To have a logo or not to have a logo?

Hey Sugar Squad! Back at it with a short blog post. Let’s talk about logos. What’s in a logo? A logo is just a graphic and some colors splashed together, right? A logo is not important, right?

By simple definition a logo is a combination of text and visual imagery. A logo serves two purposes, it tells people the name of your company and creates a visual symbol that represents your brand.

So why are logos important and why do you need them? For one logos are a important piece of the puzzle of trying to establish your brand. Secondly, having a well designed logo builds trust. Potential customers will more likely do business with you if you have a well designed logo. If your logo looks like it was designed in Microsoft Paint, people will start to question your ability to deliver great service or not take you seriously. Just like your smile or the work you post on social media, your logo says a lot about you and your brand, before you even have the chance to speak and tell someone about your business. Your logo should not only reflect the direction you want your brand to go, but it should also be a reflection of the one behind the brand, you. Your logo should capture your personality. I see so many sweet makers get caught up and want to follow trends of certain logo styles or have their logo be similar to others. Let go of that thinking! If your logo is so cookie cutter and looks like everyone else, then what will set you and your brand apart from others? Yes, your work, your pictures, and your customer service is vital and important to having a good brand, but what sets your business apart from others in the same field? If a potential customer is searching on social media for a dessert business and they come across your logo and several logos that look similar to yours, why should they pick yours, how does your logo stand out?

Now that you know your logo should represent you, what should your logo contain? Your logo should contain clear and easy to read text of your business name. You want people to be able to easily read and see your logo from a distance, as it may appear on posters, flyers, car signage, or any other scenario where your logo can be seen at a distance.

What colors should you use? Choose simple color schemes. It's fun to have a bunch of fun colors or a colorful graphic for your logo, but be mindful that those colors can be distracting. Keep in mind that your logo may appear on screens, business cards, letterheads, t-shirts, banners, posters, social media, and may more items. Logos that contain a lot of different colors, gradient colors, fine details, or photographic details will more than likely look quite different in different situations. The reason is many of those who provide those mediums, use different printing technologies, making hard to match colors exactly. There is a reason why the most powerful brands in the world have simple color palettes. They usually have no more than three colors and most use solid colors vs gradient colors. The same guidelines apply when choosing the visual image for your logo. The important thing to keep in mind when deciding upon your visual image is to ask your self can it be clearly seen at a distance, and will it look good in various forms of print mediums.

I am not an expert on logo design these are just tips I learned along the way in my small business journey. The point of this post is to get you thinking that a brand and a logo are much more than following trends, a simple graphic, and a splash of color here and there. Your logo should help to tell the story of you and your company. So, what’s in a logo? YOU ARE.