A company’s logo/mark  is it’s most valuable visual asset.  Logos communicate a company’s culture, purpose and primary goals to it’s market and customers.  After a logo has been created, brand standards (color schemes, font styles, display materials, collateral design, etc) that promote and complement the mark need to be established and integrated  into all customer facing communications. In today’s terms, this means website! That being said, when designing or redesigning your logo, make sure to consider how your design will interact with your website content and design strategy.

Who and What!

One of the biggest mistakes companies make in designing/redesigning a logo is not having a firm understanding of “who” they are and “what” market segment(s) they are targeting. You might get a beautifully designed, slick logo, but without these question thoughtfully answered, the logo will fail in effectively representing the purpose and culture of the company and probably will not connect with the desired audience.   Having a solid understanding of your company’s future vision allows the creative department to design a company unique and market relevant logo.

Target Market Focused

Your logo needs to be based upon your target audience(s), not your own personal taste. A company’s owner(s) and management does not always  have the same perception and purchasing motivations of their target audience. Instead of being the only one to analyze your logo, create a focus group that represents your target market to review the design and express what the design says to them. It’s imperative to identify your unique competitive advantages and effectively incorporate those elements into your . The person designing the logo needs to understand what makes you unique as well as research the business that you are in – and that includes your competition. You want to make sure that you are standing out from your competitors, which means you need the right logo.

Make it Reproducible

Logos personify a brand and is the visual asset connecting a company to it’s target audience(s). With clear strategic company direction established and a strong understanding of your target market(s), you’re on your way to creating an effective and market relevant logo.