Impact of successful logo design on brand awareness
Research question
There were a number of constraints in formulating the research question, as in fact the logo aspect is quite well investigated and developed field. Cognitive and aesthetic aspects have been thoroughly researched by scholars in psychology, marketing, business and art. Each direction, let it be business, non-profit, political, governmental, individual, or non formal clubs and groups of people realize that the logo has to be thoroughly developed and should be inherent to the mission and vision of the companylogo holder, however, milliards of logos are in the shade, whereas 30-40 logos remain in the memory of a person forever. (SmashLab, 2010) Here are the reflections that I had while I researched this topic
What are the factors that lead to such a success
Are they masterly promoted, and any middle level logo could enjoy such a success if the right promoters stood behind it, or is it the color, form and phrase factor
And if we look from the opposite direction, does the masterly designed logo affect the success of the brand
Or, probably, it s a composition of (1) professional design, (2) awareness and coherent choice of color and forms, (3) masterly chosen brand name, and (4) strategically conducted promotion of a brand The following graph illustrates the rout through which the initial research design was conducted. Those four aspects were considered to arrive at a more narrow issue to explore.
However, the scope of this research would not be able to cover the whole range of the discipline, and I focused only on studying the co-relation of logo design and awareness.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis of the research is thoroughly developed logo impacts the brand perception and success.
Methodology
The research was done mainly through content analysis and analysis of qualitative and quantitative data available in the field of brand and logo research. Literature review has played a great role in defining the current situation in analysis related to the research question.
Introduction
Every day the human brain experiences enormous pressure from advertisers who try to break the barrier of indifference and resistance of the potential consumer and make their product a long term part of the person. Studies have shown that the average American sees up to 16,000 logos a day. Rance Crain, editor-in-chief of advertising Age once said, Advertisers will not be satisfied until they put their mark on every blade of grass. (Crain, 2010)
Another study reveals that a person is likely to have top 40 products in the list of preferred items (Balter, 2008). Every day there are new products being produced under different brand and logo, and the substance and quality are more or less the same. (Balter, 2008) E.g., milk products of a big range are not really different in taste, quality, durability and even price. Hence, people tend to stick to one brand for a long time (Silver, 2001). What makes a brand, a logo easily remembered, and why people prefer landing on a brand for a certain period of time
Our brain collects and filters information. Our filtering system is becoming increasingly resistant and less sensitive to advertisements. This is due not only to the constant media assault we all endure day after day but also due to the fact that the advertisements and logos themselves are becoming less original.
In 1965 a typical consumer had a recall of roughly 34 of ads shown and by 1990 the recall percentage had fallen to 8. Thus, the increase in products and services it is more difficult to create a logo or advertisement that stands out.
Historical overview
The use of logos and symbols has been around for most of mankind s existence. The earliest cave paintings date back to the early Paleolithic period, which is roughly around 35,000 BC. Over time the images became simpler and as a result also more stylized. Towards the end of the Paleolithic period these pictures began to resemble early forms of letters. These early form of letters were used to label sacks and pots in order to identify what food it contained. In addition to the letter types what appears to be a primitive version of a numbering system was used to indicate the amounts it contained. As villages began to form labeling began to be used to mark ownership as well. This led to having several benefits apart from property recognition. For example, potters who marked the pots they had made were eventually able to sell more pots for higher values as they began to develop a reputation for their handiwork.
For a long time logos, pictures, and lettering showed little development but around 3100 BC to 400 AD Egyptians used pictorial images as a form of writing which greatly influenced the use of logos today. But the Egyptians were not the only ones to influence the development of logos. Around 1800 BC the Ancient Chinese developed a style of writing called logograms, which were symbolic representations of animal footprints and are still in use today.
Finally, the ancient Greeks gave birth to the word logo, which translated means name. Their early designs included monograms, which illiterate signatories used as a form of signature. Thus, historically mankind strived for emphasizing difference, uniqueness and ownership. Those three factors still are vividly expressed in the contemporary understanding of logo and branding.
Branding
Branding is an integral part of a product s overall success. This is because consumers buy products based on their perceived value rather than their actual value. An example of this would be a comparison between Aston Martin and Skoda. While Skoda has been voted car of the year for several years now, Aston Martin is still seen by most as a better car. Why is that It is due to Aston Martin s prestigious image as well as its cost. Consumers tend to believe that the more prestigious and expensive a product is, the more you will get for your money. But in actual fact, referring back to our example, a Skoda has a far better gas mileage and is a lot cheaper than an Aston Martin. What can be deduced from this is that consumers judge products by their covers. Thus, branding is also vital in determining the success of a product because not only can it increase a products perceived value, but it can also establish lifelong relationships with its consumers. This is because all humans have the need for social identification and this is often established through the products they surround themselves with. They brand themselves by acquiring the products that are commonly perceived as a symbol of status.
This factor somehow rejects the initial hypothesis, which initially linked the success of the brand by professionally defined logo. The role of successful promotion and glamorization, however, is the main key to success (Gernsheimer, 2008).
