Your Logo’s Purpose
“Imagery is not past but present. It rests with what we call our mental processes to place images in a temporal order.” – George H. Mead
Images constantly influence our lives. Our brain recalls images and pictures a lot better than a first line of a mission statement. Thus your logo’s critical purpose is to create a strong “image” so your market remembers your company’s service or product. Is your logo associated with the business’ positive attributes and identity? What company image does your logo help create?
I always stress attractiveness, simplicity and flexibility, when designing or re-designing a logo. However, at the end of the day the attractiveness, flexibility and simplicity of your logo are all tied to creating that memorable image. Dr. Gary Small, a professor of psychiatry at the UCLA and director of the Memory and Aging Research Center, is one of the world’s leading experts on brain science. He trains people on how to better recall people’s names and concepts by creating “visual images of the name and the face.” Dr. Small notes that “names can be placed into two groups: (one) those that have meaning and invoke visual images and (two) those that don’t.” When you think of the most successful businesses today, most have a name and logo that invoke a positive and memorable image (see Nike, NFL, Shell, Mobile, Walmart, Apple, Google). Thus when your marketing team is planning a new or revamped logo, encourage designs that are attractive, simple and flexible. And then ask your team the following: Will you company’s name fall into Dr. Small’s group one or group two?
A clearly defined logo combined with messaging and positioning, dramatically strengthens all your marketing. Why? Because it is part of how the brain remembers YOU opposed to your competition. Is your logo designed to help clients remember your company’s service or product?
Below are examples of logos that have meaning and invoke visual images (disclaimer: I included two logos, Top it Off and e-Healthcare Solutions, that I designed):
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Great to discover your blog Diana! Do you think that the ability that brands have to create a different and personalized customer experience and relationship through channels like social media decrease the purpose of a logo? I’m on the fence, but I feel like the shift from mass marketing to niche and individual marketing and communication strategies has affected how important logos are to driving marketing these days. Thanks and curious to hear your thoughts.
I agree with you premise of how important imagery is, especially with the younger crowd that is more visual than ever thanks to technology. However, a good logo only reinforces a brand’s messaging especially when it comes to a smaller business that does not have the deep pockets compared to those you have posted. Big brands can afford to be in your face, thus logo is like a good flash card.