Creation Of Logo & Trademark Designs
11-06-08
Creating a Logo for a company or a Trademark for a product or service is not easy. There are many things that you have to take into consideration before registering it or putting money up for letterhead and promotion.
Logos and Trademarks have the following needs in common:
1) Both have to be catchy and easy to remember.
2) They should also be easy to spell or at the least, once seen, easy to spell. A good example is Xerox (originates from the name of a Greek God) but is better known today as a company name. At first, no one knew how to spell it or what it meant, but after hearing it, they remembered it because it was so unique. Yet until most consumers saw the name, they may not have known how to spell it. After a certain period of advertising and branding their logo, people all over the world now know it.
3) The Font style should be in the flavor of the product and its market or the company’s industry. Keep it clean and easy to read. Don’t get caught up with the fancy fonts and ensure that everyone is able to make the title out without too much eyestrain. You can create your own original font but again, ensure it is easy to read and it enhances the theme of the project.
4) The Logo, Trademark or Company name will usually be protected as a domain name for a website address. Shorter is better. No one wants to have to type a paragraph each time they decide to visit your website.
5) Color adds impact, is important and varies to personal taste. Keep it easy to see, yet in the flavor of the product or company’s line of business. When you get into four color logos and Trademarks, the price to print letterhead, signs and promotional materials increases accordingly.
6) Pictures and Photos are good as it makes it easier for international audiences and consumers to recognize your brand (especially if they don’t read the language on the box). Apple Computers use an apple and Toys R Us uses a Giraffe, Coca-cola uses their wavy letters and the shape of their bottle, these are things that everyone knows. I recommend clients to incorporate something alive with international appeal.
7) Some say Trademarks can be controversial, and in some industries that could be an asset. You see hard names for metal rock bands and soft ones for children’s toys. You wouldn’t want to try and market a harsh word to kids. I’m sure you get my drift here.
When jotting down a bunch of Logo and Trademark names, run them by your close friends and family who will keep them confidential. This feedback will help in deciding their viability. Repeat the chosen ones out loud to hear them spoken. If they sound the same as another ‘non-related’ word, that could be a spelling problem for consumers. Playdigm has been mis-spelled as Playdime by people who have only heard the name, but once they see how it is spelled this is solved. I even added the phrase – PLAYDIGM ‘A Shift in Entertainment’ as a way to remind people that it is a play off the word ‘paradigm’.
9) Graphic Design companies can charge thousands of dollars for coming up with a good Trademarks and Logos, so the more developed your idea is prior to engaging an artist or graphic designer, the less the up front cost will be. I consult on these matters and enjoy this creative process.
Prior to approving any design, remember that the Logo or Trademark will be what the world will know you and your product by. So make sure you can live with it. It is less expensive to change it before the printing and advertising campaign commences. A good example is when the World Wrestling Federation had to change it’s title to World Wrestling Entertainment, due to the previous first use of the World Wildlife Fund.
Most importantly, your name should stand out from the millions of other logos and Trademarks bombarding us from around the world. So be unique, as it will help you achieve global awareness faster.
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