When starting a business there’s a lot to consider. Not only do you have to have a business plan and figure out how to get funding, but you also have to come up with a marketing strategy. At this point you haven't even started to stock up on inventory, and you've got to create that website, and so much more.
Among all the other items on your to-do list, you also have to come up with the perfect logo to represent your business. Tools like Deluxe’s logo maker make it easy to create a logo on your own based on industry-specific templates—saving you both time and money— but there’s still a lot to consider.
Details you might have thought were insignificant can seriously impact how your consumers feel about your brand. Everything from the color and font to the design has meaning, even if it isn’t readily apparent, and it only takes 10 seconds for a customer to form an impression of your business based on its logo. Milton Glaser said, “There are three responses to a piece of design – yes, no, and WOW! Wow is the one to aim for.”
What some entrepreneurs don’t realize is that your logo is more than just a visual representation of your company—it sends a message about your brand. What does your logo say about your startup?
Color
Different colors hold different meanings. They evoke emotions, even if we don’t realize it consciously. The color of your logo can have a serious influence on how consumers and potential customers view your brand. A whopping 84.7 percent of consumers have reported that color was the main reason behind their purchase of a particular product, and 80 percent feel color increases brand recognition.
That said, you can see just how important color is to your design. So, what does the color of your logo say about your company?
Reds –
Red represents power, passion, energy, boldness, excitement, and love.
Purples –
Traditionally, purple represents nobility or royalty, wisdom, and creativity.
Blues –
Blue represents peace, trust, confidence, and caring.
Yellows –
Bright and happy, yellow represents joy, confidence, and optimism.
Oranges –
Orange represents energy, warmth, balance, and friendliness.
Greens –
The dominant color in nature, green represents the environment, health, good luck, growth, and generosity.
Black –
Black represents power, mystery, and sophistication.
Rainbow –
A combination of colors or rainbow design can represent positivity, playfulness, and whimsy.
Font
Like color, the font you use sends out messages, too. There are thousands of different fonts you can choose from, and if you don’t like any of those, you can create your own. There are five main types of fonts, though.
Serif –
Serif fonts, like Times New Roman, have strokes at the ends of the letters and are considered traditional fonts that communicate authority, reliability, and respect.
Sans Serif –
Sans serif fonts like Calibri are those without the strokes at the ends of the letters. Sans serif fonts are considered more modern because they can be more easily ready in digital formats and communicate stability and objectivity.
Script-Like –
Script-like fonts, like Monotype Corsiva, look like cursive writing and are considered elegant, whimsical, and creative.
Display –
Display fonts are typically non-traditional and attention-grabbing, like Cooper Black. They are unique and expressive fonts.
Modern –
Modern fonts are sleek and expressive fonts like Century Gothic. They communicate progressiveness and strength and are chic and on-trend.
Symbols and Shapes
Just like colors and fonts, symbols and shapes send messages. There are three basic shapes you could use in your logo, geometric, organic, and abstract. Geometric shapes are basic ones like triangles, squares, and circles; organic shapes are things like flowers, leaves, and elements of the natural world.
Abstract symbols are representations of objects like people, signs, and icons. All these are typically composed of the same basic shapes, though.
Squares –
The structured shape of a square represents reliability and stability.
Circles –
Circles represent completion and harmony because they are infinite and connected.
Pentagons, hexagons, and octagons –
These shapes can be used to make your logo stand out as unique and attention-grabbing.
Triangles –
Triangles represent direction. Triangles that are pointed up represent power while triangles that are pointed down typically show instability.
No matter how small, your logo says a lot. When designing a logo, it’s important to consider everything from color to font and the symbols that layer into it. Logos hold a lot of meaning, and you want to be sure that yours sends the right message about your brand.