A logo can make a company stand out or disappear among its many competitors. But what makes a successful logo? Is it design? Color? Concept? Memorability?
 
What makes a successful logo changes from year to year, and designers are required to keep up with trends. But while creating a “trendy” logo might do well for the short haul, it might not make for a very successful logo in the long haul.
 
One key element of a successful logo is simplicity. If a logo is too complex and lacks legibility, the brain is unable to decipher its meaning. Too much detail, and the brain can’t remember it. One example of a complex, illegible logo is the 2012 London Olympics logo.

This logo looks like it was ripped out of my sketchbook when I was a 10-year old aspiring artist. The tiered year scheme is ineffective and illegible. In fact, had it not been unveiled as the number 2012, I would have thought it read Zor! (Which, btw, I found out is the name of an action packed Bollywood movie!)
 
As you can see by the example, the top-tiered number 2 looks like a Z, and the bottom-tiered 2 is disconnected and cannot effectively be read as a number. When this logo was presented to the public, I  just received my degree in graphic design. I I knew then if someone could design a logo like that and get paid for an impossibly horrible design, there was hope for me!
 
I saw many colored versions of this logo, but the pink version with yellow background shadowing is one of the worst because of its color vibration. Color vibration occurs when two highly saturated, complementary colors meet. Color vibration was used on web sites in the early to mid 90s. Oft times, a vibrant background set against equally vibrant lettering caused focal irritation and motion. Once in a blue moon, you might still run across a web site that is fashioned using a vibration color scheme. I tend to run from these sites as quickly as I accidentally stumble upon them. (Gah!)

Since we are on the topic of color, did you know different colors have different meanings? In fact, depending where you live, a color can have one meaning in, say, India but an entirely different meaning in America. When a designer creates a logo, special consideration must be given to the color scheme. Baskin Robbins realized this. The colors used in their logo subconsciously make us desire sweets. Lucky for them!

Another important element of a successful logo is its timelessness. When designing a logo, a designer must keep in mind the business would benefit from a logo that stands the test of time. McDonald's, Amazon, and Apple are examples of timeless logos. But none is more timeless than the Coca-Cola logo. In fact, I couldn’t imagine this logo looking any other way than it does now. Created in 1886, it wasn’t until the 1940s redesign that the logo remains relatively unchanged to this day.
 
A thoughtful graphic designer, like Bananafox, will keep these important principles in mind when creating a successful logo for your company. That’s why it’s important to hire a graphic designer with a degree and an intimate understanding of what elements make a successful logo.
 
Join us next time when we talk about different ways we can reach your target audience through clever advertising.

One of the biggest mistakes a start-up company makes is neglecting to brand itself. The owner may not wish to invest in branding because he feels it too costly and negates the return. This thinking is short-sighted, however, and neglects to address the importance of the company-customer relationship.

But let's take a step back. What is branding? Is it marketing? Well, not quite. Branding is a means of building loyalty with your customers. Marketing is a means of getting your brand to them.

To put it in more simple terms, let's briefly look at the group Metallica. Metallica is a heavy metal rock band that delivers a consistent and easily recognizable sound. Once you hear their sound and understand their style of music, you will recognize their songs on the radio immediately. They have a logo that is distinct from other rock bands and sets them apart. The group consists of 4 men who typically wear a lot of black. Their logo is representative of metal with sharp, heavy edges that creates a subliminal conduit to their heavy metal sound.

If you are even vaguely familiar with Metallica, you will immediately bring up images of their logo, the dark feeling of the band, the lead singer's distinctive voice, and you will know exactly what they sound like. And if you are a loyal fan (I'm not, although I do appreciate their single, "Nothing Else Matters"), you will know nearly as much as you can about them. 

Marketing, on the other hand, is the flyer young men and women who stand on sidewalks hand out to passersby informing them of an upcoming Metallica concert. Marketers learn as much possible about a brand's target audience. For example, marketers won't send a teenager flyers on purchasing a house just as they won't market pimple cream to the elderly. 

