According to definition, logo is defined as a graphic mark or emblem utilized by businesses, and organizations, and even by men and women to promote instant public recognition. Logos can consist of either graphics which includes purely symbols or icons, or the name of the business in the form of a logotype or wordmark. Logo came from the ancient Greek word “logos” and it translates to “word” or “speech“.

The Babylonian, Assyrian, Mayan, Chinese, Egyptian likewise used pictographs to communicate their words and ideas. Historians treat Pictographs as early logos;

sadly, gang graffiti on the walls of inner city buildings continues that trend of identification through emblems and images. Icons (from the Greek) are likewise used to communicate, however with pictures instead of words.

Back in the olden days, a hot metal typesetting, or a logotype was distinctly set and arranged typeface or colophon is used. Several religions utilized logos to reach their flocks. The cross, the Star of David are symbols of two of the leading sects.

There are several things that contributed to the now contemporary concept of logos. This includes the cylinder seals (2300 BCE), coins (600 BCE), coats of arms, watermarks, silver hallmarks and also the development of the printing technology.

By the 13th century merchants began making use of designs, which evolved from plain cipher to trademark for traders and merchants. A good deal of the premature samples of logo design are goldsmith’s marks, masons marks, watermarks. Logos were created to personify a certain brand or group.

By 18th-19th centuries, photography and lithography paved the way towards the booming of the advertising industry. Then came the innovators of the visual arts and lithographic processes, brilliant minds like French printing firm Rouchon in 1840s, Frederick Walker of England in 1870s, Joseph Morse of New York, and Jules Cheret of France in the 1870’s created an illustrative style that went past the representational artwork to figurative imagery with aspects of bright and flat colors.

It is said that the very first logo to be trademarked is the Bass Red Triangle way back on 1876.

Later by 1950’s, people experienced the era of Modernism and has started to display avant-garde art movements in Europe that displayed prolific works of art that eventually spread to the US, and other parts of the world.

Several logos have evolved to become so powerful and known universally and have to some extent became a known brand for trade, practice of a profession, or business. Like the well-known symbol of medicine where you see everywhere. It has been so ubiquitous that it does not need any further explanation to define what exactly it is to the ordinary layman.

In the concept of business, a logo is a company’s distinctive most crucial advertising tool. Every time it is viewed or seen, it instantaneously communicates an unspoken advertisement about the product or service it so represents and this easily differentiates it from the competitor product or service.

The ultimate goal of a well-designed logo is credibility, as well as good brand recognition. Due to the diverse products and services offered in the market today, the necessity for a new, unique, and compelling logo is made all the more stronger. As logo’s are deemed the foundation of a business’s visual and brand awareness, a cutting-edge logo design is thus imperative.

If you want your business or product to stand out from the rest of the world, get yourself a distinctive logo that’s catchy, easy to remember, and projects exactly what your business is able to deliver, having in mind world-class quality, and brand recognition!

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He may have the skills to create a fantastic logo; he may have a strong, artistic mind in crafting a logo design; but it is not enough to have all these without the right concept in mind.

A good logo designer is equipped with more than just skills; he understands how fonts, colors and styles can be incorporated to produce a logo design fit for his employer.

There are several things a logo design artist must do in order to create a logo design. He needs to research properly; not just by browsing books; but knowing how the competition is between you client and his competitors. Styles often change and vary; a good logo design artist should know these.

Being able to adapt to changes in logo design making has been the number one key in a successful transaction with a client. Nevertheless, this adaptability should be followed by an organized work flow; it will reflect on the product itself.

Make sure to research first before jumping on your desk and drafting the logo design. A logo design should be researched thoroughly; what are the trends, new styles, better fonts and color combinations to use, and try to predict how the logo design would fare in competition with the other rivals in business.

As you do your research, do not just copy the original work of others. Be creative in coming up with your logo design. You must surpass the logo design of the other party; not copy from it. Keep in mind that you do this in order to set a new standard, not just change the logo design of the others.

While researching, you may find some fantastic logo designs at your disposal. Remember, you are a logo designer; be creative and unique above the rest. Get ideas, but do not copy them. Do not let your creative juices flow too much and put too much graphics in your logo design. That would ruin the whole concept of your logo design.

