A lot has been written about the logo designs of different car companies, but what of the many stores that offer products and accessories for these expensive machines? As you will see in the following ten examples, these auto stores must have a brand and a logo design that is just as professional and attractive, drawing in customers that want to maximize their car’s performance and appearance.

1. Advance Auto Parts Logo Design

The Advance Auto Parts logo design includes a checkered flag, a symbol widely associated with the speed and high technology of racing. The black and white colors tie into this positive image, while the red is attention getting as well as a color that inspires movement. The bold, slightly slanted lettering gives a feeling of strength and movement that is highly relevant to this industry, while the tagline communicates a key value of this store and the people who shop there.

2. VIP Parts, Tires and Service Logo Design

We see variations of the same themes in this logo design as in that of Advance Auto Parts. The checkered flag is used again, this time in a more wavy shape that bolsters the feeling of movement. The writing is bolder, with serifs. While the writing itself is not slanted, the serifs are angled slightly to achieve the same affect. The red is another element in common, although in this case it is a little darker for a more modern feeling. Instead of a tagline, the wording below communicates exactly what products are offered at this business.

3. NAPA Auto Parts Logo Design

Rather than a classic red, black, and white color scheme, this logo design uses a soothing blue and a golden yellow, which give the impression that this company is in the business of solving problems. The hexagonal shape is reminiscent of a bolt head, which is appropriate to the industry. The white color around the lettering adds contrast, while the rounded yet thick letters communicate that this business is strong but approachable.

4. AutoZone Logo Design

This logo design is all about movement. The rectangular shape to the left has movement lines through it to give the impression of acceleration, which is underscored by the slanted lettering. The letters are thick and round, without serifs or other details that would detract from the image. The red and orange color palette is dynamic and sure to draw in the eye. The AutoZone logo is a good example of how the simplest shapes can be combined to create enormous impact.

5. CarQuest Logo Design

This logo design features a shield shape, which communicates strength and tradition, but it is drawn slightly asymmetrically to create visual interest and balance. The red of the logo draws in the eye, while the blue that is given equal space promises a calm experience. The writing is bold and rounded to give a strong yet friendly feeling, a theme that is commonly seen in this industry.

6. Trick Flow Logo Design

Tubular writing in this auto logos relates to the ‘flow’ referred to in the name. However, the complex loops add interest and make this anything but a straightforward image while giving the logo a little retro charm reminiscent of old neon signs. The rounded shapes again give a user friendly feeling. The tagline below promises ‘serious horsepower’ to anyone who buys from this store. The red ties into the industry while inviting attention from people who pass by the locations. There is no image or picture, but in this case none is needed.

7. Les Schwab Logo Design

This West Coast tire and auto parts store has an ultra-traditional logo that incorporates many elements common to this industry while still creating a unique and relevant whole. The rectangles and squares seen in this logo design give a feeling of straightforwardness and honesty, while the red and yellow are a common color scheme in this industry. Blue and black accents add visual interest. The entire logo is angled to give that all important feeling of movement.

8. Western Auto Supply Logo Design

Again we see the checkered flag image that is common in this theme, although in this case the image is a little more abstract and includes not just black and white, but an eye catching red as well. The orientation suggests movement, but the solid writing gives an all important feeling of stability that is key in this field. This logo design is very simple, but still offers a brand promise and important clues about the business itself.

9. Summit Racing Equipment Logo Design

While rounded shapes are common in this field of business, Summit Racing Equipment is all hard angles. The S is drawn to look like a lightning bold, which communicates speed and swiftness. The red and blue color palette is by now a familiar theme, but in this case is patriotic shades of red, white, and blue that are used to give an all American feeling. The writing again is angled to make the company feel like a constantly moving organization, while triangular accents in the font tie into the name while lending a feeling of strength.

10. O’Reilly Auto Parts Logo Design

This logo is an important part of this brand, with Kelly green color and a shamrock image adding to the Irish company name. Other than that, this logo is consistent with others in this industry, both in the red color and the use of bold yet rounded lettering. The tagline promises a company filled with ‘professional parts people’, which will be inviting to the growing number of people who are baffled by the inner workings of their cars.

Web navigation menu is one of the important elements of a good Web design. Since online visitors are always looking for information, your navigation menu helps them find the info they need at the soonest possible time.

