Initiating a new business persona can be a confusing and frustrating task. Jeff Fisher, the Engineer of Creative Identity, offers some tips for those taking on such a project.
When initiating the task of establishing a new public persona, most businesses find themselves wandering (or stumbling) into foreign territory. The following tips will assist those taking on such a project, making the design process a bit easier when dealing with "creative types" in solving your business's identity crisis.
Do not try this at home
Having a computer, and design software programs, does not make an individual an identity designer. Hire a professional to create your business logo - a basic element of your "brand." Not all graphic designers, or design studios, specialize in identity design. Do your research in selecting the designer, or firm, to best fulfill the specific requirements of your corporate identity project. Seek referrals from businesses previously working with identity firms, flip through logo and identity design books at a local bookstore for design styles you like, or review portfolios of designers - in person or online - until you find the design professional best fitting your needs. Select someone with whom you will "play" well. Larger corporate identity projects and continuing branding efforts may evolve into a form of marriage between a business and a creative company.
The K.I.S.S. Principle
Nearly 30 years ago an instructor introduced me to the K.I.S.S. Principle of design; which translates to: Keep It Simple, Stupid. It does convey a very important design consideration. Simple logos are often the most easily recognized and memorable. Remember, the basis of the international branding for the world's largest shoe manufacturer is a very simple graphic swoosh.
Seeing your business image in black and white
When asked for the most important considerations in designing a logo, the K.I.S.S. Principle (above) is number one, followed closely by "make sure your logo works well in black and white." Even in this time of technical and cyber marvels it is important for a business identity to translate clearly and professionally in black and white, or one-color, for the copying, faxing and scanning of required documents. In addition, a logo should initially be created in a vector-based illustration program (such as Adobe Illustrator or Macromedia Freehand) allowing for digital flexibility and easy usage in all applications your business may require, from a stationery package to signage. Those basic files will allow a designer to create and provide all the digital resources required to implement the identity into your internal systems. The frequently misused "bells and whistles" of some computer programs, put into action for 3-D effects, beveled edges, skewed type, gradients and other often-unnecessary graphic treatments, may create distractions from the readability and success of a corporate identity.
A graphic and financial investment in your business future
The creation of your logo, one of the most important and visible elements of your corporate image, should be regarded as an investment in the future of your company's marketing, promotion, advertising and community presence. That investment will include the actual costs of incorporating the new identity into your stationery, signage, web site, marketing efforts and much more. Designers do occasionally create over-the-top identities that may evolve into unnecessarily costly production and printing expenditures. Determine if your identity will really require a spendy four-color printing process. Evaluate whether embossing and foil-stamping are necessary on stationery used daily - especially when that expense may literally be flattened and melted by an overheated laser printer. Trendiness in a business logo may be a costly mistake as well. A logo should have some longevity and connect with a company's clientele and history in a positive manner. Shapes, colors and type treatments need to be evaluated for appropriateness. For example, the swooshes and arcs so prevalent in the dot com explosion of the last decade, now convey the negative connotation of the business doom of that time. In judging recent international design awards I have reviewed countless business identities using various shades of green and orange (individually and together); colors that will soon seem very dated. Unique, conservative and professional type treatments, beyond the limited, over-used font selections installed on a basic computer system, will set a business apart from the trendy appearances of other companies.
Putting your money where your logo is
Confirm that all the principle players in your business are ready to make the investment - emotionally and financially - in a new business identity and then revisit the supposedly final selection again. In 1998, the Portland firm now known as Smith Freed & Eberhard had expended a great deal of time, energy and resources in the selection of a new corporate identity. Many printed elements of the new image had already been produced and implemented. However, there was one major problem with the new logo. In the alphabet soup of the firm name at the time - Smith Freed Heald & Chock - the placement of the typographical elements within the logo did not correspond to the proper order of the partner's initials in the business name. When it came time to cast the logo in bronze for the lobby signage the "powers that be" balked at spending thousands of dollars to create the over-sized plaque with the partner initials in the incorrect order. At that time I was brought in to completely redesign the firm's identity - and have revised that design twice in the years since with changes in the corporate name.
