5 Rs in Logo Part 2 (7 more Rs)

In <a href="there-are-5-rs-in-logo-part-1" title="There are 5 Rs In Logo: Part 1">"There are 5 Rs In Logo: Part 1",</a> we went over the five must-haves for any logo: Reduce, Reverse, Reproduce, Read, Repeat. If your logo meets these basics requirements, you're doing ok. Now let’s go beyond ok and talk about being excellent. Let’s answer the question: what makes great logos gold? Recognize The key to recognition is differentiation. At the simplest level, from quite a distance we can recognize that the letter “A” is different than the letter “B.” Because we recognize the difference, we can also attach different meanings to each. A logo works the same way. We recognize that small piece of fruit with a bite out of one side that is Apple or the scripty, flowing letters that are owned by Coca-Cola. Recognition = meaning. Rearrange This is a true test of how well your logo is working for you. What if you cut it up and rearranged the elements. Would it still look like yours? Would people still recognize it? There are a few logos that do pass this test. For some of them it’s just because of repetition. They’ve been in our eye so often that we recognize them even if mixed up. But others are so refined, so eye catching, that we don’t just recognize them as a whole, we recognize the parts. For Instance, If you cut Nike’s swoosh Into four parts and mixed them up, would you still think 'Nike' when you saw them? Probably.<a href="http://www.jelvetica.com/Rs_in_Logo_Article_Part2.pdf" title="Artical with visuals"></a> Reinforce Remember: your logo does not tell the story of your business. It reinforces it. It is a symbol that reminds people of how they already feel about your business. If your customers have a positive experience with you, every time your logo is seen, it will bring back positive feelings. But beware — If they have a negative experience, the opposite is also true. The goal, of course, is to give them a good experience and let your logo make them feel warm and fuzzy time and time again. This is one area where a logo design, no matter how brilliant, is only one piece of the puzzle — The customer experience you deliver is entirely up to you. Recall Apple, Target, Nike. Walk up to any given person in any given city and ask them to draw any of these logos from memory. Odds are, most of them will be able to do it easily. Some of that is due to repetition. But think about Apple and Target. The average person could probably draw those if they’d only seen them once or twice. A great logo is something that sticks in someone’s mind with little or no effort. Sometimes it even borders on obvious. But you have to make sure that if you use obvious as a strategy that render your symbol in a way that is completely unique to you. Take the concept of globes — there are just too many. But you can probably think of what AT&T’s looks like because it is rendered in a way that is uniquely theirs, but can you draw or describe any other logo with a globe? Of course you can, it’s a globe — but whose globe? Represent It would seem obvious that your logo should represent who you are, but this one is not as straightforward as it seems. For example, if you’re a company that makes hammers, it doesn’t mean you’re limited to a logo that looks like a hammer. This is especially true for companies who are trying to show that they’re global... not to belabor the point but the world is just too full of worlds. I occasionally work with a brilliant brand strategist who talks about a similar pitfall in the categories of Health Care and Nonprofits. He calls it the “Avoid the 3 Hs” rule — Humans, Hearts, Hands. There are so many nonprofits that use these symbols to represent who they are that they have come represent nothing. Having your logo represent you means much more than having it be a literal representation of what you do. It should visually behave in the same way you and your company behave. Typography, symbols, line styles, line weights, all have a visual “behavior” that speaks to the general public. The key to making sure that your logo represents you well is to make sure you know exactly who you are BEFORE you create it. Religious. This is the ultimate aspiration of any logo, and is something I’ve only seen in a couple of instances — the religious, cult following of the logo. I recently saw a photograph of a Harley-Davidson logo tattooed completely across the back of a very tough-looking biker dude. I have yet to see that kind of customer loyalty to another company’s logo, perhaps because a big shoulder-to-shoulder tattoo of “FedEx” or “AT&T” wouldn’t be that exciting. But the loyalty is to the company or brand, not the logo. So imagine that you’re a great company that provides a great customer experience, but your logo isn’t cool enough to make a good tattoo — see where this is going? Rise Above. A great logo is not a conformist. It separates itself from others. Stands out. It says, “Here I am, and here’s why I’m better than the rest.” Have you ever looked at someone else’s logo and thought, “Man, I wish I had that logo.” If so, that’s a logo that passes the “Rise Above” test. Although most of the other Rs are fairly easy to evaluate, 'Rise Above' is a little more abstract, but no less important. This is where the eye of a trained logo designer comes into play. Think of it like a hit song. There are common hit-song rules that can be followed by anyone with a guitar and some recording equipment. “Rising above” is the artistry that creates the difference between "A Hard Day's Night" and an REO Speedwagon B-side. Both follow "the rules", but only one has that touch of magic that reaches people’s souls and withstands the test of time. That magic is in the hands of the creator. Very few — if any — great logos have come into existence without the help of a trained and experienced logo designer. (And I'm not just saying that because I am one…although I am admittedly biased.) Now you have a solid list of DOs and DON’Ts for creating a logo. If you look at your current logo and see that it doesn’t meet the 5 Rs covered In part one of this article, run don't walk to get help. If you find that it meets some of the Rs found in this second part, but not all, you can walk to get help, but It would still be worthwhile for you to revisit your logo at some point.  If your logo meets all of the Rs then you already know that creating a logo is not just about drawing pretty pictures. You know It Is a strategic, methodical process driven by business goals. To turn a good logo into gold, everything about it must be carefully planned, strategically driven, and flawlessly executed. When done right, a logo becomes a financial asset. It becomes the flag that makes it easier to bring new customers through your door, and keep the old ones coming back. <a href="http://www.jelvetica.com/Rs_in_Logo_Article_Part2.pdf" title="Artical with visuals">Download article with visual examples here.</a> 2009-03-16T20:09:08Z

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5-rs-in-logo-part-2-7-more-rs

2009-03-20T17:45:57Z

Volume II of 'There are 5 Rs In Logo.' Let’s go beyond logos that are 'ok' and talk about being excellent. Some answers to the question: what makes great logos gold?

5 Rs in Logo Part 2 (7 more Rs)

2009-03-20T18:22:12Z