential clients about your business before they can come to you. The better you explain, the better you will have chances of gaining more clients.
 

3. Speak in the community:

A little community exposure is always to boost your small business reputation and helps in attracting more clients. You can speak in the community places like neighborhood schools, organizations, etc. this will make you more sociably responsible and help portray a positive image of your business.
 

4. Swap client referrals from other businesses:

Using client’s sensitive information is considered to be an unethical practice. But you can ask businesses around your surroundings to refer clients to you and in return you can offer to do the same for them. Make sure to respect places that don’t accept solicitation. Without invading client’s private information, you can gain new clients by simple referring your own clients to other businesses.
 

5. Build a website or blog:

The presence of online and internet media has grown so rapidly that no business can survive without it. In order to increase your business exposure, create a portfolio of your business on a website where you can present samples of your products and services. Start a blog and hold discussions related to your business products and services. This way, your expertise will be visible to potential clients to notice.
 

6. Use the Social Media:

The biggest boom in advertising and media is the social media. Social media for small business is a blessing in disguise, since it is the cheapest way to advertise. Giant networking sites like Facwbook and Twitter are a paradise to finding new clients. Create a Facebook page of your business and connect with your existing clients. Use Twitter and make quick updates about new stuff and offerings of your business.
 

7. Join Professional Associations:

For every area of business, there are loads of professional associations, non profits, and organizations. Become a part of these organizations in order to gain exposure for your small business. Although the membership fee is there, the returns are invaluable to the small business owner. These associations offer training opportunities, networking events, and job listings that can be a lucrative for potential sales, new clients and projects.
 
 
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