Thoughtful planning, extensive research, attention to details, and excellent communication - with internal decision-makers and your design professional - are necessary to put a solid, simple, and memorable logo - the public image of your business venture - before the desired target market of potential customers.
Note: This blog entry was based on an article, by Jeff Fisher, that appeared in an issue of the Legal Management News: The Journal of the Association of Legal Administrators.
Learn more about the author, Jeff Fisher.
Hey Jeff, Great article. Couldn't have agreed more on this. When a person of your experience and eminence shares his thought on such a important subject then it has to be taken as a gospel truth. Thanks for the article.
As they say- when it comes to a important task,let professionals handle it...
Fantastic article! A great read for any company thinking about a new identity.
I especially like your article tagline: Do not try this at home. It goes along with another favorite line of mine (also suited to non-designers that happen to have design software): "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should."
What a great article Jeff. And I especially like the notation about the logo being created in a vector-based illustration program. As many articles as I have read about logos and branding, that simple, but very important fact, is always overlooked.
When Judy and I come down to meet you, we would have enough war stories to share about that one fact, but I can't help sharing one now.
I don't know how many times I have requested a logo for design work and end up getting some low res .gif pulled from their website sent to me. And this includes the big, corporate clients as well. We were doing a print ad for a national chain restaurant, requested their logo, and sure enough, they sent one from their website, totally unsuitable for print. So I explained the situation, and the manager said no problem, we'll have corporate send you one. A few hours later the same logo showed up. When I asked them for a vector - .eps file, they replied, "We don't have one." So I visited my favorite website brandsoftheworld.com and found a b/w version (vector-based) of their logo. I was able to pull the colors from the one they sent me, changed the colors on the b/w version, and had the logo I needed. In fact, when I showed it to them, they asked me if I could send them a copy of their own logo for their files! So it took me for them to get the correct file. What a scream!
Sorry, just had to share that one!
Thanks again for the great article!
Jeff,
This article should be required reading for all small biz start-ups. I've lived with my Bob (the designer) for a number of years and can attest to everything you are saying.
But the most meaningful part of your commentary for me was that "simple logos are best." Reminds me of a picture book I used to read to my first grade classes called "Simple Pictures Are Best," but then I digress.
I am still amazed at how much work goes into making a "simple logo." (Nike is a great example.)
Thanks for sharing your expertise.
"Nike" is actually a very amusing example.
As every designer reading this probably knows, that world-conquering "swoosh" was actually designed by a student at Portland State. Phil Knight just happened to notice her in one of his classes and asked her to do a couple of sketches. She charged him $2 an hour for her work, which - according to legend - he was not terribly pleased with. Production deadlines forced him to make a choice, though, and the rest is history. Final invoice? 35 bucks!
All of that aside, the point of the Judy's comment was to express amazement at the immense effort that (normally!) goes in to creating a simple logo.
Amen. I've been doing it for twenty years, and am still occasionally taken by surprise.
Richard -
The "happy ending" to the Nike story is that years later Phil Knight made things right with designer Carolyn Davidson by giving her a diamond ring with the "swoosh" and an undisclosed amount of Nike stock.
In the small world of things, I used to "test drive" Nike shoes in the college when the company was still Blue Ribbon Sports and there was no logo on them at all.
Wow! I knew Jeff was a real pro when I saw his recommendation to use a logo that renders well in black and white. As a desktop publisher, and later as a web content producer, I've worked with dozens of clients who incurred additional design expense (or suffered brand identity confusion) because they were required to drastically modify fussy, complex logos to make them flexible enough to read well in a variety of media (such as an advertising partner's black-and-white-only banner). People who heed Jeff's recommendations will get a great head start on business success.
Bookmark article
Follow article
Email to a friend
Share article
