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You know the logos of your favorite brands from a mile away. As if by some sort of supernatural force, your eyes perk up when you see the Starbucks logo lingering in the distance. Can we talk about how the company’s logo is so completely appropriate? What’s better than a siren to represent that uncontrollable longing for your favorite caffeinated beverage? You might have to have your friends hold you back while you yell, “Triple venti non-fat caramel macchiato! Extra foam! And a cake pop!”
Logos are important, no doubt about it. Not only do they help consumers identify your business, but they are also a crucial part of the brand’s identity. Elliot Abrams, former diplomat, lawyer and political scientist, once said, “First impressions matter. Experts say we size up new people in somewhere between 30 seconds and two minutes.” If humans are that quick to size up a human, with personalities as nuanced and complex as the universe itself, then how quickly will they sum up a brand? A bad logo is a lost opportunity to make a positive first impression.
However, many experts seem divided about the importance of a quality logo. In an article by the BBC, Robert Jones, a professor of branding at the University of East Anglia, says, “Your logo is how people recognize you, and it helps express how you’re different from your rivals- warmer, greener, stronger, and so on.”
What a brand tells about itself through its logo can allude to certain values or traits that make it more desirable than other brands. However, Naz Riahi of Huffington Post thinks this shouldn’t be an important concern for business owners. “I disagree with the great amount of emphasis put on logos… it’s a design decision. An important one that tells the consumer more about the aesthetic of your brand and its voice than its culture and its values.” Then again, is it not still important for your logo to reflect your business?
Some say that a good logo is especially important for small businesses. Dan Antonelli, the CEO and Creative Director at Graphic D-Signs, wrote on Entrepreneur that “If your branding does not make it look like you do great work, consumers may choose a competitor instead.” Smaller businesses are competing in a smaller arena, so any upper hand will make the fight just that much easier.
Though logos play a vital role in brand image, they’re not the only key to success when it comes to running a successful business. Rebecca Battman for the BBC is reported saying that “A logo is a simple and functional signpost to help people find and identify your business. But for a logo to be successful, the company behind it must be a respected and trusted brand.” It’s important to keep both logo and quality in mind when growing one’s business model.
People working within the industry stress the importance of five key aspects of a successful logo: simplicity, memorability, timelessness, versatility and appropriateness. For example, Starbucks changed its original 1971 logo from the full-bodied nude siren because the image wasn’t appropriate for its audience. Once a business has established a brand name, its logo will often evolve to show its changing image and success.
Though bystanders may write off logo design as easy, it’s anything but simple. It can take 20 hours or more for a designer to complete a typical logo for a client. In higher profile cases, such as Uber’s recent logo rebrand, creating a new logo can take months. Travis Kalanick, co-founder of Uber, told Metro UK, “The team has spent months researching architecture, textiles, scenery, art, fashion, people and more to come up with authentic identities for the countries where Uber operates.” It’s obvious that brands put a lot of thought into their logos and we can see why. If your logo is the face of your company, you will want it to resonate with people.
When old logos lose this ability to resonate with consumers, big businesses have been known to pay top dollar for new logos and the branding packages that come along with them. For example, Pepsi paid $1 million for its newest logo (all values include branding packages). The BBC’s new logo clocked in at a massive $1.8 million back in 1997. British Petrol (BP), however, takes the cake. They spent a whopping $221 million on their logo and branding package in 2008. (Ah, the cost of swaying public opinion. Who knew accidentally spilling 200 million gallons of crude oil would cost so much in the long run?) With the huge price tags that come along with redefining a business, one should be extremely mindful when choosing a logo design.
If you luck out, you might be able to get a logo for whatever chunk of change you have in your wallet right now. Daily Mail highlights that Nike bought its first logo for a mere $35. In 1971, its creator Carolyn Davidson was a mere Portland State college student. The co-founder of Nike, Phil Knight, happen to be an associate professor of accounting at the school. He commissioned Davidson to create a logo for his brand “Nike,” which was still in its infancy. She spent 17.5 hours creating the logo. Flash forward and her design has become one of the most iconic logos of our time! (If you’re concerned about her low payment, fear not. She later received 500 shares of Nike, which are now estimated to be worth around $650,000.)
Several companies won the jackpot when it comes to logo design. Twitter got its start with a logo worth less than $20. Business Insider describes how the company actually used a stock image for its first logo. (The photo included the iconic bird, of course.) In 2009, when they realized they weren’t allowed to use the stock image as its official logo (as per legality, of course), they switched over to their own rendition of the blue bird. It seems that they took a queue from Portlandia and “Put a bird on it!” Luckily, the avian design has carried them well through their history, with Wired estimating the company’s value around $10 billion.
Whether you’re starting a small business, redefining your brand’s social presence or just a bystander soaking it all in, there’s no argument that logos are an important aspect of a brand’s strategy. They are a first impression for potential customers and a quick look into what that brand is all about. We’re excited to see how brand logos will evolve in the future. (Starbucks, feel free to use that whole “being held back by your friends while you’re hypnotized into buying your delicious frappuccinos and pastries” image in your next logo. We’d be happy to pose for it. No charge.)
