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What Is a Logo?

what is a logo header image

Logos are images, texts, shapes, or a combination of the three that depict the name and purpose of a business 鈥 to put it simply.

However, a logo can and should be more than a symbol of identification.
If designed well, it also tells a company鈥檚 story, by conveying your brand message
in a way that helps to establish an emotional connection with your target audience.
This vague-yet-nonetheless-inspiring definition of a logo can be broken down by the following question:聽

What Does a Logo Do?

Answer: Most of the heavy lifting.

A logo is important for a number of reasons, mainly being that it:

  1. Makes a great first impression, which invites customers to interact with your brand聽
  2. Helps you to create a brand identity
  3. Gives your company a symbol through which people can better remember you
  4. Distinguishes you from competitors
  5. Fosters brand loyalty

So, creating a logo should clearly be high on your list of priorities when starting a business 鈥 but what are the elements that you can use to make it happen?

If designed correctly, a logo can make future
branding efforts a walk in the park

What are the Components of a Logo?

Color

Colors go way beyond aesthetic appeal 鈥 they鈥檙e the core communicators of your message. They tell your audience if you鈥檙e playful or serious, innovative or wholesome, cutting-edge or timeless and stable.

Your logo color palette can be made up of a single color or several (although we recommend staying within a two- or three-color combination). The colors you pick will later seep into other branding materials you create as well, so choose wisely!

(Check out this post for more about what your logo colors mean)..

Typography

This is basically what all of us non-design folks think of as a font; typography includes
the letters you鈥檇 see in a logo, arranged in some kind of consistent design.

You鈥檒l find logos built around a single letter, a monogram, or even the full name of a business.

Image

beauty logo icons

An image can range from the simplest arrow to a detailed rendition of an abstract orangutan. It can be an icon, a symbol 鈥 perhaps a picture that represents something you sell or a value you stand for.

If you鈥檙e choosing to go with an image, remember that your logo will likely need to be resized depending on where it鈥檚 being placed; try to use something that looks clear and scalable.

Tagline

Situated under a logo, a tagline typically comprises of a sentence or catchphrase designed to hook your audience, or clarify what your company does.

Logos don鈥檛 necessarily need to be accompanied by a tagline, but it鈥檚 something to consider if, say, your logo image alone is an abstract interpretation of the concept of Harmony 鈥 while it may communicate your values, it doesn鈥檛 actually tell your customers anything about your business.

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What Makes a Logo Stand Out?

Obviously, this depends on the company, audience, intended message, and logo design 鈥 logo effectiveness can be pretty subjective and variable across industry or business. However, regardless of how you create a logo, be it with a聽logo maker聽like ours or from a freelance designer, there are four broad goals you should aim for when creating a logo:

1. It should be audience-appropriate.

The best logos aren鈥檛 the flashiest, but rather those that resonate with their target audience. Logos represent not only your company, but also the people to whom you speak. For example 鈥 you wouldn鈥檛 use bright and peppy colors (read: bright yellow) for a funeral home, in the same way as you wouldn鈥檛 use depressing grays for a children鈥檚 party planner.

2. It should be easy to read.

This is particularly true for wordmark logos (logos that consist of text only) but applies to every design style. If your target audience is forced to decipher what your logo means, they鈥檒l be gone faster than you can say 鈥渃onversions.鈥 Make sure your logo can be easily understood from just a glance.

3. It should be distinct.

Drawing inspiration from industry trends is always a good starting point, but remember that the goal of a logo is to differentiate your brand from the competition.
Distinct = memorable, and that鈥檚 what will remind customers why your brand is the one in the industry that they should be loyal to.

4. It should be scalable.

We mentioned this above, but it鈥檚 important enough to emphasize again. Your logo will be placed prominently across several media channels, and in varied sizes; because of this, the best logos are versatile logos ones that can easily be scaled to fit any branding need you may encounter.

What are the Different Uses for a Logo?

First rule of branding: Logos should be placed anywhere your product, company, and brand are represented.

Websites

Displaying your logo at the top of your site increases your brand visibility and instantly tells consumers who they鈥檙e visiting.

Business Cards

Your branded (read: with logo) business cards are an excellent way to get your name out there and give your customers a tangible way to remember you.

Marketing Materials

Ads, brochures, product packaging, social media posts, newsletters 鈥 any time you create a marketing tool or material, your logo should be standing at attention.

Presentations

On the business side, your presentations should always include a clear indication of the brand you represent 鈥 symbolized by your logo.

Company Communications

Including logos in letters, emails, memos, and other communications reinforces your brand 鈥 not only for customers, but also for your employees 鈥 ultimately connecting your company culture with the brand representing it.聽

Some of the Greats

Let鈥檚 take a few examples of iconic logos and discuss how they get the job done.

Twitter

What do you do with Twitter? You Tweet 鈥 and so does this bird.

The logo is simple and easily understood 鈥 everyone can tell it鈥檚 a bird 鈥 and communicates what you can do with Twitter in a single image. Its size and color make it attention-grabbing, while its simplicity subtly reminds the audience that using Twitter is easy and straightforward.

twitter logo

McDonald's

These yellow arches would be recognized from a mile away 鈥 which is the point. Originally meant to capture the attention of passers-by, McDonald鈥檚 built their stores around these arches, which they later incorporated into their logo.

The colors are bright and happy, and the shape of the 鈥淢鈥 reminds you of those famous, Mickey D鈥檚 fries 鈥 the ones you just can鈥檛 wait to get your hands on.

mcdonalds logo

Amazon

The name of this retail giant was inspired by the Amazon river (the longest in the world), which is why it makes a great basis for their logo.

While adding a little zest to the logo, the arrow underneath the name also implies that Amazon sells every product from A to Z 鈥 in the curved shape of a smile, because they keep their customers happy.

amazon logo

Apple

We couldn鈥檛 not mention our favorite techies, whose classic yet simple logo has become globally recognized as a symbol of innovation and panache.

Like Twitter鈥檚 logo, the Apple icon is uncomplicated 鈥 but rather than representing an action, it stands for the name of the digital corporation. Its black and white palette is sleek, and the bite taken out of the fruit both invites customers to 鈥渆at the apple鈥 (engage with the brand) and plays on the word 鈥渂yte鈥 鈥 a foundation of computing. Not bad for a mere icon!

apple logo

Over to You

Now that you have a clearer understanding of what a logo is and the role it plays in your brand image, it鈥檚 time to start your own brand journey and design your logo with 抖阴短视频 Logo Maker

Picture of Shai Shmarel
Shai Shmarel started his life as a corporate lawyer before switching to being an SEO and Content Manager at 抖阴短视频. He has experience in managing companies, rankings SERPs and covering a content-driven approach for all things legal, business and marketing. When off work, you鈥檒l usually find him chilling with a cup of coffee and a book in the desert.

Disclaimer

This portion of our website is for informational or educational purposes only. 抖阴短视频 is not a law firm, and the information on this website does not constitute legal advice. All statements, opinions, recommendations, and conclusions are solely the expression of the author and provided on an as-is basis. Accordingly, 抖阴短视频 is not responsible for the information and/or its accuracy or completeness. It also does not indicate any affiliation between 抖阴短视频 and any other brands, services or logos on this page.