WHAT GOES WHERE…
So I was having a nose around Facebook as you do when I spotted a request in a group for feedback on a logo…
Those always pique my attention, obviously because logo design and branding are two of my favourite subjects but mostly because I’m that nosey.
So I toodled on by to take a nose.
Now first up. I rarely ever advocate posting for feedback on your logo or any element of your brand in large Facebook groups. Even small ones.
Your brand is a complex beast designed to bridge the gap between you & your perfect customers.
So if you’re asking a group of less than perfect customers what they think, while their thoughts are of course valid, they might not be of any use to you. So proceed with caution if you ever find yourself drawn to this.
Mostly I always think these posts are more of a LOOK AT WHAT WE’RE DOING kinda cry for attention rather than an actual desire for feedback. But that might just be my dark scepticism seeping out!
Back to the post about this logo.
Now the logo was ok. There were a few options that their designer had given them around a ‘theme’ and while the ideas were a bit dull, from all sounds of it the designer had interpreted the brief and done a technicality ok job.
If I’m going to guess here I’d say this was one of those 99design jobbies or something similar.
And that’s not to slate those style logo shops. If you’ve got your brand nailed and you know EXACTLY what you want then using some tho like 99designs is a great way to get a logo knocked up, on the quick and cheap.
However herein lays the problem.
- If you don’t know exactly what you want
- If you don’t have a clear brand guide to give the designer
- If you’re not a seasoned pro at communicating with designers…
Then what you’re going to end up with is at best a technically ok logo that you’ll be able to use. Not that you should!
And that’s what happened here.
The logo design while technically looked ok it was based on exactly what the client asked for. Which, again I’m guessing here, was something along the lines of…
“Hey, we’re hosting an event for [women] and it’s going to be in the style of [event theme] can you create a logo for use that says [name of event], thanks!”
Now I’ve seen enough design requests over my years to know that’s pretty much the first go at communicating what you want to your designer.
Which is why when you’re choosing a designer to work with if they don’t come straight back asking for more details.
And not stuff like “ok, what’s the date and time of that event” NO! That’s not what we need to know right now!
If your designer doesn’t come back asking more about you, your brand, your customers — if they don’t take 10mins at least to get a FEEL for who you are and what you’re trying to achieve with your design request. Be that for a logo, a Facebook cover, a flyer — do people even use flyers anymore!
Whatever you are designing, it’s the job of your designer to understand WHY first.
Ok. Back to the logo in question. And the initial point I jumped on here for!
The logo was designed to the brief given.
To create a logo to fit the theme of the event. And that’s what the designer did. Nothing wrong with that. Except the brief was wrong to start with and the designer should have fed back with something like…
“Great, id love to help you with this logo design, first up I’ve got some Qs so I can better understand your goals with this project, [insert Qs] I love the theme you’re going for, I’ve already got ideas flying around my head for how this will look on your event landing page and banners on the night, have you got designs for these in mind already? I’ll include some mock-ups of how the logo might look when used on [event materials]..”
Not only are they asking for more information, they’re showing interest in the bigger picture, and opening themselves up for further work too, but that’s not the main point.
The point being.
A logo does not need to cram a full theme onto it.
Your brand might be based on a theme but the logo doesn’t have to have the theme on it.
The logo can and should be a simple mark that reflects the characteristics of your theme, your brand style, your values, in its most simple form.
The rest of your marketing design can include visuals that show your theme in all it’s glory
And this goes for ALL campaigns for your brand.
It doesn’t have to be a traditional event, the same rule applies to an online event or your day to day content posting!
The themes, values, feelings, whatever you want to call them.
The overall message that you want people to feel when they see your brand.
DOES NOT NEED TO BE CRAMMED INTO A LOGO.
You don’t have to use icons and visuals in your logo that shout your brand theme.
Instead, keep your logo simple and timeless and let your ‘theme’ show through on the rest of your brand materials.
Confused about what your brand is & how, or where, or when it’s going to help you build that vision you have for your business
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Originally published at https://bydeesign.co.uk on November 13, 2019.
