Do you have a business logo? When starting out, it’s customary to create a logo image to identify your business. A logo is your visual shortcut so viewers automatically know it’s you and not the other guy.
Logos, however, are more than recognition images and name abbreviations. They are compact information containers sending multiple messages to every viewer’s brain for decoding.
According to Paul Rand, eminent art director and graphic designer who created the corporate logos for IBM, UPS, Enron, Morningstar, Inc., Westinghouse, ABC, and NeXT,
“A logo derives meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolized, not the other way around.”
Logo Qualities
Logos convey qualities of –
Uniqueness & Relatability
Values & Mission
Memory & Emotion
Positivity & Trustworthiness
Logos are a merger of marketing and neuroscience. Marketing’s job is to convey information in a way that’s most receptive. Part of neuroscience’s job is to determine where and how this information becomes more receptive.
Author, Chris Bolman, identifies 5 key brain interactions with logos.
- Visual capture and transmission where the brain immediately begins to process for recognition between what is known and unknown for images, words or numbers. Bolman cites a Nielsen study where 60% of consumers prefer to purchase new products from a familiar brand.
- Shape recognition focuses on the edges of lines and how they outline the dimensions of a form. This also includes font styles. It’s a subconscious aspect as “Curves are typically more inviting, whereas, sharp angles and edges can represent power but may also trigger aversion.”
- Visual mapping extends to perceiving color and its memory associations. There are numerous color charts that break out each color and its emotional association. The power of engagement of viewers increases with color as compared to black & white images.
- Memory matching is where the brain is seeking to find familiar or similar patterns. When activated, deep parts of the neural network respond with positive, emotional associations and reward sensations. Such associations affect behavior, as in the example of the affinity for certain fast-food brands.
- Enrichments are other attributes which become brain linked. These attributes, according to Bolman, “include specific products, slogan, store locations, supplementary imagery and associations we’re familiar with.” He cites how the new PayPal CMO (chief management officer) rebranded to “communicate speed” for customers who valued “fast.”
I want to leave you with this thought from Chris Bolman:
“Branding is processed throughout our brains across memory, emotions, reward centers, self-understanding, social relationships and even less direct associations. Ultimately, all of these identity elements and experiences come to represent your brand.”
Perhaps it’s time to take a fresh look at your brand. Is your logo effectively communicating what you want it to? Is it time for a new logo? Or, is it time to add one if you haven’t done so already (of which I am totally guilty)?
What does your logo say to the viewers who come to your website?
Resources:
https://blog.percolate.com/2014/12/neuromarketing-how-the-human-brain-experiences-your-brand/
Images: all images are Wikimedia Commons
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I am still struggling with getting a logo as none proposed to me seem to catch my attention. I didn’t know that curved edges are more inviting as compared to sharp angles. That’s something I’ll note when shopping for logos next time. Thanks for this piece Joyce.
Your welcome, Apolline. I know it takes time to find a logo that speaks to you and your audience. Looking at the logos of others may give you some ideas of what you like and don’t like.
Yes, I think a logo says a lot about the company. Like a company name, it has to also be memorable. It is a concise visual of a company and what it stands for. If one can get a graphic person with some marketing background, I think that would be the best scenario.
Good point Lorri about getting a graphic person with marketing experience. Some graphic designers will try to sell you something with flair but no substance and meaning.
Logos are so important. I love mine. I keep telling all my coaches to keep them simple and almost every graphic designer tells me mine’s way too busy – it’s perfect though. Thanks. Great post.
When you find the right logo, you know that it works for you. Graphic designers have their own biases and may not understand as clearly as you do what your logo does for your business. Congratulations, you’ve already crossed this off the to-d0 list.
Logo design is such a stressful process. And then when you settle on one and a year later realize it wasn’t the right choice and you need to rebrand is stressful too. Hmmm. Wonder why I said that? lol
This is a challenge. What we think our business will be when we start and the business we evolve into can change quite dramatically. A logo doesn’t have to be forever. If big companies make changes to their logos to make an image fresher or rebrand with a new logo then you can feel its okay for you to do as well.
