Stephen G. Barone and Susan H. Dineen

barodine marketing communications/research/design

Introduction

Choosing among potential logo designs for your company shouldn't require a leap of faith. Instead, evaluate each candidate with the following factors in mind, making compromises in favor of those uses that have the most impact.

For example, you're probably more concerned about the aesthetics of your catalog than you are about your packing slips. So you would want to use colors and graphic elements that look better for the catalog and not worry so much about the packing slips.

Of course, the choices aren't always that easy: How your logo design looks online can be just as important as its appearance on your printed collateral—maybe more so. Maybe not.

As for its utility, choose a logo design that will allow you to scale back its complexity for other purposes. For example, you might want to just lift a portion of the logo design for a baseball cap, or remove the tagline from the logo if it’s elsewhere on your product, stationery, or whatever.

Some possible uses of your logo design:

• Catalog Covers
• Letterheads
• Invoices
• Packing Slips
• Newsletters
• E-commerce
• Business Cards
• Billboards
• Televsion
• Sponsored Events
• Trade Show
• Banners
• Coffee Mugs
• T-shirts
• Windbreakers

Other considerations:

• Will your design logo be embossed or embroidered on headwear or clothing?
• How will it look when relatively larger or smaller?
• How will construction materials react to the sun, water, or other elements to which it might commonly be exposed?

Regarding color:

• Deeper richer colors impart sophistication.
• Primary colors are seen as more fun & whimsical.
• If multicolored, how will it appear in gray scale?
• Upon what color backgrounds will it appear?

Stephen G. Barone and Susan H. Dineen are principals with Barodine Marketing Communications/Research/Design, a general contractor of creative and analytical marketing talent to the science, technology, engineering, medical, professional, and general business communities.