“The goal of doing business is not to convince customers to do business with you, it is to convince them to only do business with you.”

We often find ourselves wondering what makes businesses yield the strongest possible outcome? For a business to capture the attention of a major audience, the idea is to deliver an impactful message using a par excellent brand identity.

One way of doing it is to leverage the influence of symbols in logo design. In my experience, a logo for a company plays a far more significant role than modern day entrepreneurs perceive it to be. You know what they say, a strong logo design can leave a subconscious impact on the customer’s mind.

Modern day businesses are more inclined to the idea of introducing business solutions that communicate with the audiences at a personal level. How do brands achieve that level of communication? They create a winning logo that sends the right message through and through.

How Important is A Logo for Most Corporate Businesses?

Researchers C. Whan Park, Andreas B. Eisingerich, and Gratiana Pol conducted research where they studied the reactions of more than 450 respondents on 77 brand logo designs. And, here’s what they deduced :

“The enhanced identification benefit offered by a brand logo (in other words, making it easier to identify a brand in the sea of competing offerings) has no significant impact on customer brand commitment and only a small impact on the company’s financial performance. In contrast, when they express a brand’s symbolic, functional or sensory benefits, logos have a significant positive effect on customer commitment to a brand; and thereby a significant impact on company performance in terms of revenues and profits.”

One of the most powerful elements that can go a long way towards communicating your brand identity to your customers is a symbol marketing your brand. When used for the right purpose at the right time, symbols extend their reach even beyond the logo to make businesses reach unparalleled heights of success.

After all, the ultimate objective of your business activities is to bridge the chasm between business and customers. The idea is to connect the two using a visual shorthand.

The Power of Symbology

The origins of symbology date back to the ancient times.

We often wonder what intrigued archaeologists to delve into the murky depths of the Egyptian pyramids to explore and learn more about lost civilizations.

If it wasn’t the hieroglyphic content inscribed within their walls!

But when we ponder over the pedigrees of these symbols, we realize that they go farther than the Egyptian era. Some claim that symbols precede the first words ever written. Some claim that they came into existence with the establishment of religions. The Cross of Christ, The Laughing Buddha, the Star of David and so on… all this goes to depict that impactful messages were previously communicated leveraging the power of symbology.

In other words, even the divine worlds communicate with us not through words, but through the complex yet the simple science of symbology.

But over the last century, the use of symbols has shifted from politics, heritage, and religion to corporate branding. Half a decade ago, the world witnessed an awe-inspiring innovation in the world of industrialization.

The rise of industrialization gave birth to corporate businesses and eventually, the concept of branding made its presence known. The purpose of using symbolism in logo designs was to ignite the essence of connection between the user and the product. The idea was to foster brand loyalty.

The concept groomed in time and the early 60s saw the shift of symbolism in branding from packaging products to pop-culture. Gradually, it started seeping into other uses and before we knew it, every other product started telling little brand stories of its own.

The Significance of Symbol in Branding Businesses

What makes a symbol unique? Symbols became a carriage of communication. They blow an essence of meaning in the product or service marketed. They cultivate an understanding of what the person can hope to expect upon encountering the brand.

While most companies believe that simply displaying the name of their organization helps them communicate their businesses better, some brands have gained immense fame using the power of symbology. Nike Swoosh and Apple are splendid examples of symbolic logo design.

There is no denying the fact that a symbolic logo design becomes the pictorial representation of the company. A powerful symbol can be capitalized on as an instrument to spread the awareness of the product or service sold by the enterprise. We use symbols to share our thoughts and beliefs.

According to Joe DePaola,

“They are mini-billboards of our thoughts, feelings, emotions, and values, they serve a shorthand method of communicating at a glance something which could take several sentences, pages or books to explain in words”

Just think of McDonald’s. Every time we drive by the highway, we come across the Big, bright, and inviting golden arch of McDonald’s. Do we often find ourselves questioning the purpose of the billboard or does that M develop a feeling of a pit-stop where we can relax and settle, have our favorite BigMac, and a chilled coke?

But, the conspicuous and ubiquitous symbol isn’t the only philosophy that stands behind McDonald’s formidable success. There lies a mix of other branding strategies, such as a catchy jingle, the colorful theme, delicious meals you have become so familiar with, and your very own clown star, Ronald McDonald!

