How To Choose a Logo | Travel Research Online

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How To Choose a Logo

Are you recognizable?  Take a look at the items within your line of sight.  Recognize any brands?  Who made the phone, the computer you are working on, the printer sitting on its stand?  The chances are pretty good on each is a logo which acts as a symbol for the company’s brand.  When you see the apple with a bite taken out of its right side, you know it’s not an apple – it’s an Apple.

As I indicated in my Publisher’s Corner article today, a company’s visual system is a very important aspect of marketing. Most visible is the company’s logo, but the type face, the colors you use and the layout are all key components of making the whole work.  We tend to pay the most attention to the logo, but over time the elements may begin to drift away from the standard you originally set. New brochures, newsletters, your Facebook page may all use a slightly different variation of each element.  Eventually, your visual system can fall apart.  So this week, let’s look at polishing it back into shape.

Your logo is your business coat of arms – an extremely high profile and visible part of your branding. You want it done correctly. Choose a designer that has created other logos you like. Go local if possible, just as you want others to book their travel locally! If you do not have a local service, use an online service providing professional looking logos for a modest cost. Unless you are an artist, don’t even consider doing it yourself. Clip art logos send only one message: “Do it yourself.” Not exactly a great message to be communicating to potential travel clients.


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Show the designer logos you like and admire. See if you can verbalize why you like particular logos. Chances are it has to do with the archetype the logo projects. Your feelings about other logos are a good indication of the direction you will want to head with your own. When you engage someone to design your logo, spend time speaking with them about your business. Your logo has to convey your core marketing message in a non-verbal, almost instinctual manner. It has to evoke the sense of your company’s positioning at a glance. Whoever designs it should do so with those things in mind.

Make sure the designer understands what you do as a travel consultant. Talk to the designer about your company archetype: is your company more “Apple Computer” or “IBM”? Is it more “Virgin Atlantic” or “Delta”? Is it more “Mountain Dew” than “Coke”? Is it an “explorer” archetype or a “wise old woman” archetype? Decide how you want to project your company image because very literally your logo is a company image. Create a list of adjectives that describe your business – it will help you arrive at an archetype.

Choose a color based on the same considerations.  Engage your designer to provide you with logos in both color and B&W. It has to look good in both. Remember it will be sometimes seen in B&W (faxes, photocopies, etc). All of the elements of the logo should be visible and discernable in both large and small format. Stay away from fine detail that looks fine on a window but will be lost when the logo is small enough to fit on your business card. Have the designer give you your final in a variety of file formats and sizes. Some should have a transparent background. Some should be low resolution for the web and some high resolution for print.

Your logo is your company’s coat of arms. Choose wisely.

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