Logo Design: How the Right Logo Can Immortalize a Company

A company’s logo is undoubtedly its most powerful tool: it captures the essence of the company, what it stands for, why it exists at all.  Logos can immortalize or defame, legitimatize or cheapen (think Target’s self-evident bullseye versus Citigroup’s prosaic red umbrella).  A smaller business making its first foray into the market will find their logo proves invaluable; choosing the right balance between a logo’s icon, font, and color palette can be the difference between success and failure.

The ideal modern design for a logo is minimalist: less is more.  Take, for instance, the evolution of the Starbucks logo.  Its famous icon, modeled after a 15^th century Norse woodcut, is a mixoparthenos, or “twin-tailed mermaid”.  In its original overelaborate conception the mermaid was shown in her full, double-tailed glory – as the company’s notoriety grew, the mermaid shrank, until she became a slim, quixotic hipster.  The muddy brown background transformed into downtempo everest green, and the all-caps classic font that ‘Starbucks’ was written in thickened into the bold, confident name we now recognize instantly.

Our LogoIf there’s anything symbology tells us, its that people respond to symbols as if they were the object themselves.  Pavlov’s dogs would salivate at the sound of a bell, whether food was present or not.  A similar psychology exists for colors also; red, for example, stimulates the mind and body to increase circulation, while blue is associated with serenity.  Even fonts have a tremendous impact on consumers.  Would you purchase a diamond necklace for your wife from a company whose name was displayed in Comic Sans?  Not likely.

For this reason, small companies should pair with small design boutiques.  A logo design boutique with a small creative team is not only more affordable, but more likely to provide the hyper-focused attention a small company needs.  Bigger studios have more clients and more designers, and thus have less of the time, synergy, and enthusiasm required to give your logo the immediate emotional appeal it needs.  You want to work with passionate, cutting-edge designers in a small studio who will do their all-out best to make your company an industry hallmark, while maintaining the integrity of your vision.

Click Here to see our two recommended professional Logo design firms. (both are owned by HP)