Want to Add an Effect of Symbolism to Your Logo? Talk to Us

Though, every time we come across any of the McDonald’s arches, whether on a food box, at the back of a car, as a standalone billboard or a wall, the symbol sends a positive message of a palace replete with cheerful couples, boisterous little kids running around and scrumptious meals.

Now Here’s the real question. How can you create a symbol such as the McDonald’s Golden Arches to brand your own business? McDonald’s doesn’t need a tagline or explanation, it doesn’t entail pondering; the first sight of the symbol instantly sends a clear message.

Choose a Symbol Which Dictates Your Brand Story

Every business must walk through several corridors, climb many mountains or defragment every bit of their operations to reach where they stand now. As the owner of a brand, do you think you can articulate your struggles using just a logo?

Perform an adequately extensive research on other businesses which have conveyed conventional values using just their brand logo. You can find several examples in the market.

For instance, the Adidas logo design contains three stripes which are shaped in the form of a mountain. It delivers a message of how athletes have conquered mountains with the help of Adidas products.

Another example which I can quote is the particularly stylized heraldic trefoil of the Girl Scouts logo. The three leaves trefoil represents their three-fold promise:

“To serve God and my country, to help people at all times, and to live by the Girl Scout law.”

Some Interesting Examples of Logos Delivering a Powerful Message through Symbolism

VAIO

Headquartered in the Azumino City, Japan, VAIO is one of the world’s most renowned laptop manufacturers. Indubitably, VAIO’s technology exceeds expectations by delivering best-in-class products. One of the most intriguing factors that played a magnanimous role in branding the product line was their technically sound logo.

VAIO’s logo design in itself represents the integration of analog with the digital technology. In the first part of the logo, VA represents an analog wave, while the part IO represents the only language comprehended by machines, the digital binary code 1 and 0.

NBC

We all watch television and one of the most colorful channels we come across on the television networks is NBC. NBC has a very powerful logo design that represents a peacock. Yes, if you scrutinize the white spaces, you will find the hidden beak in one of the vibrant leaflets of the NBC logo.

The grand purpose of publishing a colorful peacock as a channel logo goes back to 1956. Since NBC was one of the pioneering channels to launch colored tv programs, it wanted to show the world that they offer a colored channel, and hence used the symbol of a peacock to send the message loud and clear into the world.

Baskin Robbins

Baskin Robbins is one of the world’s largest ice cream chains with over 7,800 retail shops across the globe. What makes Baskin Robbins the most recognized ice cream chain is the number of ice-cream flavors it has to offer to its customers. But, do you ever wonder how many flavors Baskin Robbins serves to its customers?

The answer lies in their business logo design. The BR logo does not only represent the BR for Baskin Robbins, but the pink part of the logo is a two-digit number, 31. The very number of flavors you can hope to find at Baskin Robbins.

London Symphony Orchestra (LSO)

Although the logo design is completely simple, and I couldn’t for the life of me imagine the hidden message in the flowing LSO of the London Symphony Orchestra, but if you look closer, you will realize that there is a composer hidden within the logo.

“L” represents one of the risen arms, while “O” represents the folded one. If you look at “S” you will find the head and neck of the composer in the white space. Now, who could’ve thought there was a hidden man in the logo of LSO.

Amazon (Retail Giant)

If you use the Internet and often shop online, you must be aware of the greatest retail store the world has ever seen; Amazon. Amazon claims that they care about the customers more than any other online retail giant on the market. And to send that message out, they leveraged the power of symbology in their official corporate logo.

If you can take some time out to study the logo, you will see that there is a hidden message in the curvy arrow running from A to Z of Amazon. Here’s what Amazon is trying to convey using their intellectually creative logo: They never let the smile fade from their customers face throughout the buying process, for they believe that customer care is of the highest importance at Amazon. Even better, it exudes that no matter what you need to buy, Amazon has got something for everyone; A-Z.

Hope for African Children

One of the most interesting logo design that really captured my attention was the logo for Hope for African Children Initiative. Although at a glance, you may see the continent of Africa in the white spaces, look attentively and you will see a grown woman facing a kid materializing in the negative spaces.