Though a simple menu will do, many Web designers are experimenting with different techniques to enhance online experience. There is a comprehensive analysis and numerous examples at Smashing Magazine about the current trends on navigation menus.

Among these items, I find the use of vertical tabs very appealing but quite risky since most online users are not yet acquainted with this style.

But if you’re just starting with your site, do not forget the basic elements of a web navigation menu. For instance, try to use conventional yet creative icons like shopping cart so it will not be hard for customers to look for the appropriate links.

In like manner, use basic terms such as “About Us”, Products/Services, Sitemap, FAQ, and “Contact Us” to avoid any confusion and frustration on the customers’ end. If you terms exclusive to your industry then do not hesitate to use it. The idea here is to help all your online visitors get the right information as few clicks as possible.

With so many companies offering affordable and high quality Web design services, some entrepreneurs rush to set up their online store without clear goals and web strategy. If this seems to be you, better STOP now or suffer the consequences later.

Here are some questions you should answer before getting in touch with your friendly Web designer:

1. What do you want to achieve with your Website? Is it for informational purposes only? A marketing tool to promote your products or services? A marketing tool to drive online customers to your brick-and-mortar business? Or a full-service online store?
2. Who are your target customers?
3. Who are your competitors? Spy on their activities, marketing campaigns and Web designs
4. Are you familiar with Internet marketing methods such as search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), e-mail marketing, PPC, and other techniques? Though many companies offer Internet marketing services, basic knowledge of these things help plan a good website.
5. How much is your budget for both Web development and basic online marketing?
6. What is your measure of success or ROI? Is it conversion, leads generated, traffic generated or online sales? This is connected with your overall goal raised in the first question.

A tag cloud is a navigation system which uses a set of keywords in different sizes, weights or colors. It gives your online users the big picture about the focus or contents of your Website. If you take a look at the tag cloud of productivity site Lifehack.org below, you can quickly spot that its thrusts are on productivity, communication, management and software.

Contrary to misconceptions, it is not created to replace your regular navigation system or categories but basically works as a support system to help online users visualize the contents of your site.

Tag clouds are commonly used on user-generated or Web 2.0 logos like Flickr, Hubpages, Technorati and many more. It does not mean though you cannot use it in your online business. Moreover, it provides added benefits which may prove useful to business owners. It can help you monitor the community trends, foster community participation and improve searching.

There are different types of tags. Commonly, it is arranged alphabetically with more emphasis on size or color on the commonly used tags. Others are using it according to frequency of usage or relative importance. In some cases, tag clouds are arranged based on the similarities of keywords.

For more insights about tag clouds, you can check out the following:

10 Best Practices For Displaying Tag Clouds
Tag Clouds Gallery: Examples And Good Practices
Design Tips for Building Tag Clouds

If you are running an online store, the product page is one of the most important parts of your site. Needless to say, having the right elements in your product page is very crucial in sales conversion.

Before you follow this improvement tips, try to understand the mindset of your customers about product pages. To them it’s a one-stop source of all information not only about your products but competitors as well. Here are some of the basic yet effective tips to improve conversion rates of your product pages:

Images

1. Provide at least 3 high quality images. Do not forget to use “see larger image” option to better appreciate the product.
2. If you are selling a wearable item show images that it is worn by your typical target customer.
3. Use white background to add some a simple yet elegant appeal to your product
4. Though it’s good to provide many images, consider also its effect on your page load. Unfortunately, patience is not a virtue of many online customers.

Product Info

5. Answer the question, “Why you should buy this product?” Emphasize the key benefits or advantages of your products or services compared to competition. Be careful not to exaggerate.
6. Offer both the overview of product (short description or summary) located at the higher portion of your page and detailed information (specifications, additional features, positive and negative testimonials) below the fold.
7. Adjust the wordings to the comprehension level of your target customers.



8. Add “call to action” phrases such as “add to cart” or “buy now” to encourage purchase. You can also highlight the savings or discounts in case you’re offering it for a limited time. Place it either on the right-hand portion of the screen or below your short product description.

Extra Features

9. Include product a comparison chart in case you have other similar products or services which a customer may want to evaluate as well. You can even compare your products against leading brands, if you’re confident about your distinct advantages
10. Include a “related products” link to encourage more purchase. Follow Amazon.com’s system called “What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing Items Like This?”