Set your own deadlines. Following a proper time schedule in making a logo design should keep you up and alert in creating it. If you slack off, the tendency is the design itself would slack off, too. Some clients may require you to do a logo design within a specific amount of time, so challenging yourself by beating the deadline is a sign of professionalism; chances are high that you may get rehired for another job.

Under time constraint, hold your horses and don’t get yourself ahead of you. You might end with a rush logo design; this gives an impression that you’re all just talk. Make a time table of what you need to do; sacrifice a couple of hours for your logo design project instead of posting on Facebook, tweeting on Twitter, and liking posts on 9gag.

Always ask your client what he wants, and what he needs. The logo design you are making is not for you; it is for the company that hires you. Take not of certain points such as the type of business, their target population, their vision and mission, other organization details and also their budget.

Asking the requirements for your logo design should also give you an idea on what fonts and colors should be used; but don’t overdo it. Stick to one font style; avoid using more than two colors in your logo design.

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In simple terms, a logo design symbolizes the brand. Like a tattoo, it serves to represent an idea, story or identity, which other people can relate to when they see it. Moreover, similar to tattoos, logos are printed on anything used or sold by the company that owns the brand. Some logos are ugly, while others obviously took skills to create. However, all logos depict a distinct concept that separates the brand’s personality from other products or companies with the same features.

Although some say logo design does not matter as long as it exists, most experienced marketers know that the quality of the logo’s appearance should match the brand personality. If the logo looks vague or confusing, then it might put off potential customers from following the brand. Other products with the same attributes exist in the market; finding the brand that fits a lifestyle or appeals to a group of people is easy. Thus, the clearer the meaning of the logo design, the more attractive it becomes to the right people who believe in what your brand claims to be.

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What good will your new logo design be if you keep it under lock and key? Whether your logo is fantastic or not is a debatable issue and is simply beside the point. The whole point is to put out your logo the soonest that you can, to make it as visible to the public as possible, and expose it as frequently as you can. Why?

First of all, repetitive exposure aids in recognition and recall. Two key words are essential here: repetition and exposure. The more frequently your audience sees your business logo, the more ingrained the image will be in people’s memory. The repetitive exposure, whether people actively pay attention to the logo or not, engraves the image deep into their subconscious. The same phenomenon is at work with that stranger you frequently bump into (but not talk to). The next time you seem her or him somewhere else, you should be able to recognize the person. You would even probably say hi or make small talk.

With your company logo, the goal you’re after is instant recognition. That is, people will instantly recognize and remember your company whenever they see your company logo.

So, paste your logo all over town and wherever you can. Make sure it appears on television. Let it be seen by motorists and pedestrians on your company-sponsored billboards and giant signage. Print it on your giveaway items. Print it on customized shirts or on company uniform. Your budget’s your limit. On second thought, there are millions of creative ways in which you can expose your logo without spending much.

Don’t forget your office stationery, too. Make sure your business logo is on every business card, letterhead, invoice, job order, etc. that you use for transactions. This way, you are not only providing an air of officiality to those transactions but also exhibiting your company symbol.

Creating a fantastic logo design for your business is just a part of the bigger story. It’s an important part. Another important part is the maximum exposure of your logo to your public. These two are very crucial to establishing your business identity, creating good will among your target audience, and promoting your company name or brand.

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One way to achieve that is to make sure that the colors of the shirt and the colors of the logo design should blend well. The color of the shirt may overshadow the colors of the logo, thus making the image unrecognizable. It is best to use light-colored shirts so that the colors of the t-shirt design can stand out.

Another way to make effective t-shirt ads is by using the same, or at least similar, fonts and colors of both the logo and brand. This will not just make your shirt design consistent and coherent but also make your company shirts, as well as your logo, memorable.

Be careful with the shirt design. The over all appearance of the shirt will also reflect the over all image of the business. The placement of graphic elements, as well as the choice of color and shirt style, will bear on the company image. The placement and size of the logo are very important. The logo should be placed where people can see it easily. It is best to put the logo at the center or in front because that position can easily catch attention. The size should be large enough for the logo to be seen and understood.

In contrast, if your company shirt’s design is disorganized, the viewer will instantly associate it with your company. And, that’s not exactly a healthy thing to happen. Worse, a disorganized company is often perceived as an incompetent and unprofessional company. So, exercise great care when using your business logo on company shirts.