Edgerton Veterinary Pet Care

Edgerton Veterinary Care is a stable veterinary service which offers par excellent animal care in the heart of Edgerton. From surgical care to animal grooming, Edgerton Veterinary supports a wide array of pet care services for all kinds of pets.

One of the most attractive things about the Edgerton Veterinary is its sublime logo that sends a perfect message with the help of symbology. Their logo is designed in the shape of a crescent. On one edge of the crescent are the pets which need attention, while on the other end, a helping hand reaches out to take care of these pets.

Endnote

Developing a symbol for your brand can turn out to be a tactical job. You need to be deliberate, considerate and concise when it comes to choosing the right symbols for your respective brand. Symbols can represent a lot of things, for instance, Facebook icon and Twitter icons are more commonly recognized as navigational tools, while the logos for Apple, Versace, Ferrari, and others represent examples where the brand sends out a strong message.

The purpose of developing a logo design with a symbolism factor involved is to create something that conveys a deeper meaning than what meets the eye. Does your brand logo convey a strong meaning to customers around the world? If not, then now might be the right time to give it a complete design overhaul.

Craft a compelling logo with us; one that dictates your brand story for you. At Branex, we believe in creating a strong brand image for your business.

The post The Ultimate Power of Branding A Business Logo Design Using the Right Symbology appeared first on Branex Official Blog.

“A poor logo doesn’t mean a business will fail, and a good logo doesn’t mean it will succeed – it just helps. Ultimately a good logo is something that people recognize instantly and relate to.” – Matt Mickiewicz – Entrepreneur

The above-mentioned description by Matt is what logo designing is all about. A logo can be deemed classic, modern, youthful or sophisticated to name a few. If a logo is not able to correctly depict the product or service it is all about, then there is no point of making it or splurging a fortune to get it designed by a graphic design firm.

In the past few years, logos have not changed dramatically but a more contemporary design is in vogue now. In 2018, there are certain trends that you need to follow in order to create a great logo. Certainly, you can hire an expert designer in this regard but if you are aware of what goes into creating a logo and are in the know of the most up-to-the-minute logo designing trends, you can come up with a stellar logo that wins over your customers and etch your business message in their minds.

Here are top 10 logo design trends for 2018 that you need to stay abreast of to create a winning logo for your business:

1. Responsive Logos

2018 is poised to bid adieu to dull and monotonous designs. Designs that were considered “pleasing” in the days of yore, won’t fit the bill anymore. You need to be creative with your approach since your business logo is not just restricted to adorning the home page of a website or your business card anymore. Posters, banners, official stationery, and brochures are just some of the many places where you can proudly display your logo. In addition, with responsiveness taking a center stage and Google openly leaning towards responsive websites, it is important to design your logo which has a propensity to adapt across various screen sizes. As a promotional tool, the logo is one aspect of intentional formal communication, which is why Logo designers have their hands full with making their vectors adapt to any and every user’s screen size and across marketing mediums, so that the rendered logo isn’t stripped of its essence or inherent meaning due to rendering on myriad collateral sizes.

2. Grid-based logos

Josef Müller-Brockmann laid down the grid-based theory in the year 1981, and since then grids have widely been used in graphic design. The grid portrays logic, control, perfection, and theory in the design. Continuing the trend in the year 2018 – expect the emergence of more grid-based logos, introducing an interesting twist in designs.

3. Digital Paintbrush Logo

Do you remember the time when you, as a kid, loved to paint? The colors, the design inspired you to try new things. The strokes of the paintbrush were your joy of that moment. In logo design, there is a huge difference between something digital and something that is handwritten. What makes the digital paintbrush appealing is the illusion it gives. The stunning paintbrush textures and the bright color combinations make it even more eye-catching. Their popularity is owing to the fact that digital paint brushes are more versatile, cleaner, and more capable of producing a more natural effect. A plethora of graphic designers have already started producing amazing logos for their brands.

4. Typography with Monograms

As the saying goes ‘there is always a place for the classics’. Recently we have seen the emergence of well-crafted, simple typeface logos complemented with monograms. The designers are honing their time with the old classic typefaces. This involves precise attention to the basic elements of the typography: letter-spacing, kerning, and typeface choice.

