Ed Cerier
Contributing Writer
Nexstar Marketing Strategist
Your logo is the workhorse of your marketing arsenal. It appears everywhere. It’s in all your print ads and on your website; it’s featured prominently on your trucks, uniforms, magnets, stickers and valve tags; it’s the first thing people see when they receive your business cards and letters on your company stationery; and so on. Your logo is incredibly important. It helps tie all your marketing elements together, and it can communicate a great deal about your company. It can tell consumers what you do (plumbing, HVAC or electrical); it can communicate your company’s personality (for example, lighthearted or serious); and it can help communicate your main message (for example, fast response time).
This article will help with the creation of your logo. If you already have one but are thinking you’re ready for an update, this information will guide you. Outline the direction you should provide to your designer to get the best logo development work. I’ll then detail the key things you should expect from your designer. Finally, I have a few suggestions regarding how to judge and use your logo.
Direction to your designer
Evaluate your current logo. If you’re in the market for an updated logo, begin by telling your designer what you like and don’t like about your current logo. For example, you might say your current mark looks outdated. At the same time, you might also tell him many customers in your market recognize your logo, so you don’t want a completely new mark. If this is the case, your direction will be: update the current logo to be more contemporary.
Consider others’ work. Next, look at logos. Lots of them. Look at logos from the trades and other industries. It will help you figure out what you like and don’t like. When you look at logos from your trade, use the Internet, so you’ll be exposed to logos from outside your market. You’ll want to study your competitors’ logos, too, but for a different reason (see next point). Once you’ve determined what kinds of logos you like and don’t like, share them with your designer. If possible, tell him why you like some and dislike others.
Differentiate. One of the first rules of marketing is that you want to differentiate your business from your main competitors’. Thus, you’ll want to study your direct competitors’ logos. Share them with your designer. Tell him which logos you like and dislike. If possible, tell him why you like some and dislike others.
What do you want to say? Tell your designer what you want your logo to communicate. Do you want consumers to know what your trades are? Are you more interested in communicating your company’s personality? Or do you want your logo to help reinforce your main message?
What’s your personality? Describe your company’s personality to your designer. Are you serious or playful? Modern or traditional? Hard driving or easy going?
It’s important that your logo be consistent with your corporate personality.
What your designer should deliver
Multiple options. Tell your designer you expect to see multiple options, including one “out-of-the-box” (creative) option. Three options is a good number. Make sure you make
it clear you want to see three different options. In other words, you don’t want to see a single direction with only slight variations. You can request variations after you’ve narrowed the field to a favorite direction.
Multiple sizes. Your final logo is going to appear in a range of sizes, from huge (on your trucks) to tiny (on your business cards). Make sure your designer creates mock-ups of how your logo will look in a few key sizes. Some logos look great on a piece of paper, but they look cramped when the size is reduced.
Black & white. People tend to have immediate, emotional reactions to colors. This can work against you when reviewing logos. You don’t want to reject a great design because you don’t like the colors. Ask your designer to present his initial designs in black & white. If you like it in black & white, I’m confident you’ll like it even more when your designer adds color. There’s a second reason why you should study and like the black & white version of your logo: it will occasionally appear in black & white. This will be the case if you run a newspaper ad and black & white Yellow Page ads.
Judging and using your logo
Be patient. Don’t rush your decision. You, your staff and your customers are going to live with your logo for a long time. Be sure you’re comfortable you make the right decision. If you find one that you love right away, terrific! If not, put them aside for a day or two and look at them again. You’ll think more clearly about what you like and don’t like if you let them sit for a few days.
Giving feedback. Try to give your designer big-picture feedback. Tell him what you like and don’t like, and let him determine how to revise. The more he knows about what’s working and not working, the more thoughtful he can be about the next round of work. For example, don’t say “I don’t like the typeface you chose!” Instead, tell him “The type you chose looks too old fashioned. I’d like something more contemporary.” You can now make a suggestion to help him or her further understand what you’re envisioning. You might say for example, “Perhaps a script type would help.”
Be consistent. Once you choose a mark, don’t change it. Never alter the typeface, colors, and so on. Your logo is your identity, so protect it carefully.
Now get out there and make your mark!
Ed Cerier is the Marketing Strategist at Nexstar Network®, a world class business development and best practices organization that provides business training, systems and support to independent home service providers in the plumbing, electrical and HVAC trades. For more information, visit www.nexstarnetwork.com.
Ed’s note: I’d like to thank Ron Strauss and Bob Russo for their help with this article. Ron is a partner of WHAM! Advertising (formerly Yellow Page Pros) and Bob is president of IMS Advertising. Both companies are Nexstar Strategic Partners.