So, you’re branching out and creating your own business – leaving the ball and chain of the corporate world behind you. Or, perhaps your a stay-at-home mom with an ingenious idea and product. That’s fantastic! The first step to being a business owner is to have a marketable product or service. Second, you need to start building your brand. As I’ve mentioned before, branding is your company’s character.

It’s what customers see and recognize with your logo, your products and your company as a whole.

Let’s look a little deeper into your logo.What do you want it to convey about your company? Sophisticated? Modern? Country chic or metro savvy?  Quirky and fun or serious? With these things in mind, there are certain components you may want to include:

1. Your company name
2. An image (mascot, letters, fonts, colors, etc.)

Your logo should be simple. If you have too many components then it becomes a little too busy and you end up losing the knock out punch of the message your logo should convey.

What image comes to mind when I say Nike? What about Jack in the Box? Or Cabelas? For that matter look at Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. Simplicity is key. Too many features or components and the message is lost in an ocean of colors, fonts and images.

Here are some key things to keep in mind:

1. Keep it simple!
2. Remember the message you want your logo/branding to convey.
3. Make it unique and memorable (you WANT people to remember your logo so that they remember you).
4. Keep it clean – not cluttered (ties in with point #1 – keep it simple).
5. Your logo needs to be adaptive – whether it’s small for business cards or large for banners. It needs to look beautiful no matter how large or small it’s displayed.
6. Use the right font. Be careful in the font you use as they convey a message all their own.
7. Don’t steal another’s design!
8. Your logo must be enduring and represent your company not just now, but in the future. Perhaps your company makes widgets now, but down the road you may be servicing those widgets or branching off in another direction. Will your logo be adaptable and still represent the original focus of your company?

And one more thought for the day. If you are hiring a graphic designer to create your logo, you are hiring her (or him) for a reason. Trust her judgment! You may want 4 items in the logo, but in actuality only one may work. Be flexible and understanding. You’ve hired a professional to do what she does best…trust your initial instinct and listen to suggestions and feedback. The final outcome will be better than you can imagine!!