THE LOGO: Instant recognition for your business
A logo is a unique symbol or design which may be either pictorial or typographic in nature, which "brands" your business with a visual iconographic identity. Sometimes a company brand may go beyond the logo, with a specially selected range of colours, fonts, and layout rules which define an entire standard.
You should always remember that a logo isn't a trivial item and it certainly isn't something you should just throw together quickly. Your logo represents your business completely: This means it embodies your working philosophy; it communicates your ideals and aspirations; it projects your quality and confidence; it marks you with an identity and that identity comes with lots of (hopefully very positive) baggage.
Creating Logo Standards
We can take your logo design to its natural next step if you require it by creating a "standard". This is basically a set of layout rules which define the use of your logo in a variety of applications. Standards dictate a logo's use by expressing acceptable usage conditions such as defining very specific colours, exclusion zones, fonts and typographic layout, use in digital media, and so on. By having a set of standards generated you guarantee maximum integrity of your company image across all media at all times, simply because every printer, sign maker, web designer, or other production professional can work to the same set of guidelines.
Understanding logos
Logos can be iconographic, pictorial, illustrative or symbolic, and sometimes they are merely text of a specific font with no pictographic element. Sometimes it pays to have flamboyant imagery, and sometimes less is more. It is very difficult to provide guideline as to what type of logo your business should have because each business is individual and each logo is considered on its own merit. There are no hard and fast rules which say that all plumbers must have a pictorial logo, and all IT professionals should use sans serif type, and that all catering companies should have a chef's hat above their type.
When pondering about your new logo you need to ask a few questions:
1. Do you want something memorable, such as an unusual symbol or picture?
2. Do you want something instantly eye-catching, such as a brightly coloured flash?
3. Do you want something highly formal which portrays your professionalism, such as a clean modern font?
4. Are you in a highly competitive market in which it is difficult to get noticed?
5. Are you thoroughly modern and digital-confident or well versed in traditional techniques?
We are here to help!
You can leave all of your logo design problems to us to solve for you. We will take care of everything, and of course we will keep you included all the way so that you can follow the process and approve the stages of your logo development and be very involved.
A few examples
Absolute Graphix did not create any of the logos shown below.
Below are a few examples of logos that many of you will be familiar with. When thinking about a new logo it is often worth looking at what other companies are doing with their logos, especially your competitors. The examples below are by no means comprehensive but they show you a basic outline of some of the different types of logos that you can adopt for your business.
Type only
Many big worldwide companies rely on nothing more than their name in a plain, crisp typeface to act as their main logo. This rather minimalist method is by no means lazy or dull. Quite the opposite in fact - just as much thought and energy goes into creating these logos as any other.
Type and Colour
Some logos combine type and colour to express their identity. Again this is a very simple yet very effective technqiue. Of course, Google have taken this technique to a whole new level with their fun approach to branding.
Symbolic Logos
Using a basic symbol or iconographic image is always a popular choice. Such an image is often very flexible and capable of adapting to changing trends without compromising the identity. A great example of this is Apple's innovative "glass bubble" effect on their traditional logo.
Pictorial Logos
Some logos adpot far greater pictorial elements to establish their identity, ranging from simple line drawings to highly artistic renderings. Some use illustrations, and some even use photographic elements.
Others
Of course, logos can take virtually any form, ranging from classics such as the Ford Badge and Warner Brothers shield to the decorative type of Coca-Cola to the energetic movement of Nike to the high-tech cleverness of Logitech and the controversial weirdness of the 2012 London Olympics.
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