For many entrepreneurs engaged in online business, the biggest concerns are improving search engine rankings and conversion rate. Indeed, it would be very difficult to generate sales and sustain your business without these factors. Unfortunately, some forget about the importance of a good Web design.

Strictly believing that more traffic would result to better sales, they tend to forget that a website must be user-friendly to foster loyalty and return visits.

In the words of Stoney deGeyter at Search Engine Guide, “SEO and SEM without good usability is like inviting people out to eat at a rat and roach infested restaurant. You may bring people in, but you won’t make them happy.” He then expounded on this idea and made this conclusion:

By fixing usability issues you can sell more while without having to spend a lot of money always trying to bring in a lot of new traffic. A little goes a long way. Once you are able to increase your conversion rates, every dollar you spend on marketing and SEO will be more effective and have a much bigger impact on your profit margins.

If truth be told, SEO and Web usability are interdependent of each other. But before you let in anybody to your house, make sure it is presentable and comfortable. So, which comes first? I guess you already know the answer. For more tips on how to improve your Website, check our Web development archives.

Whether you are the Web designer or the client, your end goal is the same – improve Web user experience. Given the multitude of competitors online, you have to make sure every online visitor enjoys and stays as long as possible to your site. Of course, the key is to understand the needs your target market. Still, here are some general tips to improve your site:

1. Simplify. Make things a lot simpler for your visitors by automating some of the processes and providing relevant tools. It will help your visitors focus on their tasks. Below is one of the calculators provided by financial rate information company Bankrate.com to help their online visitors.



2. Create a habit. Human beings are creatures of habit that’s why most of us find it very hard to change. Knowing this human tendency, your Web site should also train users to do any task in similar manner. Repetition is a very important aspect here. Your checkout, for example, must follow the same process and click the same commands to avoid confusion or frustration.
3. Include Printing Options. Since many online users are comfortable reading articles and making their notes on paper, there should be an option for them to print the articles they want properly. This is important for a site with many articles or blog posts such as newspapers. Every article in The New York Times has print, save, e-mail, and share options for the benefit of their readers.

Whether you’re an aspiring graphic designer or not, there are times when you need to manipulate or edit images according to your needs. You might be blogger looking to improve the images in your site or simply an avid collector of memories. At the end of the day, most of us are after the same thing – high quality images.

Good thing Vivien of Inspiration Bit shared about Picnik, a FREE online image editor which allows you to manipulate photos to fit your needs. To make this tool more useful, you can install it as a Firefox or Internet Explorer add-on so you can just press right click on any image and you will have an option to pull that image to Picnik site for quick editing.

No need to buy expensive software like Adobe Photoshop for basic editing or download free graphic software and spend time to learn it. You just need an Internet connection and a Web browser.

It can be a stand alone application as well for non-heavy users. To make our lives a lot easier, it enables us to edit directly from popular sites like Flickr, Photobucket, Picasa, and Facebook.

Picnik users can rotate, resize, sharpen, remove red eyes, and crop images as part of its editing functions. Looking at the sample image above, you can add text, shapes, frames, touch-up, and effects like sepia, black & white, matte, and many others as well.

Standard features are free of charge. If you love this simple tool and happen to be a heavy user, you can upgrade to premium account for only $25 per year or around $2 per month.

Via Graphic Design Blog

If you want to build your customer database, using an online registration in your Website is a big help. Of course we want to get as much information as possible to make our marketing approach more effective.

Here lies the problem. With privacy a very big deal these days combined with numerous identity theft cases, it is very hard to convince online users to provide their personal information to any Web site, particularly startup companies.

According to a survey last 2005, ninety percent of online users want to be anonymous when they are searching and almost all hate unsolicited information.

If what you’re offering for free is really tempting, some online visitors are willing to give their personal information. Unfortunately, most online registration pages are quite long that many visitors dare not continue.

Marketing Hipster has a good experiment you may want to try. Just get ask for basic information in your online registration: first name, e-mail address, and Zip code.

With that information, I can contact this person again, I can personalize that next communication with his or her first name and I know what part of the country they live in. Now if I created a site that offers people something of value they will want to come back time and time again and as they come back again and again, I can ask them further questions about themselves.

The key here is providing something that is very useful or valuable to your target market. Moreover, explain the reasons why you want to get hold of their personal information. Believe me this can lower their defenses if you do it correctly. Otherwise, you will be stuck with just that 3 info and it will be a matter days before they unsubscribe.