Yet another way to effectively use your company shirt to promote your business is to string all the shirt elements together in a coherent theme or motif. The theme must be one that can accommodate your company logo, or at least one that will make the latter stand out and be emphasized. Giving out freebie shirts at corporate-sponsored events can be a great opportunity to experiment with different themes and motifs.

Many companies today use shirt designs to further promote company and brand recognition. Because shirts can be worn and brought anywhere, you can just imagine the long mileage and the amount of exposure that your company can get if you emblazon each shirt with your company’s logo design.

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Your logo design could make consumers remember you or not. And, whether you realize it or not, colors contribute greatly to the memory effect. How does that make sense? Colors are associated with emotions. If you choose the perfect color combination or motif that conveys your intended message, the color choice will be a perfect complement to the purpose of using a logo to position your company to a market.

In choosing colors, you have to consider many things. One is the relevance of the color to your company, that is, your people, your origins, your activities, and the industry that you are in. Companies often identify themselves with the country they came from. For instance, American companies whose owners are patriots may likely use the colors red, blue, and white. Another example is Nokia, which is from Finland. Finland’s flag has the color blue on it. Is it pure coincidence that Nokia’s company logo also has a similar shade of the same blue?

You also have to consider the industry you are in. For example, most environmentalist organizations have the colors green and brown on them. These colors represent the earth (brown) and fertility (green). If you are in the food industry, specifically fast foods, you might want to consider the colors orange and red. They have been proven to be appetizing colors. Fastfood chains like McDonald’s and KFC have red on their logos.

However, it could also work the other way. The very property of color attachment to certain emotions can be made the basis for what the company should stand for. Blue, for example, means peace and nobility. Most churches and religious organizations use it commonly. They also use brown, which signifies humility. Pink means femininity and a caring character. This color is usually attached to products bought by females and mothers. Yellow is a gives a happy, playful, warm, and positive mood. These are usually used in logos for products used by kids. White and black together mean simplicity, sophistication, and class. These colors are usually used together by companies that are tested through time and have built their own credibility.

It is important, therefore, to choose your colors well. Although not the main deciding factor, high-impact colors do contribute a lot to the strength and impact of your company’s logo design.

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The consumer market today is very dynamic and changes very fast. Because of the fast-changing lifestyles, people often change their wants and needs, too. As marketers, you should be able to cope with these movements. In this way, you can help keep the company to be in shape and up for the challenge. Your logo design, of course, should be as adaptable as your company.

Business logos are basic but essential parts of marketing. They do not just identify the company. They also promote, differentiate, sell, and get the company closer to its market.

Being part of the dynamism of your company, logos should possess the same characteristic. They should be as changeable and modifiable as possible. A marketing cycle goes through many stages. One of the stages is modifying any element within it. Since it is an integral system, logos normally adapt the changes in the marketing system. So, a good question to ask here concerns when logos ought to be changed or altered.

One modification that could be applied to a marketing system is identifying a new target market. If you identify a new set of consumers, then probably you also need to modify your logo to appeal to the new set of consumers. It could be that your existing target market is from Class A socioeconomic status, meaning they belong to the higher class of society. Your logo might have been crafted according to their backgrounds, preferences, and the like. To make your logo still appealing to the existing market as well as to the newly identify market segment, you should modify it. This time, include the factors that will have impact on the new market to make not just your logo, but your company as a whole, effective.

Another situation where it is necessary to change your business emblem is when you rebrand or reposition your company. This would involve giving a new promise to your consumers. For example, in a hotel business, you might promise giving your clients the most pleasurable stay. Yet, in the light of financially turbulent times, you might want to change your market positioning to that of giving your clients their money’s worth. The first market position might call for you to make a logo that would represent comfort sophistication. When you reposition, you might modify your logo into something that would mean cost-effectiveness or savings.

There are many other situations that will necessitate the alteration of your company’s direction. Not all of them, however, will call for the modification of your branding or your company emblem. If your logo design is wide enough in scope, it should withstand changing conditions with very little need for changing, or none at all.

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Having your own logo design for your company is an essential thing, since it helps to get easy recognition for your business. The design of the emblem is also very important but at the same time one of the most difficult areas to perfect. Since the main purpose of having a company mark is to represent your organization, it is important for the emblem to be effective so that it can be recognized easily by people. The design might seem simple, but its creation and preparation actually demand a complicated process. It is difficult to come up with an appropriate emblem for a certain company or business.

