The whole point of a logo is to have a simple image, mark or emblem that people recognise as yours.
But it can be hard to pin down the right logo at the start of your business, for a number reasons. You might not know where your business will go in the end, what will sell the best, what you will become known for, and so on – which makes it hard to decide how to market yourself.
I began mooandflo with no real fixed logo other than the company name, and the recognisable part of that was the font it was written in (Bauhaus Std Heavy). Over the past year I’ve tinkered with a few designs, none of which really worked for me but all of which would ‘do for now’. Some of the ones I’ve used on Facebook are featured here.
I eventually had to get clothing labels made, and opted to stick with just the name in the good old Bauhaus Std Heavy font, with no other emblem.
It’s been a good move as they have remained in keeping with the company no matter what I did with the online logo, and I’d certainly recommend any new company to consider doing the same unless they have a very clear idea of what they’re marketing and how they wish to be seen.
My business cards were just standard ones from good ole VistaPrint, using one of their stock designs. They’ve served me well for a year, and in a way I am sad to let them go, but now I have a logo that I know speaks to what mooandflo is, it’s time to move on and get everything in line.
My new logo was designed by me and created in simple old Publisher, then turned into an Adobe Illustrator (AI) version suitable for printing and weaving companies (for cards and labels) by my clever – and extremely cheap – husband.
If you need a logo and want to have someone make it for you, there re plenty of great options out there. Be sure to ask around – recommendations are gold!
If you are on a budget, consider the great designers at school and uni who can often create a decent logo for you for $50 and the kudos of having a client to put in their portfolio. It’s worth thinking about.
There are also a number of packages on the internet that promise to help you design your logo for free – you might want to try one of those and see where it goes, but (a) be sure you have a focus before you start, or you’ll go insane, and (b) be careful not to use a site that could contain malware (these cyber crims are shifty, clever wee buggers, you know).
No matter what you do and what logo you choose, avoid fussy or wordy logos, avoid complex images that will cost a fortune to print or weave, and aim to make sure the potential customer or client knows your name – in essence, keep it simple and easily identifiable, like these: