I was
recently commissioned to design a logo for a new yoga clothing company. In my initial meeting with the client, they arrived
prepared with a written list of what they wanted their logo to look like and
they just needed someone to make it for them.
They envisioned a cut and dry process which would yield what they wanted
and nothing else would do.
Rather
than simply functioning as a workhorse to develop a logo that fits their vision, I urged them to allow me to take them through the steps
of successful logo development. I like to call it “logo enlightenment.” They
agreed.
I have
been down the road of “we know what we want so just make it” before and it
never yields a useful product for the client and at this point in my career I
was not willing to compromise my work. I
often have to remind my clients that they have worked so hard to get to where
they are, so why stop that hard work now? Logo development is not something
that should be thrown together like last night’s salad.
The
path to enlightenment is simple: 1) Discuss needs 2) Conduct industry
analysis, 3) Define your place within the industry, and 4) Develop a plan to
meet needs in a way that will be both unique and functional. It’s that simple
but I can’t tell you how many times clients want to skip these simple
steps. The time taken now will save you
much aggravation in the future and earn you great rewards from beneficial
branding. (This article does not attempt to go into the details of the survey
process but highlight the stages needed to yield a beneficial, useful design.)
Discuss Needs - Thoroughly.
As
is true with many clients, logos are thought of as a need to fill white space
on business cards. Luckily since my client was product oriented, they
understood the need for beneficial branding with everything to clothing tags,
in-store branding, catalogue and online marketing. The logo would appear on more than just
business cards. It would help define the brand.
Within
my questionnaire, I ask all sorts of questions pertaining to the use and
perception of the desired logo and brand. Since this was a new clothing
company, we did not have to overcome negative branding which is many times the
need with existing companies. In this
case, the underlying scenario was that this clothing line needs to define
itself in a sea of existing products. My client had several defining items with
their product line that I hoped to help them highlight.
Conduct Industry Analysis
Never
before had I been hit in the non-literal face by a branding search as I had
with this client. A quick Google search
yielded countless yoga studio and
yoga accessory companies of the same basic design: a lotus flower. (It just so
happens that my client also envisioned a similar design for their logo.)
 |
| The Lotus Flower Throughout Yoga Product Companies |
I
get it. The lotus flower is the national flower of India. It emerges from the
mud and brings beauty to an otherwise ugly situation. The image of the lotus
flower has built-in mental triggers for die-hard yogis since they see it at
every turn in their practice. But does that mean that my client will benefit
from taking the same route? Not necessarily. What this means is you don’t always need to be
so literal in your approach. Rather, go back to the 4 simple steps of logo
creation.
I
conducted a detailed review of the yoga clothing industry in the marketing
sectors they were hoping to launch in. After showing the results of step 2
(Industry Analysis) they were shocked to learn that their idea wasn’t exactly
unique. It was at this juncture that I
was granted permission to explore other options based on step 1 (Needs of
logo).
Define Your Place Within The Industry
At
this stage more so than any other, it is helpful to have a second set of eyes.
Business owners (rightly so) have a preset notion of what their business is. Some clients feel it is almost wrong to focus
on others in the industry for fear of copying or stealing ideas. This is where
they shoot themselves in the foot. By knowing the industry, inside and out, you
are able to better define where you stand and how you will be unique. For
example, my client offers a unique bamboo, organic clothing line that is made
in the USA that will appeal to eco friendly users. Rather than just appearing
as another yoga clothing company, by highlighting the attributes, my client
will stand out. With regards to logo development, it is important to keep these
factors in mind rather than just do what you think you should do to fit in. When we defined their place in the industry,
we went on to the next step.
Develop a Plan
Many
people think that once their logo is complete, that they are ready to hit the ground running.
Actually, a logo is just a portion of your complete marketing plan. If you have
a solid plan, the logo will be more beneficial and help serve as a foundation
from which you build your identity. In
other words, don’t put too much weight on the effects your logo will have on
your business.
I once worked with a fortune 100 company on a total rebranding
of the company. I was happy to hear that the CEO did not want to spend a large
portion of time discussing the logo, rather, she wanted to spend the majority
of our time on developing a solid marketing plan. By doing that, we were better
able to develop a logo that would fit within the framework of that plan.
By
following these steps, I was able to develop a meaningful logo for my client.
Since they launch of the company, they have seen a tremendous amount of growth
within the eco friendly community that appreciates the products (and is willing
to pay a little more for them.) Their path of logo development was an eye opener for them. They remain grateful for me pushing them through this process, and allowing them to see that what they had was something different than the rest, and therefore they shouldn't appear just the same as everyone else.
_____________________________________________
Hope Guyer
hguyer@gmail.com
*Please note that my client wished to remain anonymous within this article.
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