5 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF WHEN DEVELOPING YOUR LOGO

Starting a new business can be extremely over whelming, but the most exciting and creative part (for me at least) is designing the logo. Once you know what your business’s purpose is, then you can begin to understand the benefits of branding for the people you are hoping to attract. When I sit down with a new client, I often find it a struggle for business owners to get their idea across. This is generally because they haven’t asked themselves these VERY important questions yet. These are the top 5 questions to ask yourself before developing a logo for your business:

5. What is the NAME and WHY was that chosen?

Choose a name that is easy to learn and rolls off the tongue. It must make sense for your business and people must be able to resonate with the ideology behind it. A business name that can become a verb is very effective (ie: “I’ll just Google it!”), although not always necessary. The name should be honest and forthright. A tag line can be used to help support the name and reiterate the business purpose.

4. What is so DIFFERENT about your business?

With all the businesses out there to compete with, what makes yours so special? Don’t think about this in a Herculean way. Instead, think more about what your competitors are missing and in which gives you an advantage over them or a niche market. It’s not about competing with them, it’s about helping out the community where others are lacking.

3. Who are your COMPETITORS?

Do your market research before starting any serious business endeavor. You must be able to understand the scale of what you are about to take on. I highly suggest writing up a full business model and assessment of your competitors. This will give you the basic knowledge of where to start, how to budget your finances, if you will need investors, grants (non-profits) or loans, etc.

2. WHO does your business serve?

Who is your target demographic? You will have one main demographic and usually several secondary demographics. For example; A business owner came to me with an idea for a Children’s Upscale Room Remodeling Service (ie: interior decorator). At first you may think – How fun! How about something playful and sweet. Wrong! You see, this target demographic would be Women who are Mothers, aged 34 – 50, with a household income of $100K or more, in the area of La Jolla, CA. Whew! That was a lot, huh? So maybe you were thinking earlier that the demographic would be children, and now you see how that is wrong. Try it for your own business. Don’t forget to calculate the secondary demographics as well. This will give you greater incite into the world of your customers or consumers.

1. What is the PURPOSE of your business?

This is always the hardest yet most rewarding part. If your business was a person, this would be it’s soul. We find that throughout life we have one general path which opens doors to many other opportunities. You are first a Father, second an Engineer and Husband. Or first a College Student, second an athlete and friend. This is a set of definitive characteristics about you; and so it should be about the business as well. Allow this purpose to be something that can help others in life by making it easier on them in even the smallest way.

Once you have answered those questions, you will have a clearer vision of where to start. At this point we can begin talking about colors, styles, icons, imagery, fonts, etc. Always keeping in mind your audience and what resonates with them.

For more help with logo design, contact me at [email protected]