In running your online business, there are many ways to improve your conversion rates. You can hire experienced copywriters, offer freebies, add audio, and many other tactics. But do you know that adding a simple logo can help improve your conversion rates?

Using Security logos like VeriSign, Better Business Bureau (BBB), and Hacker Safe is one of easiest way to build trust to your online visitors. This will put your customers at ease when sharing their credit card and other important personal information.

The survey conducted by IBM has shown that 70 percent of online shoppers will buy from a trusted Web site, while more than half of Americans are “very concerned” or “concerned” to buy from an unknown online retailer. Simply translated, using security logos is no longer an option but a necessity.

Many Internet marketing experts including the ultra-exclusive StomperNet have conducted several tests to measure the impact of security logos in conversion rates. The Conversion Doctor Eric Graham shares the results of his tests on this subject.

More importantly, he also pointed out the importance of putting these security logos in the right places. It can be at or near the header area, somewhere in the right hand side, and under the “call to action” of your sales letter page.

Security logos work on email campaigns, too…

Maximize your security logos by integrating it in your email marketing campaigns. Marketing Sherpa is generous enough to share the positive results of its case study on the subject.

When something is fashionable, everyone wants to be in style. But the current styles disrupt the reader’s experience. In reviewing hundreds of sites as a judge and receiving submissions for the CSS Collection, I discovered lousy content trends. Daring to be different often leads to sacrificing experience, usability and credibility. Here are five ways to instantly improve a Web site.

1. Avoid grey text on light backgrounds

Recently, the design industry decided black bored, so it was time for something different — gray. Somehow this trend caught on as many designs dumped black text for gray.

Black worked. That’s why it was boring and overused. Our monitors typically display colors differently. What I see as strong gray may appear as light gray on your monitor. Most shades of gray on a light background strain the eyes. The problem is worse on monitors that turn regular gray into a shadowy gray giving text a ghostly, hard-to-see look.

Black is hard to miss. Black makes finding links easier. Black is cool. Black needs to come back.

2. Use a larger default font size

Web 2.0 style logo design changed the bad habit of small text, but many sites still shrink their default text especially on Flash based sites and flash logo designs. To make the situation more dreadful, small text in Flash appears blurry.

Though using the Internet is routine for most businesses, many visitors still don’t know they can increase the text size. Besides, it’s an extra step they shouldn’t have to take.

A site has a short open window to convince the reader to stick around. When seeing small text, do you think users stay on the site longer once they get what they want? Boost the text size, save a step and prolong their stay.

3. Avoid using big headers/banners

Web 2.0 also brings the trend of big headers with the Website’s title and lots of space around it. Whitespace works well, but not for headers. Big headers shove valuable content “below the fold” requiring the user to scroll to get the goods.

Vertical scrolling is a mainstay in Web browsing. Agreed. But pushing the important stuff off the screen lowers your chances of keeping a “just browsing” visitor and more so in the business world. Many sites use big headers complemented with a large image, which hides their content below the fold requiring scrolling to get to it.

4. Show readers what your site or business is about — quickly

How many visitors arrive at business sites through a search engine? As you know, search engines don’t distinguish the home page from the other pages. If visitors arrive on an inner page, will they know where they are? Will they know what this site or business does?

Sites need to quickly communicate what they do … on every page. A slogan, title or tagline usually takes care of this. However, not just any tagline will do. What does “We deliver high performance” tell you? Try this. Go to a search engine and enter a keyword for an industry. Randomly click on a few results and see if you can figure out what the business does.

5. Tell readers who is behind the site or business

When you can’t find an “About Us” or “About the Company” page, what do you think?

Though a business or site could be one of the more trustworthy ones, the lack of a decent “About” page hurts. An effective “About” page contains a summary about the company or site, what it does for its customers and includes biographies of people behind the company or site. Take care to avoid jargon. Even better, have an outsider read the “About” page to see if it’s understandable. Go the extra mile and name names accompanying them with photos.

Gain trust by posting privacy and security policies. A simple “We respect your privacy” next to the form requesting information works. You can have a link to the long, blah blah policies to make legal and for those who take this stuff seriously happy. You can turn “We respect your privacy” into a link to the privacy page or put the link in the footer.

