A Mark to Remember
August, 2005
Vision is probably the most used, and most taken for granted, sense we have. Everyday we see thousands of images. Each image has the potential to induce an emotional response, and affect how we act as we move through the day. It is literally how we interact with the world around us.
Due to the shear number of images we see every day, we must have a mechanism to filter those images. Our brain allows us to react to those images we care about, and discard the rest. Without such a filter, we would surely have stimulus overload, and nothing would make any sense.
From a business perspective, this presents somewhat of a problem. If we are conditioned to discard the "noise" of the day, how does a business break through the filter, and cause a new prospect to act? How does a business produce a "signal" rather than just be part of the noise?
Going back to the early days of education, we often had to learn a long list of facts and information. How did we go about doing that? One of the best ways to remember something was to come up with a mnemonic device to help organize thoughts and trigger memory. Wouldn't it be great if we could do something like that for our business?
Of course, we can, and most of us do have such a device for our business. Your logo is the perfect device to help prospects remember, but it must be used properly in order to have the desired effect. A logo doesn't magically allow you to break through the mind's filter. So what qualities must a logo have in order to be successful?
The most important quality a logo must have is uniqueness. How would you expect to be remembered if your logo is just clip art? You may not have seen that image before, but are you willing to risk your business on whether anyone else has? The more unique your logo, the easier it is to remember. If you have a logo that truly represents your brand, then you can't help but for it to be unique.
Having a unique logo is great, but your logo must also be adaptable. Your logo goes everywhere. It is on your letterhead, your business card, maybe your trucks, or possibly a billboard. Sometimes you may have to fax your logo, and sometimes it may be displayed up on a big movie screen. What does this mean for your logo?
First, it means that your logo must work both in full color, or as a single color, most often black. Next, it must work whether it is the size of a postage stamp, or on a billboard. For these reasons photographic elements in your logo are a bad idea. What works best is that your logo is in the form of what is called "Vector Artwork." This just means that your logo can be defined by a set of mathematical curves once in the computer. This allows you logo to be at its highest quality no matter what size you are displaying it.
Now that you have a unique and technically workable logo, put it everywhere! Repetition is what pushes through the mind's filter, and uniqueness is what makes it easy to remember. We at Smudged Graphics don't design logos, we build that mnemonic device for your brand so you will be remembered.
Click here to see how we work, and decide if your logo could be working harder for you.