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A logo is the most important part of the visual identity of a company, brand, organization, product or service. A really well-designed logo can sometimes survive unchanged for many years. It should be simple and unique.
A logo should, according to current trends, evoke emotions. Three types of logos can be distinguished. Thematic - is a graphic representation of the field represented by the organization.
Graphic - depicting some object whose features coincide with those of the organization.
Abstract - saying nothing about the organization.
Creating a trademark
One of the key elements of of setting up a company is to create a symbol to recognize our business. Creating a logo is a very responsible task. It is the second element, after the name, that identifies the organization. Creating a company logo is a job mainly for a graphic designer. But the graphic designer must know what the organization he works for is and expects.
Creating a company logo should start by reviewing the logos of competitors or related organizations. It is also worth looking at the best corporate identities of entities in other industries.
Next, consider what our logo should express (if it should express anything). A good example of this is the Jaguar car brand. It is also the name of a species of very fast cats. Jaguar cars were supposed to be associated precisely with speed.
An example of a logo that aptly tells the story of an organization is the logo of, defending human rights, Amnesty International. It is a candle wrapped in barbed wire placed on a yellow background. Barbed wire represents darkness, hopelessness, imprisonment. The candle, represents light, hope and a commitment to remember political prisoners.
When working on a logo, inspiration counts. Anything can help: places visited, books read or museums visited. Sometimes it is worthwhile to join forces, to benefit from the experiences of many people at the same time. Such brainstorming can inspire you to find the right solution.
The final product must be simple. It can't consist of too many elements, because it will be unreadable and messy. The trademark must also be able to be reduced to, say, two centimeters, so that it can be printed on letterhead or a business card.
Logo change - desirable or not?
A good logo can function for decades unchanged. Possibly with minor touch-ups. However, many organizations change their logos for various reasons. Sometimes it is a deliberate process. Sometimes it's a nervous reaction to public perception or an expression of the boss's exuberant ego.
An example of a good and virtually unchanging trademark is the Amnesty International logo, cited earlier. It was drawn in 1963 by Diana Redhouse. The logo was refined in 2000, but its essential form has remained unchanged to this day.
An emblem that has survived much longer is the Mercedes car logo. The three-pointed star was patented in 1901. The idea itself came to Daimler Gottlieb's mind in 1880. The company's founder was said to have drawn it in a letter to his wife. The Mercedes logo is an example of a successful corporate identity that has survived for more than a century.
Staying with the automotive industry, it is worth mentioning the Fiat logo. As we talk about it we have before our eyes the FIAT logo inscribed in a circle or in a more or less rounded shield. However, on two occasions the form of the mark has completely departed from this traditional image. In the 1960s, the trademark was changed to four rhombuses with the letters FIAT inscribed in them. In the 1990s, four blue slanted stripes were to serve as the logo. The current Fiat logo is again a name inscribed in a circle.
Nervous movements forced by public perception could be seen in the early 1990s case of Radio Eska. This radio came out of the underground as Radio Solidarity, but soon this name began to be associated badly with listeners due to political turmoil. So the radio changed its on-air name to "S" and adopted a new logo. But neither the name nor the logo associated with it lasted long. There was a change to Radio Eska which was, of course, combined with a change of logo. The name survived to this day, the logo no longer did.
Changing a logo is always a challenge for an organization. Almost as big as a name change. The new logo has to be promoted, audiences have to get used to and like the new visual identity. Change for change's sake is a bad idea. If you change the logo at all it is for good reasons and for the better, rather than for new because new.
