May 6, 2008
Blog Webinar and Free Blog Templates
Give your small biz blog a polished design – for free
By Angela LoSasso, Community and Blogs Strategist, HP
 Thinking about a blog for your company? If you’ve got the messaging but still need a design – and fast – Logoworks by HP offers more than 20 free blog templates that you can download for your business.
Whether you need simple and straightforward, or something with a bit more “pop”, your small business can integrate these new templates from award-winning designers right away.
And if you need a quick primer on blogging for business, Logoworks by HP is hosting a free webinar on Wednesday, May 7, 2008, led by Chris Baggott, small business expert and successful business blogger and founder of Compendium Blogware. The webinar agenda will cover blogging basics for business (e.g., what a business blog should and shouldn’t do), plus some insider tips on what a blog can do for your business, and how to set up and maintain a successful business blog.
For more information about our new blog design offerings, visit www.logoworks.com/blogdesign. To register for the free Logoworks by HP Blogging Webinar on Wednesday, May 7, visit http://logoworks.com/webinar2/.
| April 30, 2008
Top Five Things You Should Consider When Designing (or redesigning) Your Logo
Noelle Bates, Logoworks by HP
1) Looks matter
Starting a business takes time and money, and logo design often falls victim to both. Doing your logo yourself, picking a template out of a book, or having someone design something quick because you need business cards is not going to result in something that looks professional and represents your business well in the long run. It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money or time to do it right the first time. In fact, a lot of businesses find they need to redesign it down the road anyway (and after they have spent a lot of money putting it on signage, letterhead, t-shirts, etc) to elevate their brand and portray a more professional image.
2) Design for your customers, not for yourself
The logo design process can be fun and exciting – for an entrepreneur it can be pivotal because you are developing the face of your business. Remember, however, that the logo is for your customers, not for you. Even if your taste is colorful and vibrant, if you are selling interior design to an upper crust clientele it’s critical your logo look refined and elegant. Know your customers or target market and think about what kind of design will appeal to them.
3) Research your competition and set yourself apart
One of the biggest mistakes we see customers make with their logos is to look at their competition and repeat the same old pattern. They assume the logo must be working for their competitors, so why look much different? Not setting yourself apart from your competition is a big mistake. What encourages someone to use you if you look just like the other guy? Know who you compete with and develop a design that will set you apart and give people a reason to think differently about your business.
4) Refrain from trying to do too much
It can be tempting to throw every possible thing into your logo but it’s a big no-no. Adding "LLC" or "Inc" to the end of your logo doesn’t make you look any more credible and just adds unnecessary text. Including a website, phone number, address or other contact information also muddies the logo and makes it hard for the customer to focus on the brand image you’re trying so hard to build.
5) Use the right colors, fonts and shape
Colors have meanings. Fonts portray much more than a shape of a letter. A logo in green script tells a very different story than one in red bold letters. Knowing which colors and fonts to use goes along with knowing your customers and departing from your competition. If you’re selling to engineers, using the trendy font that the neighborhood bistro uses is a bad idea (but it’s commonly done). And a logo that is too long is hard to put on signage, while a logo that is four colors is not going to represent well in black and white. Think about all of the ways you’re going to use your logo and plan accordingly with colors, fonts and shape.
Now that we've gone over some basics, take a look at the following examples of recent logos that Logoworks has redesigned: |
Before
| After
| | Gorilla Juice is a sugar-free energy drink. In order to compete with other energy drinks like Red Bull and Monster, they needed to update their look. Gorilla Juice’s original logo featured oddly stretched type and a cartoonish gorilla—the look was more silly than extreme. It lacked the energy it needed to represent the brand. And the curved, stretched type was difficult to read. Energy drink consumers would not take this brand seriously. | The new logo features an iconic screaming gorilla. As required, this gorilla communicated much more energy and action. In addition, the new logo features a stronger, thicker font to communicate the product name and tagline: Conquer Your Jungle. The combination practically jumps off the label. Best of all, the round logo easily makes the transition from label to merchandise and signage. | | Global Aluminum’s simple logo had been in use for sometime, so they didn’t want to abandon it completely. However, the existing logo had a clip-art look to it and only featured the letters GAP. Customers who only saw the logo might not recognize what company it represented. They needed something more modern. | The new logo replaces the acronym GAP with the name Global, in a boldly lettered font. Strong lines above and below the name help create a visual space for the name to stand out. In addition, the designers added a simple but modern looking globe as an icon above the name. The globe connects this new logo to the older version, but it is stylized to be more recognizable and up to date. | | Stonebridge Inn had a logo that featured their name “carved” on colored stones. It was a nice idea, but when used in print, on line, and on t-shirts, it was almost impossible to read. The original logo felt cluttered and cold and failed to capture the high-class bed and breakfast experience that Stonebridge Inn offered its customers. | The design of the new logo features a simple line-drawing of the property. The name of the inn is written in classic lettering and the designer also added the words "bed and breakfast" to better communicate what customers can expect. The new logo is much easier to read and recognize, and makes the business appear more credible and inviting. Compared to the original design, this new logo communicates that this business is trustworthy and inviting. |
Is your company currently in the logo design or redesign phase? I'd love to hear about your experience as you go through this process. Please feel free to start a new thread and leave me a comment or question. I look forward to beginning the conversation!
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Edited by kate_sheofsky