Producing an effective company emblem design should be the most important thing that graphic designers should keep in mind. It is considered to be effective if it is appropriate and simple, tends to be relevant to the audience targeted, is connected to the qualities of the company, and most especially, delivers the message that the company wants to send to its audience.

Also, the most excellent designs are those that can be seen even from a great distance. In this case, if the image can be seen from afar, a whole lot of people may be able to see it even when they are just crossing the street, or even when driving by the place, or simply just walking around. Company marks or emblems like this work well in promoting products, stores, and many other things as well.

Another thing that is also important in the making of the design is the colors used. Colors are considered to be an integral component in designing the logo. This is because colors can convey emotions that the designer would want people to see and feel. Also, with the use of appropriate colors, the attention of people would be captured.

Using a creative and effective company emblem is one key to make your company, organization, or business memorable and more distinguishable. For this single reason alone, it is of utmost importance to know the hallmarks of an effective logo design so that you can incorporate them into the one you use for your own business.

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There might be colors that associate with the origin and history of your company. For example, some companies owned by Spanish people usually have red on their logo design. It symbolizes their nationality and patriotism. You could also use colors that represent your advocacy. For instance, companies that emphasize environmental advocacy often use green dominantly.

You could also develop your logo out of the basic shapes. But, of course, it still has to be significant to your company. Arrows could symbolize the direction which the company probably gives its clients. Religious organizations use the cross shape that symbolizes their Christian faith. Triangles could be used by mountaineering companies to symbolize mountains or by housing organizations to represent the houses that they provide their clients.

Other elements which you can play with to get ideas for your logo are icons. You could have a bread for bakeshops, books for a bookshop, dress for a tailoring parlor, or mirror for a salon. You could also use a logo that may not obviously tell what you are as a company but still has relevance.

There are also places where you can hunt for ideas for your logo. In the library, for example, there are books that feature logos that made history. The same information can also be accessed easily on the Internet. Together with the logo gallery perhaps is an explanation as to how this or that logo became an icon in the graphics design industry. Study the elements that made it effective. But never ever imitate any of them. A logo should be original. If you do copy it, you are telling people that your company is as good as a second rate copycat. You would not want to do that.

Logos should equate with your company. So, as a final suggestion, you can try to find ideas and inspiration for your company emblem from the very people working for your company. Your employees, from top to bottom, are the ones who know the company more. They would know how the company can best be represented and rolled into one unique, powerful, and effective logo design.

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Graphic designers may have a good working history with their clients, but in choosing one for your logo design, what is more important to evaluate is the designer’s portfolio. Designs that are according to the company’s need and taste are a plus. A very good portfolio is developed by an artist to impress clients. It will serve as evidence and proof of what the designer promised with regards to the type of service he or she can provide.

Presentation. The overall representation of the portfolio, like the case, type of paper, and so on, will surely show the quality of the design the graphic artist produces. A presentable and professional-looking portfolio will mean that the artist is committed to her or his craft by paying much attention to even the smallest detail. From the casing to the type of paper, the appearance of the portfolio matters.

Consistency. Look for consistency in the portfolio, for this will also reflect how the designer works. There should be no errors and erasures, and the paper should be neat and the content organized.

Starting and Finishing Works. Once you open the portfolio, the first sample should already put you in awe. As you progress through the designer’s portfolio, the work quality should also improve. The items in the portfolio should get stronger and better from first to the last item, not getting weaker.

Updated Portfolio. An updated portfolio means that the designer is committed to the craft. Frequent improvement will show that the designer accepts changes and is in the know when it comes to trends. This is a very good characteristic to look for, especially if you are just starting out with your business and want the expert visualization of a designer on what is in and what is out when it comes to designing a company logo.

The designer with a very good portfolio will reflect competence in the work he or she is tasked to do. If you see a well-organized portfolio, it will be very easy to evaluate and assess the works of the designer. Simple details, such as the paper used and the neatness of the portfolio, say a lot of things about the graphic artist. With these simple criteria, no doubt that you will make the right choice in choosing the perfect graphic artist for your company’s logo design.

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