Everyone has grown up around logos, even though at the time it probably wasn’t realized. Back in the day they were referred to as slogans, bylines,and advertisements. Most companies made up their own. For example “ We get Laundry Cleaner”, “ We have Better Service”, “ We have the finest beef” etc. As time went by, they substituted the name of the company for “we”, and had drawings or symbols attached to their banners and signs indicating what kind of business they were. A butcher shop might have a cow on it, a floral shop would have a vase of flowers, and a doctors would have a stethoscope. We wrote about the logo design history some time ago.
This is how logos began. As the computer age and graphic arts grew, and companies became more tech savvy, new logos were being developed at tremendous rates. Some worked right away and the companies kept them for decades only make a few changes here and there to keep up with the times. Others went through some long term growing pains before they found the right one for them. Still others experimented many times with different logos and ended up going back to the original, because it worked the best.
Logos aren’t just a line of words written on a companies sign, stationary, banner or advertisement. They are well thought out in advance and could take months of testing and experimentation before deciding on the right logo and putting it to use. There are many different types of font now and more being created each day. They may decide to create their own style of font for the logo. Then they have to decide on an icon. They need to choose something that is not already in use and not similar to another company’s icon. They want to create something completely original. The coloring of the icon and the logo are next. They want something that will stand out, be attractive and not garish. Although this doesn’t sound like a lot of work, it is.
Many companies will even hire other companies to run surveys and polls on different logo designs to see what the populace thinks. They may do this over and over again, adjusting or making small changes each time until they think they have developed the perfect logo.
Believe it or not, there are companies that can be hired that will do all of this. They will create the design for the logo, they will test it out among the public, they will redesign it, and they will even design and build the website for the company. Along with all of that, they will advertise it as well all across the internet, in the media, by word of mouth, in magazines and newspapers, and in anyway possible there is to advertise until people have seen it so much, they become familiar with it and the company it represents.
After this, all the company has to do is stand up to the quality of the products and services they say they will provide. Their reputation will grow if they can do this, and their logo will become even more well known and recognized. If they can’t provide what they claim, then the logo will do exactly the opposite of what it is made to do. People will come to recognize it as the logo of the company that cannot or will not deliver.