Yea, I had a hard time with mine.. but my goal was to have something and just stick with it. I agree we need to have it… and find something that resonates with us, our biz and our mission if at all possible.
As long as you feel your logo is working for you, then don’t worry about it. But, come back to it from time to time and see if it maybe needs a fresh coat of paint.
Joyce, branding is so important to any business and I love the 5 key brain interactions with logos. If you already have a logo the 5 keys let you check your logo to see if it needs work, and if you are just working on your logo it is excellent guidance. Great Blog!
Thanks, Kathleen. There are so many pieces that go into a business when starting out that a sharp and meaningful logo can get overlooked.
Love this as I am relooking at my logo as I do one last website revamp – so thank you for sharing this xxx
Always good to take a fresh look, Suzie to make sure it matches the new look of your website.
My latest logo (3rd iteration) is the most “me” of all. The magnolia is from a photo I took, and the words are handwritten by me (over two days, hundreds of times, to get it just right).
To all y’all who don’t have a logo yet, I’d be happy to help! You deserve a visual brand mark that reflects your unique mission, passion, and brand to your just-right clients in a beautiful way for not a ton of $$$. I never pitch my services in a comment; today’s the exception to the rule.
Thanks Sue for offering your services. Creating a logo is intimidating and it’s good to know you are there for us.
I would love to have a personal logo. I am not there yet! My website has been evolving for a few years now, so perhaps I am homing in on something.
That’s a very good distinction, Reba. Some know exactly what they want and others stay in a discovery process longer. Even if it’s font color or some associated image or emblem, it helps the viewer to connect to you on a visual level.
Designing logos always stresses me out for these very reasons–there’s a lot riding on a logo design! Fonts, colors, shapes, meaning…it becomes overwhelming. You’ve explained why people pay thousands of dollars for a good logo design. 😉 Bolman’s quote about branding struck a nerve and did a good job of describing a rather vague concept.
I so agree with you, Meghan. I’ve been avoiding getting a logo as well. Now that I’ve found this related brain research I see how important this is.
So many things to think about when creating a logo, Joyce, I had no idea. I guess my Gleeful header image is like a logo. It came about after a nail painting session with one of the Goddesses. I really love the picture and thought it would reflect what my blog is about perfectly – grandparenting, creativity, happiness. On the other hand, my son put a lot of thought into the design for my arts and crafts school logo, taking extra care with colours and fonts, using his graphic design skills.
Ah! you’re lucky to have a son who’s a graphic designer. Having a photo, as they say, speaks volumes. But, a photo is not as flexible as a logo when it comes to other kinds of marketing. You might want to collaborate with your son and play around with some ideas.
Very interesting, Joyce! I am fortunate to have a good friend who is an Art Director/Graphic Designer and he is the brains behind my branding…from my logo to my website and business card.
My logo is an ingenious combining of what I stand for and also my initials. Many people do not look at the rose-coloured glasses image and actually see that the letters b and g (my initials) are there. One side looks out into the world and the other side is looking in. Very clever imagining all wrapped up in one hopefully memorable, logo. It truly is very representative of me and what I stand for in the world.
So often we do not analyze the logos we are looking at, but they speak volumes to us anyway. It’s apparent that he exceptional ones have so much thought and skilled design put into their creation.
Well Beverley, you certainly did your homework. Your logo is a great example of additional coded information contained within a logo. I know it’s effective because my eye always catches it. Sometimes I even notice it first before anything else.
This is perfect timing for me. I do need to get a logo. Right now I am deciding if it would be better to do a logo for my website or one for my corporation. It seems two logos could be confusing.
The two logo ideas could be confusing if they are equally related. However, if you have the main logo for your corporation designed with the idea in mind that there could be something added or a partial color variation to the logo to indicate it’s your blog that might be worth considering. Also, you could ask yourself, is it important for your corporation to have a logo? How often does your corporation visually appear? Hope this helps