Kick butt, take notes

I learned many of these lessons simply from surfing sites, noting first impressions and paying attention to what bothers me or disrupts the experience. If you’re about to embark on a Web design project for a real estate logos company, surf as many real estate websites as possible, noting the things that work and don’t work. Anything that prompts a feeling, note that too. If something makes you smile, note it. If something frustrates you, note it.

About the author

Meryl K. Evans is the Content Maven behind meryl.net, helping companies build relationships with clients and prospects through content. She is the author of Brilliant Outlook Pocketbook.

The corporate logos and their uncanny ability to linger in the human psyche always fascinates me!

They play with a few subtle lines, some dots, one or two colors and couple of shapes give birth to such a unique formation that resonate in the minds of the people for ages!

The logos become synonymous with the values and goals of any company. Thus a BMW logo sparks off the image of speedy luxury, the Nike logo conjures up the picture of a sporty lifestyle, the abstract Microsoft logo takes us to the mysterious world of codes and digits.

How does it happen? A simple graphics make the presence of a company felt worldwide! A symbol makes such an immense visual impact that the viewers rustle up a perception for the brand in their minds. When the perception is all positive, it culminates into huge business for the company.

Thus, logo becomes an integral part of your brand building efforts. If you want to stay abreast of your competitors by earning consumers’ recognition for your brand, you have to develop a logo for your company.

The best solution is to get the logo designed by a professional logo designer who knows how to add personality to logos for different products and services. But if you are short of budget, you can give it a try yourself by boosting up your creative ingenious. In addition to working on your creativity, you have to take certain points into consideration.

First you have to develop your brand strategy and logo concept. This is important because the logo is meant to give a visual expression to the values and goals of your company.

First articulate in your mind, what message you want to convey through your logo to your customers.

If your company sells a particular product or service, choose the theme on the basis of the product. As for example, choose food related themes for a restaurant business, a theme of alluring home for real estate business logo etc.

But choosing abstract theme is much difficult. As for example the organizations that are engaged in creative business, generally use the abstract themes in their logos.

The use of clouds in the logos of such firms is very common. In addition to that the logo should reflect your expertise in the field.

Secondly decide on the type of the logo are you going to use icon like that of Nike? Instead of experimenting much with shapes you can choose the safe option of symmetrical geometrical shapes that have an eternal value.

Also avoid being too illustrative in logo designing which are more suitable for the cause based projects like tourism ads placed by particular countries etc.

The best logo is a straight forward one using a unique font like those classic IBM, Coca Cola, Sony etc.

Last but not least, try to make a simple statement with your logo. In the world of logos, simple is the most powerfull. Think of such brands as Kellogg’s or McDonald’s and you will realize the value of simplicity.

In any field, the study and analysis of recent trends is important because it helps you to stay abreast of your competitors and helps you set your own style.

From an international perspective, logo designing is becoming increasingly competitive where new technologies seem to arrive every alternate day to make the designers more and more experimental with their jobs.

As a result, on the one hand we come to see some really original works of art; on the other hand the internet has become crowded with copies and copies of the copies and so on.

Even then, taking a glimpse of recent logo designing trends is helpful because it brush up your ideas about latest technologies and their uses. More importantly, by analyzing the trends, a serious designer can get the idea about the route to success on the one hand and the hints of the ways to avoid on the other.

Here are the major logo design trends from the recent past giving you an idea about the thinking patterns of the others.

The use of punctuations, smilies etc
With world becoming more and more connected through the worldwide web, the way people communicate with each other has been changed significantly. In this age of e-mails and instant messages, you can express with a whole new range of vocabulary. Thus the logos using punctuation logos marks have become quite common, just at the days of dotcom boom, the sign @ became the most predictable feature of the logos.

Wire styled logo
The extremely creative logo designers are using this style a la Picasso to create some really outstading logos. These logos created with few frugal and subtle strokes are expected to stay on for a few more years.

Reflections
This has been the most conspicuous trend in the logo designing in the recent past. In the world of logo designing this new style has acquired the name, the new drop shadow. This style has been widely adopted to give the hint of a greater world that apparently exists on the other side of the mirror.

Hot dog signs
These signs have been used in a number of logos to give expression to the motion or sound or any emotions. Just the same way, transmission beams have taken places in the logos of wireless systems to give expression to the sharing and spreading of information.

The presence of green
The color of green has found a strong presence in the logos of recent past. This is due mainly to the spread of organic products, boom in the spa business and like. Environment becoming the hottest issue these days, this trend is expected to stay.