Not only do humans have the need for social identification, brands have them as well. Successful brands, just like successful people, are easily identified. If we take McDonalds, Apple, or Ford as examples, tells hundreds of millions of people what it is about at a single glance. Symbols are often useful to use as a brand image as it is easily identified and needs no translation. (Studio, 2005)
Factors that make logo successful
Through an extensive research I found out that there is not a magic formula, which enables designers to create a perfect logo. However, here is a list of characteristics, which somehow tell about key factors that are important for creating a successful logo. (Adams, Morioka, Stone, 2004) There are eleven general characteristics vital in creating a successful logo and they are Distinctive, Sophisticated, Conceptual, Relevant, Versatile, Cohesive, Simple, Attractive, Legible, Memorable, and Enduring.
Distinctive the logo should be different from all others. This can be achieved through extensive research in the future product s field to see what already exists and trying to think of the furthest, most outlandish thing from it. It doesn t matter how random it may seem at first as it might lead to an entirely fresh and new idea. It just needs to have one feature to differentiate the logo from those of others. An example of a distinctive logo is that currently used by French Property Exhibition (Figure 1.2). If we compare their old logo (Figure 1.1) to their current logo (Figure 1.2) we can see a clear improvement. Whereas the old logo says nothing about the company, the current logo was made to make the French flag look like an open door indicating to what their company is about, thus giving the clients one thing to remember.
Relevance the color, shape and brand name should be relevant to that of product or service. This is however one of the most important factors in adjoining the whole idea in only one concept logo (Taute, 2008).
Barbie logo is one of the examples, where non-even pink handwriting of the Barbie associates with girlish, pinky and funky character.
Sophisticated the logo should always reflect good taste. It should always keep appropriate imagery, fonts, colours and motives in mind. A logo should also be conceptual. The logo should reflect intelligent thought since a cleverly designed logo represents a clever company. An example of such is the FedEx logo (Figure 2.1). However, if you take a closer look, you will notice the arrow formed by the space between the E and the x. It is important to make sure that the logo designed is relevant to the company it represents. This is not to say that a logo has to portray what the company or product does, the designer should, however, take the industry, client, and audience into consideration. This is achieved by attaining strong background knowledge of the productservice and industry.
Versatility it is also an important aspect of successful logo design to keep in mind. The designer should make sure that the logo is easily used. Whether in billboards, business cards, or minute clothes, labels it is always important to create a logo that doesn t lose detail with change in size.
Cohesiveness in terms of logo design means that the symbol should not require a containment element in order to hold it together. The symbol and type should be able to hold themselves together visually. In order to attain cohesiveness you have to find the right balance between colour, spacing, fonts and so on (Cabarga, 2004). The Plumbing Works logo (Figure 4) is an exemplary image illustrating just this Notice that first of all the tap with water spilling out of it is in the shape of a P and a W, secondly there is no shape which contains it yet it is still effective. Attractiveness is another key characteristic to keep in mind while designing. The logo should be universally attractive meaning that it should be attractive to the largest amount of people possible. This can be achieved by keeping symmetry, composition, and proportion in mind.
The logo should also be legible. The more legible the logo is, the clearer the message will be. The ninth and most important characteristic of a logo is that it is memorable. While the construction of the logo should be simple, this definitely does not apply to its concept. A logo should be so memorable that simply the shape or outline should give it away. Colour is a secondary element of logo design therefore a logo should also be recognizable when colour is taken away from the equation. The most tedious characteristic of a logo is endurance. The logo should be popular for the longest amount of time possible. To achieve this one should stay away from trends when designing the logo as trends can change quickly. If you think about it, how many logos do you know with an orbit around one letter Probably several, how 90s is that Slight modifications of the logo every now and then is good as long as it is necessary because it keeps the company or product image fresh but changing the logo entirely is usually a bad idea as it can effect customer loyalty. Simplicity is key A simple logo is more likely to succeed and be of use for a longer period of time. As graphic designer and author of Logo Design Love, David Airey said a rule of thumb in logo design says that if all things are equal, simplicity trumps complexity. Simple images whether logos, paintings, or pictures are easier to remember as they have less components than a complex one. If we compare the McDonald s logo (Figure 5.1) to Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh.
Colour
The last factor concerning logo design is its colour. Colour is the manipulative tool designers use to influence our buying decisions on a subconscious level. It is through colour that our attention is focused on a certain product. Colour can be seen as the narrator of the product s story, telling us more about the product s personality and what it has to offer. It is colour that triggers certain emotions in us and it is our emotions that control our buying decisions whether we like it, or not. Thus, it can be concluded that colour is more effective than words. (Landa, 2000)
Color offers an instant method for transmission meaning and message in a logo design. It s probably the most powerful non-verbal form of communication used by designers. Human minds are programmed to respond to color. The subliminal messages we get from color shape our thoughts. We stop our cars for red lights and go on green, we look at the color of certain plants and animals to determine whether or not they are safe for us to eat or touch, the bottom line is that color is a very important part of our daily lives. It s important for designers to use color appropriately and understand the meaning behind the colors.
