by Sandra Sellani,
Ladies Who Launch member, Orange County, CA

If someone had to describe your company after seeing only your logo, how accurate do you think they would be? Consumer perceptions are shaped by many elements of your brand—including your logo. And since purchasing decisions are driven by perception, it’s important for you to know what your logo says about you.

When Good Companies Get Bad Logos

Several months ago, I was asked to submit a proposal to a conservative financial institution with a 30-year history, stellar reputation, and billions of dollars under its management. I did not get the business but, as you might expect, was curious to see how the company’s vendor of choice would handle the account. I gasped when I eventually saw the results.

The designer discarded the company’s well-recognized green logo and replaced it with a black futuristic font (think “2001: A Space Odyssey”), on a backdrop of sky blue and tan. The new design made the company look like a generic mom-and-pop shop, not a well-established financial corporation. The old logo still remains on the company’s Web site, adding to the confusion. And confused people don’t buy.

7 Ways to Avoid Logo Liabilities

Be financially prudent when possible, but don’t pinch pennies on your logo. Use these seven steps to creating a logo that reflects your company’s image in a distinctive and memorable way:
1. Avoid “clip art.” Clip art consists of no-cost or low-cost graphics that are available to pretty much the entire world. Use it and I can guarantee that someone, somewhere, will be using it too. Choose a clip art flower for your landscaping business, and it might just pop up on the Web site of a wedding chapel or a mortuary.
2. Hire a professional designer. This doesn’t have to mean spending a fortune. Identify several designers who will work within your budget. Interview them, review their portfolios, and ask about the rationale behind each logo they designed in the past.
3. Don’t change your logo (if you can avoid it). Especially if it’s well-recognized. You’ll be tossing brand equity out the window. Consumers don’t want your logo to change any more than you want to see the pink arches of McDonald’s. If your logo is outdated, consider a face-lift to keep it recognizable and relevant. The Morton Salt umbrella girl has been around since 1914, and despite six “makeovers” is still perceived as the icon of a trusted brand.
4. View your logo in black and white. Color can hide a bad design. Also, there will be many occasions when your logo will be reproduced in a one-color format—for a newspaper ad, a promotional pen, or an embroidered T-shirt. If it looks good in black and white, it will look good in any medium.

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