You can collect the necessary spices from these trendy logos to cook up your own recipe. So take cues from the past to become the trend setter of the present.

There are certain symbols that we encounter frequently in our daily lives. Have you ever noticed how our brains jump to the image of the product that the symbol is associated with? As for example, one of my friends told me that every time she comes across an arched golden “M” in red back ground, she feels a hunger pang in her stomach. As for me, an apple doesn’t bring water to my mouth, but it reminds me of the Apple iPod which has been my trusted companion for many years.

This is the magic of company logo; it makes the company identical with a symbol. Over the years this symbol becomes the part of your subconscious and your brain takes no time to associate the company or the product with its logo. This is the point where a new brand emerges to rule the market!

As the market becomes super competitive, the alacrity of the marketing gurus shot up. A basic marketing strategy involves the spreading of the company name as far and wide as possible. But you need a tool to accomplish this marketing goal and thus the companies feel the need of having an exclusive logo to identify and publicize their presence in the market.

The logo designing is the first step to this brand building process of a company.

But!! There is a hitch!

You must proceed with caution before opting for this brand building strategy through logo! Why?

A logo can result into an image makeover for a company. Similarly a wrong logo can weaken your image in the market too. Logo after all is meant to reflect the value of your company. Remember those eight white stripes in the logo of IBM? For most of the people they represents the brand IBM’s state of the art technologies that put the company on top of the world. Or remember the logo of eBay which is reflective of great energy and dynamism that the e-shopping is all about. Can you imagine the possible impacts of IBM’s logo written on red instead of blue or eBay’s letters being on the same level? One can safely say that their visual impacts would have been lot less dramatic.

Thus visual impact is an important criterion for the successful band promotion through logo. So you have to have a logo for your company that makes your customers instantly brand-recognize your product or services that your company offers. But how do you get such an effective logo? It’s easy – just keep these points in your mind.

* Take the help of a professional logo designer who can rightly interpret the message your brand wants to convey to the customers through the logo.
* The logo should not be based on the current date; it should have elements in it to use it effectively for many years to come.
* Your logo must be used to distinguish you from your competitors and as such it must have a character of its own.

To wrap it up all: a logo can become a true brand ambassador for your company only when it rightly communicates your company’s message to your targeted consumers.

Logos create visual identity for the companies. One of the most creative branches of graphic art, these creative logos imbibe brands with instant recognition, and in most of the cases contribute to its success as well.

But are all the logos equally successful in giving brand recognition to the companies? NO. There are certain errors that may occur in the designing that weakens the brand value of the logo. Here are a few examples of such errors that are commonly found in the copycat logos that are visible these days in a number of websites.

The year 2006 saw the trend of adding reflection to the logos. But an indiscriminate use does not only make it cliche, a thoughtless use of this feature— just because it is a current trend— may make the logo irrelevant for the product. This is true of other features like use of droplets, smilies as well.

The basic teaching of successful logo designing is: resist the provocation of using too much gradients in your design. In such cases, the gradients become the major feature and distract the attention from the focal point. As such the objective of creating a logo is lost half way.

To enhance the visual impact, many logos tend to use screaming color. This is another blunder. Try to utilize as few colors as possible. If brand creation is the objective of your logo, you can never achieve it through the use of color only, as colors only distract the viewers. Instead try to interpret the message through minimalist use of basic hues. Just think about the IBM logo where the magic is created only through two colors.

Then there are the custom logos. You might be tempted by the urge of using cartoons of famous figures. But resist the urge; using the face of a person alive is a strict no no in the grammar of logo designing. Even if the person is dead, it does not look very creative to use faces of famous figures. Why take short cut? Work out more creative solution.

Another forbidden area is religion. Before using imagery, make sure it is not a religious symbol or an icon of national importance. In addition to religion, also avoid the use of any culturally sensitive imagery like that of national flag of any country.

Another thing you should keep off is the use of photography. Try to avoid all forms of complex imageries like clipart for the simple reason that they reduce the brand value of the company.

Just keep in mind that a logo is meant to promote a brand of the company and as such it must be apt and to the point. For logo designing remember one thing: simple is powerful. Before giving up to the temptation of creating complex symbolic logos, just think of the magic created by straight forward logos like that of IBM and Nike. Try to inflict the company’s characteristic traits into its logo—this concludes your job in success.