Despite popular belief the purpose of colour is not only to enhance the design in essence, it is what brings it to life and increases sales by 50 (Casparie, 2007). Satyendra Singh, e.g. researched the impact of color on increasing appetite (yellow), or blue for relaxing and creating confidence (Singh, 2006).
Some people believe that a product or service s success depends on the quality of the product and how long it has been on the marketplace. However, new products still have a chance at achieving a desirable status. This is due to the fact that most buyers are very predictable. 70 85 of buyers don t actually make their decision until they are in front of the products (Moschis, 2000). However, buying habits differ for country to country, age, gender and economic condition. E.g., the recent economic recession was studied in terms of its impact on shopping habits. Thus, XXXX (International Council of Shopping Centers, 2009)
If one understands how the mind works, you can manipulate it and people in the sales industry are very aware of what makes people tick After having studied people s behaviour in the supermarket I have discovered that women are usually very emotional shoppers they need to be enticed and colour often does the job quite well.
There is also an important factor related to colour which has to be taken into consideration as well, age. Different age groups have different tastes. When choosing the colours used in the logo andor packaging design you have to be aware of what age groups you are trying to attract. Toddlers between the age of 0 2 tend to favour the primary colours blue, red and yellow. Between the ages 3 6 children begin to develop a taste for more colours such as purple, orange and green. It is children of the ages 7 12 are where the colour choosing process becomes tricky. They are very trend aware as they often look towards the teenagers and teen magazines like Bravo for inspiration. And lastly the most difficult age group to please are those who are 50. They have more money, they have more experience and are therefore more demanding.
Coming back to MacDonald s McDonald s is mainly yellow which fitting for this brand that focuses on children, playfulness and happiness (Ryan Conover, 2004). The red works well as an accent color and has been known to raise ones blood pressure and evoke hunger. Incidentally, this color combination has influenced many other fast food chains, like KFC.
The logo for the luxury brand Swarovski, maker of lead crystal glass, is grey. The grey could be viewed to represent the lead that is a part of the product the company makes, but also represents the respect and influence that comes from the history of a business that has been approximately for over 100 years (Wood, 2010).
Impact of successful logo design on its awareness
The above research was conducted with a purpose to explore what make a logo successful and cites out features that more or less have an impact on its success. These factors were very important to understand and assess the level of awareness of a logo. When people hear about a company, they want to see the visualization of the company in very short, memorable expressions and in one image. In fact, this need of the customer suggests the importance of a successful design. This is the only way to get acquainted with a company or a service without having the necessity to be in a launch of a product, or a press conference.
Humnabadkar et al defined brand as a value proposition and a contract between user and product experience. A brand is also a name, term, sign, symbol or design , and constitutes the coherence of logo and brand at a greater extent. (Humnabadkar, Mather, Vogel, 2003) This confirms the hypothesis by stating the unanimity of logo and brand awareness tactics.
As far as the already known products are concerned, logos trigger people s memories of previous experiences with the company and other implementations of the logo, leaving a greater impact than words alone can do. This is the simplest and most direct way of promoting a business presence and raising its brand awareness a logo describes a company or organization without a lengthy explanation (SmashLab, 2010) (p 6)
If we try to think of companies as Coca-Cola or FedEx without recalling their logos, we will get lost. These companies have established an identity with their logos, which greatly impacts their sales. If a logo appears amateurish, so will be the public s perception of the company it represents. A well-designed logo will help to increase visibility and, in turn, sales.
Conclusion
This research will finally land on a conclusion that initial planning and research has the greatest influence on the success of a logo. The listed features Distinctive, Sophisticated, Conceptual, Relevant, Versatile, Cohesive, Simple, Attractive, Legible, Memorable, and Enduring are extremely important, but the most important factor is that the listed features constitute as a unique ensemble. Here is the top factor that will definitely ensure a logo stay longer and be remembered for centuries. This can explain also the fact why there is a tendency to keep the logo to initials and the brand name. It tells the story of the company. The logo, in fact should tell not only the story, but the history of the company (Gernsheimer, 2008). Elements of design create a brand experience, strengthen differentiation, sustain competitive advantage and finally, help in acquisition and retention of consumers.
It can be inferred from the following research that brands function at multiple levels in a consumer s mind and in diverse market segments. The use of different media to disburse a brand s message further leads to varied interpretations by the receiver of the message. However, brands do not always use the same tactics and always have to find innovative solutions to get to the customer and befriend for a longer period of time. But this approach is meant to give them a distinct identity and personality. It does not leave the importance of professional approach to a logo design.
Graphic design, product design, user-centered design, and identity design are important design elements that create a brand. The important thing to note is that the mix of these design principles will vary depending on the product and brand. Also, one has to understand the nature of the product and service to apply design principles. Hence, the mix of various types of design set will change depending on the brand image aspired for.
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