Branding

Logo Designers Would Give Michael Jordan a Run for His Money. Take Control of Your Design Experience By Michael Luther

A waste paper basket is surrounded by a smattering of scrunched up balls of paper. A hush falls over the studio as the creative director takes aim at the miniature basket ball hoop hanging delicately over the bin. He aims and fires from a distance of 2 metres. After the whooping and high fives have finally died down, the studio resumes back to some normality. A junior designer rummages through the bin to locate the winning paper ball as it did, coincidentally, have his latest logo creation on it that was waiting for a critique from the creative director - hmmmmm.

The excitement, tension and ulcer inducing stress of putting that latent entrepreneurial flair into practice can bring with it decisions that were never really considered at the time of inception. One such area is the translation of the essence of your business into an identifiable brand.

So many of us have left this crucial decision to the so called "experts", the designers and think tanks that can turn seed capital into nothing more than a grain of sand. You alone know your business better than anybody. You are the one that spent night and day turning the dream into a reality. You are the one that will raise and nurture your business to the level of Bransonesque proportions. The way that other businesses and consumers relate to your business through your brand is crucial and you need to control this process from start to finish. But how, I hear you ask. The following is a guide to the basics, the rest will call for your insight into your business, once all of this is in place your ready to have your logo crafted by a skilled designer, but on your terms.

What does branding do for your business?

*It should capture the essence of your business ideology and model.
*Well thought out branding will increase your company's profile and visibility through easy recognition.
*Your brand will become synonymous with your customers' experience and will eventually be translated across your target market.

The ultimate goal for any business is to create brand equity that can result in greater margins from revenue, greater customer loyalty and increased volume.

You should not rely on a logo design based purely on aesthetics. It's key ingredients should not only revolve around visual identity, but should include simplicity, memorability and identify with your customer experience.

Once the above ideas start to make sense to you, the hunt for a good designer will be on. A designer should be willing to work with you to bring your ideas to life. You should try and give the designer as much insight into the essence of your business by addressing questions such as:

Who are our customers?
What level of service are we offering?
How is our industry perceived?
What are our strengths?
Why are we unique?

There is no point in settling on a logo that you are unhappy with, but so many people do.

The relatively short time spent on your company's identity, if spent wisely, will result in a winning design that your company will be able to use for years to come.

Ahika is a London based design studio, but serves customers all over the world, from start-ups to corporate rebranding.

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