This post is a continuation of Logo Making – Basics

I said earlier to “Keep it simple! A logo should look the same at 100″ x 100″ and 1″x1″” However, scaling is NOT recommended using a bitmap, or pixel, image.  As in…if you zoom in on the image 500x…you should NOT see a blurry mess.  However, this limits you to vector, or illustrated, images.  Don’t think of these limits as bad, though…vector images are often simpler and easier to use as logos.

As for MAKING a vector image, I recommend Adobe Illustrator CS2® or higher.  If you don’t have a few thousand dollars for making the logo…I recommend something a bit cheaper like CorelDRAW X4®.  However, as long as the program you use can make vectors well…it’ll work.

The reason I recommend vector-based logos is this: no matter how big or small a vector image is, it is always crystal clear.  That way, the images on letterhead, memos, pens, business cards, and any other customized promotions are clear, clean, simple, and visible.

Remember this about logos…keep them simple and make them your own.  However….it gets hard sometimes.  The work is worth the reward…company branding that has your own touch in it.

Since I am in  a graphics design course (logo-making 101 if you will), I have a different view of making logos compared to many who USE them.  Hiring a designer can be expensive, so many smaller companies simply make their own.  Since I can see both sides of the deal…I plan to help ya’ll out with some basics.

-Stay away from the internet! Most images there can land you a fine or jail time for use of copyrighted images.  Just don’t do it.  (well, ok…use internet images for reference ONLY)

-Design in black and white FIRST, then add color. A big part that makes this essential is that a logo needs to be simple, visible, yet clean-lined.  Coloring an image prematurely can skew the vision, and thus leave some mistakes.

-Keep it simple! A logo should look the same at 100″ x 100″ and 1″x1″.   At the same time, use colors that make certain places ‘pop’, such as the name or philosophy of the company.  However, DON’T OVERUSE COLOR!

Here’s a bit of information for you…I’ll continue this topic in a later post.

This post is continued in Logo Making – Basics (Part II)

Here we go, into the Fall season of the year… with all sorts of events to participate in, sponsor, host, etc. There are simply hundreds of opportunities for prospect/client interaction with your business (just taking your local area into account) during this upcoming season of the year and every business should be thinking of how they can stretch that interaction into the remainder of the year(s) without trashing the immediate opportunities in the process.

We have a client with an outdoor booth (actually, a quite large display area) at a local event. This annual event, known as the “Sampler”, is basically a local outdoor festival of sorts… similar to a flea-market / bizarre / carnival / community pic-nic / etc.  (You know how some localized events are just hard to “pigeon hole”)

This client’s booth will be fun and exciting (hopefully) with a purpose to create a “buzz” about the company and their outdoor / playful / fun products. The message desired for this event is, “We’re fun, fun is affordable and we’re here.” Promotional products live past an event. They keep talking about your company.

The promotional product chosen to project the atmosphere of the booth/company into the coming weeks, months, even years was flying discs. These flying discs were printed with the company logo, along with contact info and a couple of product sketches.

The point… use your logo. Project your company image into the future, where decisions are made about what to buy or who to contract.

We are currently working with a local company (Cool Outdoor Stuff, Inc.) to assist them in their effort to make bicycle engine kits available online. You know what? I didn’t even know they made bicycle engine kits! Man,… I gotta get out more

These engine kits for bicycles are able to be bolted in place (they require a little bit of i-can-fix-this-myself mindset) and they basically turn your bicycle into a motorized bicycle! Is that cool, or what!

Anyway, just thought I would make a note for your round file — this local company (to their credit) recognized the value of using their logo as a major component of their sign. In their case, they painted a very large version of the logo on the end of their building (facing a major US highway) for many passing motorists to see over, and over, and over, and over… blah, blah… you get the picture.

Now they just need to order some promotional advertising calendars

Just think, customers will be walking all over you! How does that sound?

Well, actually having folks walking in and over your company logo entrance mats would be great… that is if you’re like most businesses and you like having customers. The branding impact may seem small, but that is not the case. The entrance mat is present at the door of your company, but without your logo (or custom message) on the mat there is absolutely no branding impact… NONE… ZERO !

The addition of your company logo to the entrance mats will brand both the entrance and exit activity of the customers or prospects who traffic your building.

If your interested, check out custom logo floor mats, and see for yourself.

A logo is important.  As it is used, it will come to symbolize your company.  The “using it” is the hard part.  A logo is not something to be plastered everywhere.  However, business cards, the building front, and letter-heads are perfect places.  Those are not all the places to use a logo though!  That will be the major part of this blog…where and how to use a logo.

See you soon!