What Makes a Great Company Logo?
February 20th, 2011
Everyone knows that when you see the golden arches that you are coming to a McDonalds. That is because they have done a fantastic job of branding that logo to the point that it is in the mind of every one in the world. Even folks from other countries filling out US Immigration forms to get their US Visas or a Green Card renewal already are familiar with the brand logo even if they can not speak the language. So what makes a great company logo these days? The answer is deceptively simple.
In fact that is the answer. Your logo needs to remain simple enough that it can be instilled into the brains of every man, woman and child that sees it. US Immigrations forms and the US Visas are things that immigrants need. They also need to get Green Card renewals in order to stay in this country legally. They do not however need to know your company. That is something that you have to make them want to do if you want to be and stay successful in the global marketplace these days.
Easy to understand logos that are simple and attention getting have the best chance of getting the job done. It is much like what a songwriter calls a hook. Something memorable that makes the person remember the item and want to visit it again. That is something that has not really changed. Best Buy has the tilted price tag logo that everyone knows is theirs. Radio Shack uses colors very effectively to let you know who is being advertised. Magic Jack commercials do a great job in proving that point.
Before they even get to the name of the retailer the ad uses the logo or company colors to let the consumer know who they are talking about. That is effective and superior branding of a logo that makes it near impossible to conceive of anyone forgetting who they are talking about.
The less is more theory works especially well when talking about company logos because you have a limited amount of time to capture the attention of the consumer and even less time for them to remember who and what you are the first time they walk into your store front or see your logo.
Big money is spent by companies to hire the best ad companies in the world to help them get the immediate attention grabbing capability of a high profile logo. The logo is often more important than the name, the company reputation and sometimes even what you are selling. That is because the human brain is so assaulted on a daily basis by the rapid fire attack on our senses that we tend to block out anything that doesn’t grab us and pull us in within the first second or two. That is sad and a tough order but one that you need to fill if you want your company to be successful in today’s fiercely competitive business world.
