Graphic design does more than just capture the eyes of consumers. It increases the confidence of potential customers to your brand. It also makes them perceive your brand as credible and trustworthy.
Let us take, for example, comparing a custom promotional product with badly paired fonts and colors that use opposing tones versus a product that follows the basic rules of graphic design. They both have the same function, but you have to choose one to give to your boss, your client, your parents, or your friends.
If you’re one of those people who simply don’t care, that’s good for you. But then, naturally, people would choose to give and receive pretty things.
There are principles in marketing and brand management that go beyond functionality. Above all, good graphic design influences branding or brand identity—an essential part of advertising. One aspect of brand identity is a logo.
Memorable logos
Companies are set apart by their logos. Logos are how customers identify them. You see a specific check, and that’s Nike. You see a yellow M, and that McDonald’s. You see a bitten apple, and that’s Apple. According to a Seigel+Gale, the four most recognized logos in the UK and US are Nike, Apple, Coca-Cola, and McDonald’s.
The same study also says that simple logo designs are the most memorable, and memorable logos are 13% more noticeable and captivating to customers. Additionally, people are 7% more intrigued about brands with good logos.
Kinds of logos
Logos carry the brand. It’s the thing companies stamp everywhere: mugs, flags, shirts, stickers, walls, etc. It’s the shape or image that sticks to consumers’ heads. They often tell stories and represent what the company offers.
Creative wordmark
Companies that create their fonts for their logos stand out because of their uniqueness. One example is Disney, a company that turned Walt Disney’s signature into a font and used it for their logo. Now, no matter what word utilizes that font or where people put it, they recognize it’s from Disney.
Brand marks
Also known as pictorial marks, these logos are meant for icons and take on the shape of an object in real life. Brand marks automatically let the customers see the nature of the company. However, this is not always true for every icon logo. An example is Twitter. The app uses a bird as its logo, but the app is not all about birds. How this works is that the company will have to spend time and resources to establish their brand to be recognizable to the general public.
Holding shape
An ongoing trend for new and hip brands is the use of shape to enclose a text. A good example is Uniqlo, which used a square that contains their brand name. There is a psychology behind logo shapes. Circles convey community and relationships because of their continuity. Triangles carry power because of how it appears to have a tip. Together with triangles, squares convey stability and professionalism because of the straight lines.
The takeaway
While there are other aspects of branding, the logo is the company’s primary identification. Therefore, taking time to brainstorm and experiment on possible designs should be a priority for every business.
