Logos & Branding Tip #1
Logos & Branding Tip #1
What is a logo?
Logos & Branding – A Short History: For thousands of years, groups of all types have used symbols, patterns and colors to identify themselves and their belongings.
In Western Europe, during the Middle Ages and on up to present time, the “Coat of Arms” served as a way to identify royal families.The aristocracy in Japan identified their families with a “mon,” a circular design incorporating flowers or animals. For centuries in China, artists have been using a “chop” to symbolize their name on their drawings, paintings and art of all types.
In Scotland, a particular “plaid” in the family’s clothing identified each clan. These symbols brought an air of respect to the families and meant to the illiterate “watch out,” “keep your hands off,” “this belongs to us” and much more. Emblazoned on carriages, castles, stationery and sealing wax, these symbols soon became the first public identity devices.
A great logo should be a perfect blend of insight, creativity and communication, but you cannot have insight without information. If your logo designer does not request the details of your business, any professional research done, your product or service and a profile of your target market, find another designer, quick!
High price is no guarantee of great work and neither is a low one…you often get what you pay for. Cheap equals amateur, usually. Cheap, in the long run, is not cheap at all. It usually means that in a very short period, all of your branding and promotional literature has to be redesigned and reprinted at a much, much, much greater cost. You don’t often have a second chance at a first impression. The question you might want to ask is, “How much business did an amateur logo and branding campaign cost my business?”
The Next Tip: we will talk about the importance of logos in modern-day business. Stay tuned for Tip #2