It pays to undertake market research when designing a logo
Why it pays to undertake market research when designing a logo
Don’t think of a logo as just a simple form of identification for your business. Your logo serves much more importance and purpose in your business branding, it identifies, provides a visual identity and acts as your DNA for your business. Customers see your logo, interact with your logo, engage with your logo and most importantly with cohesive branding, will aid in building your visual presences in the marketplace. Think about it… your advertising is everywhere, Local Search, mail outs, social media, uniforms and your website, just to name a few.
So why do you need to do market research for logo design.
If you are designing a logo without market research your pretty much driving blind fold! That’s a massive comparison but it’s so important!
Your logo design must undertake market research, it is a HUGE must! It is the first step of any design process, whether you are designing a logo, business card, poster or campaign. All these forms of marketing and advertising should include some form of research.
So.. why write these blogs you might ask? I want to provide you with information so you can attain the knowledge and process involved in logo design (and graphic design) and to pinpoint the important aspects of each step. As a small business owner it can be daunting starting new! I know, I’ve been there and it’s countless errors and mistakes that has got me to where I am today.
Let’s think about this scenario.
Your starting a plumbing business in your local area, you decided you want blue and green in your logo (complementary colours which are very common), complemented with a nice clean, bold font, oh and you want a tap in there too. That’s it, go to your designer and tell them to go ahead! 2 to 3 hours work and your done? No no… stop there and think about this…
Here is what could happen if you don’t do market research. You drive down the road, and see a plumbing van with your colours, a tap and yep you have it a clean bold font (just like yours). You say…. Oh BUGGER! Yep not what you want to run into. And here is what happens next
You rebrand, new logo (more money), business cards, signage.
You continue on your way, hope that the logo isn’t trade marked, and you could potentially lose clients or respective clients as they may mistake your business for theirs.
So what can you do?
How your logo and your business branding looks, feels and comes across to your clients as is so important for your business. Brand awareness and brand recognition can make or break your business. So the visual identity (colours, fonts, logo, symbols etc) your clients see ultimately brands your business. You must undertake marketplace research (will depend what market your targeting etc) but the most important thing is to make sure your identity in the market place is unique, easily identifiable to your clients and is nothing link your competitors.
Needs some help with your logo and branding?