But how do you start branding yourself? How do you develop your "voice"?

First start by knowing your company.

• Do you understand its personality?
• What is the mission of your company?
• What is your company's message to its target audience?
• What is the product or service you are trying to sell?
• How are you better than your competitors?
• What do your customers think about your company?
• Is what your customers think about your company the same as your message?
• How do you want your customers to recognize you (and yes, that's important)?

If, as an owner, you cannot pinpoint the personality, look, and feel of your company, then your customers won't either resulting in confusion about your product or service.

Okay. Maybe you are starting to become interested in what I have to say. Maybe I'm starting to make some sense to you. If I got your attention, then the first thing you should do is clearly answer the questions above; that's actually the hardest part...getting to know your company. Once you are clear on who you are as a company, the next steps will be simpler:

• Create a memorable logo. Hire a professional graphic designer with the education and experience who shows a strong grasp of design principles. Amateur graphic designers are tempting if you want to save money; but an experienced designer will know how to brand your company properly creating a consistent "look" and "feel." They will do their homework on the competition as well.
• Choose a color scheme. Along with your logo, you will need a consistent color scheme that your customers will associate with your company. The colors are just as important as the logo itself! Colors can convey a mood or provide a subliminal message to your audience. Professional graphic designers will help guide you to to a color scheme that works for your company.
• Create a tag line. The tagline of Bananafox is "Sweet Design. Sweet Results." What will your tagline be?
• Create your own "voice". Just like Metallica, your company needs a "sound" your customers will recognize immediately. Start by creating marketing materials that bear your logo, tag line, and color scheme throughout. Make the designs and layouts consistent with one another. Hiring a graphic designer is a must here!
• Above all else, do not deviate from your "voice." When companies re-brand themselves, the reaction of their loyal customer base is typically one of disdain until they acclimate to the changes. Some companies even lose a small percentage of their customer base when they deviate from their brand or "identity." By hiring a professional graphic designer, you can ensure your brand remains timeless.

Sometimes re-branding is necessary, say, if the message of the company changes or the logo becomes too outdated. (A smart, professional graphic designer will ensure that won't happen.) Your customers won't like change unless the change is subtle or will benefit them in some way. Just imagine your parents wearing conservative clothes one day and the next wearing punk rock outfits. It's a shock to your system! Stay consistent!

By developing a company style and voice and staying consistent, you are guaranteed customers will easily recognize your company, understand your services, and stay loyal to your brand.

I hope you have a better understanding of what branding entails. Next time we will look at what makes a successful logo.

Graphic design is a means of quickly communicating a message to an audience. To understand how much graphic designs affect us in our daily lives, do a few of the following:

• The next time you are at an airport, pay close attention to the international symbols and signs used: a female and male separated by a vertical line, a person in a wheelchair, a large P in a circle, directional arrows. Did you understand their meaning without the aid of words?
• When you arrive at your travel destination, pick up a local tourist map. Note the illustrations. Do your eyes flow effortlessly around the map? Does any one, particular area catch your attention more? Can you easily locate a hotel or place to have dinner?
• While you're driving down the highway, look at the billboards vie for your attention. What made you notice one over the other?
• Pick up a magazine at the doctor's office. Notice the photography or artwork and read the captions along the front. Flip through it and pay attention to the ads. Does one ad in particular make you look more closely and take note? Why?
• Go to a bookstore and look at the books as soon as you walk in. Are there any that peak your interest more than others as soon as you enter? Are you already judging a book by its cover?
• If a car has an apple sticker on its window, do you already know what company it represents?

All of the above -- although not a comprehensive list -- are just a few examples of how a graphic designer communicates to you without you realizing it. 

A graphic designer can help you communicate a message. She can do it it quickly, she can even do it with no words, or she can do it with only words. The designer needs to understand how to use typography, color, illustration, photography, and copy to effectively transmit a client's message.

