Tips for Updating Your Logo

Start with a Brand Audit

Whether you are a client or a designer working on a new logo for a client, do a brand audit of old advertisements, products, logos, photos, letters, and whatever else the company has in its back catalog. Then, do some in-depth research on the competitors in the industry and identify where the client sits in that ecosphere.

Mine for Stories

Remember that exceptional brands are often built on anecdotal stories. If you can tell me a story that tugs at my heart, it will tug at the consumer’s heart too. You want to convey the essence of those stories within the brand, so engage the people of the brand into telling you stories, because those end up being the foundation.

Strive for Consistency

When you are designing a logo, you are trying to convey the level of professionalism of the brand so that consumers see there is consistency in the company. Consumers think, If they are consistent with how they treat themselves, they will be consistent with how they treat me.

Remember That People Assume

We bank on the idea of assumptions. People can’t vet every decision they make. They make decisions based on what they think they know. We all know very little about actual brands, but I bet you could go on about what you think you know. So, give the consumers something that they can base their assumptions on.

Lose the Literalness

If there is a sin in creating a logo, it’s trying to be literal. You’re trying to convey an essence. Coca-Cola doesn’t make you think of cola visually. It reminds you of everything you’ve grown to know about Coca-Cola.

The Name Is Not Always Necessary

A logo may have aspects that are descriptive, but you don’t need to describe a logo with the company’s name. The logo is the vessel, container, or skin through which you are imbuing those things that are all about the company that makes whatever it makes or sells . . . even if it’s drywall.