5. GIF logos

2018 is turning out to be the year of moving pictures. We have seen mind-boggling creative tweaks with logos which made them stand out. The placement of the logo, rearranging the tagline, the objects, or even the change of colors. GIF’s are always a medium to entertain the customers and bring curiosity to the table. There is another plus side: they help in an increased users’ engagement on websites and it’s easy to gauge, why – they’re slick, clever and extremely appealing. Your logo design agency should and must know how to manipulate the logos according to the latest trends.

6. Apt Use of Slices and Negative Space

Slices are simply wide parallel lines that seem to cut through the logo. This trend will be huge in 2018 as slicing adds some air to the logo so that it can be absorbed without any difficulty. A designer can also use this technique with the use of cool effects and visual illusion. This is where negative space comes into play. From logo marks to logotypes, this trend has evolved over the years, and in 2018, it will be a hot favorite too.

7. Color Overlay

In an era where businesses are continuously jostling for attention, boldness has become vital if you don’t want to melt into the backdrop. This is why contemporary audiences welcome brilliant saturated colors with open arms, and designers cannot seem to get enough of the balance of vivid colors and simple designs, which is why vivacious hues have become all the rage. Then comes the need to subdue and flaunt color simultaneously. Welcome color overlays! Most overlay techniques revolve around layering colors with a certain level of transparency. The overlapping sections generally constitute a gradient or a blend. The style is great for introducing texture and dimension to flat logos.

8. Social Media Optimized Logos

As a business owner, you might be aware of the significance of garnering a viable social media presence and the consistency it brings to the design. This brings us to the last trend, which is that of logos being optimized for social media sites. Consider the most important social media profiles and optimize logos that will look and feel good on your social media posts. For a naturally appearing social media-optimized logo, you need to steer clear of overtly long vertical or horizontal designs. In addition, you need to design a logo incorporating the perfect visual balance between its vertical and horizontal axis. These will display well on Facebook, Twitter, and even Instagram’s circular profile field!

Final Word

2018 will be all about garnering a logo which best represents a brand. With the help of a great logo, a company can communicate an important message, such as what the product is all about and what it can do for the customer. It must also trigger an emotional connection with the target audience. Just a quick glance and a logo should make a person take notice of it. You need to be original and creative while designing a logo, otherwise, the whole exercise will offer nothing but wasting your precious time.

I am sure my readers will want to add something to this based on their own experience and preference. Please go ahead as your feedback will be valuable in making this blog even better in the future.

The post Top 8 Trends to Follow in 2018 to Create a Dazzling Logo appeared first on Branex Official Blog.

But starting an entrepreneurial venture is not easy. It comes with a cost. The cost of your tireless hard work, investment of time and money and you compromising on other joys of life to let your budding venture blossom are probably the few costs that are associated with putting the game of your entrepreneurship up and rising. However, there are certain elements that can definitely help you in building up a strong brand identity that is going to help you in numerous ways as you move ahead in time with your business venture. Probably the first element that contains most importance is the business logo design of your newly found company. Logo design not only bears the visual importance for your company but also works as a psychological motivator for your customer to take action. Understand it through an example of 2 pictures. One that is dark and dull and second one that is vivid and lively. Which one entices you more? Naturally the bright one. Similar is the case with logo designs, the more intuitive and attractive a logo design be, the more power it will bestow to your business in standing out among competition and making a quick recall in the minds of your customers.

To make clear the visual conceptions that make a logo design unique and creative, here are few examples for you to consider, that also shows the newest trends being followed in the logo design industry.

Purple Infinity

A logo design that is the amalgamation of color yet creative and effectively delivers the concept of a nurturing brand by having a butterfly as the logo symbol.

GM Agro

GM Agro is an agricultural business and their logo instantly supplied the much needed information to the logo viewing prospect. This is a very important quality of any logo design to instantly communicate the business industry it belongs to.

Robustness

The brand name along with the logo design instantly suggests that it has something to do with strength and fitness. The logo symbol is created while playing with the grid lines and then providing color to the space left within to create “R” of the brand name. The font used in the logo design is one that is not going to fade its glory in future and will continue to serve as the right typography for the logo design in long run.

