The year is 2010. Do you think logos matter?

I would really like your thoughts on the subject. You think that any company would be better or worse off if they had a different logo? Assuming of course their logo isn’t a giant turd.

Tell me what you think about the subject. I am still undecided.

  • Customerexplabs

    Logos are important...but realistically most logos are not memorable - even those of large companies. Seriously, try to think of what xerox, IBM and Sun Microsystems logos look like and then go and google them to see the real ones. I'm very happy with our company logo and have gotten a lot of positive feedback and that's nice. Hopefully it conveys a certain vibe about our company for potential clients and hopefully it is distinct and memorable. I'm obviously biased but i think it is. :)

    I think a logo is a good thing to have because it's part of the impression you convey to potential clients, but it's just a part. so is your website. Or how you dress, and so on. And for small companies, it may not matter much at all.

    we used 99designs for our logo - if you're considering having one done, i would definitely recommend posting it there. it was a really fun process too.

    here's a link to our contest from last year if you want to see what type of quality you will get.

    http://99designs.com/logo-desi...

    about half of the entries were crappy stuff. but the other half were good. the interesting thing about crowdsourcng the contest is that you post feedback for any designs you want to and that helps to shape the revisions and other designers that are watching and thinking of joining the contest. Also, you'll get entries from around the world, so there is a constant stream across all hours of the day which is cool. every few hours you'll see a bunch. We got over 140 entries in our contest!

  • Hi Brad,
    My belief is that the company service, product or offering comes first in establishing the 'recognizable' factor. Logos have evolved as companies do and that, to me, demonstrates innovation and change.
    Whether it's a logo, font or colour scheme, what I think is important is that there's some sort of branding taking place. When someone sees that branding, it evokes a feeling first then a thought next...good or bad.

  • Hey Brad, I always wonder about that too.

    In fact, logo design is a bit of an obsession for me. I have had about 20 or 30 logos in my professional life. I guess that illustrates the point that logos are important... but also they morph as you do!

    It would be natural to assume that as individuals we grow older we change, evolve and adapt. However the life of a logo (or even a whole brand identity) for corporations and companies, has to remain the same! It seems counterintuitive to the way we are, but it's one of those awful truths: We change all the time but want things not to change around us. It's just weird.

    So, in my opinion, logos do matter. Graphical brand identities do matter. The trick is knowing when to move on and rebrand.

    Now if your logo is a name, I say just make sure that the font is unique or custom made. That's pretty awesome too. In that sense, the name has gone through a design and it is itself a graphical representation of your self or company... a logo!

  • Build the business first, then the logo afterwards.

  • Bob

    I agree that as long as your logo is not offensive or if your logo is totally out of place (if the Apple logo was a banana for example) then anything else would do. I'm sure if the Apple logo was a red capital "A" then we would all recognize that as the Apple logo. Having said that, is it possible to have a good logo or a great logo.

  • curtissullivan

    Whenever the topic of Logo's and branding is brought up, I think of an episode of Entourage... As Vinny Chase is looking for a new agent, all of the hollywood companies give him (almost) identical presentations about making him as recognizable as the swoosh, golden arches, and apple.

    Brad, I think you are right on that the company makes the logo. Quality products, good service, remarkable content, and having a unique view of your market will elevate business in 2010.

    Also, I would hope that most businesses would want to be known for what they offer over some image slapped all over everything.

  • Hi Brad, I agree with your comments but I must say that if you have a bad logo and a bad web design then it will hurt your brand. I was talking with a client recently about her association's logo. I told her my reaction and then the reaction from 3 other people that I had asked to look at it. She was horrified by what jumped to mind when people saw it. You may not need a great logo but you need one that isn't bad!

  • I would agree that if your logo is poor it can hurt. But how about no logo at all? Just a name and a nice font/colour scheme?

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