Let's take, for example, symbols. The symbols found at airports and train stations are international; they can be understood in all languages. You can travel from America to Germany and still know how to find a restroom. On a map, a symbol of a building is easily understood to be a hotel, and the fork and knife quickly tell you where you can get food. Symbols are one of the most powerful forms of communication! Symbols and maps are examples of Information Graphics. They quickly communicate important information to you. 

Ads in newspapers, magazines, flyers, and billboards are usually a call to action. In these forms, a designer works with the client to capture your attention; stand out from competitors; and get you to buy a product, call for service, or call attention to a need. Many companies invest in marketing campaigns to further call attention to their product.

For example, when you hear the words, "Just Do It!", what image do you see? What about "Got Milk"? Does that bring an image to your mind? Why?

Logos help identify a company. They can inform the public about your company, or they can be memorable. Two red bullseye circles immediately make you think Target without even saying the name. The image speaks for itself. It's memorable, and you associate it with a supermarket or department store.

The educated graphic designer knows that sometimes words are not enough to get a message across. She knows how to use lines, shapes, color, space, balance, hierarchy, texture, typography, scale, and overall harmony to help get a message across. By studying a client's target audience and its competition, a graphic designer can speak to the observer quickly without the observer knowing the message was in subliminal form.

Designers have become increasingly clever in getting your attention. Take the shot of this billboard as seen from a highway.

When designing a billboard, graphic designers know drivers have only split seconds to look at a billboard. The designer must be able to communicate with the driver in that split second. Do you think the designer did a good job of doing this? Do you think a child riding in the car seeing this sign might want the parent to stop at a store to get Hot Wheels?

This is, indeed a very clever form of advertisement. Kudos to this designer!

Although you might think it's smart to do something yourself or let a friend quickly design something for you, it takes a smart designer using all the weapons at her disposal to do it right and communicate your message properly. 

Next Time

Next time, please join me as I discuss how important branding is for your company.

​Don't take this topic lightly!

Ofttimes people use graphic designer and graphic artist interchangeably. And although we know a web designer works designing web pages, people may believe a graphic designer is well equipped to be a web designer too. But that is not always the case.

Let's take a moment and check out the some of the differences:
​

The Web Designer

I think this is pretty self-explanatory. However, some of you may think being a web designer is all a matter of putting a few pictures and words together. True, this sounds easy in theory but is much more complex. Web designers have an in-depth knowledge of HTML code. Like the curves of a lover, the web designer needs to know HTML intimately and understand how the code functions to create a harmonious layout. HTML is the C++ for web designers.

Web designers also typically attend a 4-year college to study HTML coding, color theory, hierarchy, balance, and flow. They also need to have killer copy skills to help communicate their clients' message to the visitor. Organizational skills are a must as these designers need to link complex web sites to different elements within the site. Think of a highly complex flow chart. Web designers use these to help them organize their web pages. They also need to know how to include complex databases within the HTML structure. Think of Amazon.com, its shopping cart, and its crazy amount of products. Each page you visit is a part of Amazon's site structure. Web designers are hired to help guide visitors to the site in a seamless fashion allowing for easy flow and navigation. 

Unless a graphic designer is schooled in web design, they are not web designers. They are able to help design web sites using CMS (Content Management Systems) or some may have a rudimentary understanding of HTML code. CMS is what hosting sites use to help non-web designers create and host their web sites. Wix is an example of a site that uses CMS. 

Welcome to my first blog entry...ever! My decision to start a blog is prompted by my observation of people's lack of knowledge about what a graphic designer is and isn't, as well as some fundamental basics in design that may help you understand what it takes to be a designer.

This blog welcomes potential clients, graphic designers just entering the field of design, experienced designers who are welcome to share their knowledge and experience, and anyone else who may have general questions about graphic design.

I would appreciate that this blog remain respectful to everyone using it. Please no swearing, threats, or other negative behavior. Demeaning behavior will not be tolerated.

Tune in when I discuss the differences between a graphic designer, graphic artist, and web designer. Many people use these three titles interchangeably; however, they are each very different.