Iron Duck Clothing

Did you recognize in a glance that the logo belongs to a clothing brand? Most people say yes, because of the logo symbol. The choice of symbol is carefully made. It has been crafted while transforming a hanger into a duck and vice versa by keeping the brand identity and personality in mind.

Dog Care Veterinary

Dog care veterinary is an animal hospital that specializes in dog care. Their logo idea was to be one that conveys the nursing and caring abilities of the hospital while signifying their target audience as well. The logo clearly makes a connection between dogs and care by using imagery of hands while creating a dog like figure in the middle.

Killed Productions

Killed productions demanded a logo design that conveys the idea of the business in a dramatic way and it is exactly what is provided to them. Killed production received a logo design that featured a horizontal ‘I’ as if dead. The grey color of the logo designed makes it easier for print designs and to be mixed with other color forms depending on the mood of the occasion.

Octopus Café

Probably one of the logo designs that is really close to my heart. Octopus’ logo very creatively delivered the idea of a café while intuitively using Octopus as the logo symbol and tweaking it into a tea cup.

Conclusion

Logo designing is an art and only those who continue it reach to the master level. The secret behind a professional logo design agency’s success lies in following the creative briefs provided by the clients and refining it to a more appealing look.

The post Best Logo Designs that are Bound to make Heads Turn appeared first on Branex Official Blog.

Many, however, end up spending a million only to be criticized later. Take Pepsi for example, spent $1 million and got criticism for causing obesity.

There are a lot of unforeseen logo design warnings just like that coming our way, every day. Some of them are so major that ignoring them can actually cause a lawsuit, for instance creating a logo similar to your competitor – sounds like trouble!

While a designer may get his/her money for the project and flee, you are actually the one who has to face it all. So this identifies yet another problem that merely hiring a mere skilled logo designer cannot do the job, you need to work with him/her like a team.

Below are some of the major logo design pitfalls that you can take into account as a small business in order to approve a logo that is flawless.

Keeping up with the fads

Perhaps the biggest of all the major mistakes is running after the latest design trends. Why? It is because trends come and go but your logo needs to live for an eternity (or just until the time it actually deems fit to change it). While many businesses make the mistake of running after those fads, top rated logo design companies look them up to avoid them in all.

Too abstract a logo

In an effort to run away from the ordinary, abstract logo becomes our safe haven. Mind you that abstract logos can be confusing for the audience as there is a risk of misrepresentation of the brand. There will be no use of the abstract logo if the audience is unable to identify it. So always create relevance while going abstract and don’t forget to take a second opinion.

Ignoring the Impact of Colors

Deciding on a color choice is a super easy matter. All you have to do is pick a color you like, match a contrast or two or your choice and you’re done! If you think that way, then perhaps it is time to change the perception.

Striking the right balance is important because color is important to your brand. Also, you need to keep your target audience in mind. For instance, green is a color denoting health, prosperity, love for nature, while red has an element of fortune and wealth about.

We all love The Hershey’s Company but being a top-notch brand that it was, and is, even their new logo became a center of attention to many critiques. All they ever did was made a slight color change and it gave resemblance to perhaps a chicken dung? Unless you can think of anything else.

Ending up with a monogram

Rare is a chance that a monogram will end up being an awesome logo that stands out. A mere monogram cannot deliver credibility and the brand message effectively. So if your logo designer has been a monogram designer in the past, rethink your options.

Also, if you are to shorten your logo, perhaps it’s too early to do that. Establish as a renowned brand first and then go about it, like KFC and IBM. Take your time in merely flaunting those initials in a logo and design something creative reflecting your values and goals.

Expecting the logo to communicate it all

You can never expect a logo to communicate all the brand values, your mission and objectives in one place. Recovery.org tried doing that, end up with a good logo but it is confusing to see a lot many messages in one place. Spartan Golf Club on the other hand created an eternal logo as it exhibits a golf player and helmet of a Spartan in one go – perfect logo. The message is short and delivered in a subtle way. Ensure yours is not overdone, like Recovery.org, and is delivering the only message it’s supposed to, like Spartan Golf Club.

Once you locate one or more of these flaws, you know what to do: Study, apply and take corrective measures.

The post 5 Major Design Mistakes to Avoid While Creating a Logo appeared first on Branex Official Blog.