| You have just opened your business and are | | | | and purpose. If you are a small, local business, |
| about to place your first ad in the newspaper or | | | | with customers located within your city, having a |
| Yellow Pages. The rep asks you if you have a | | | | logo probably serves no real purpose, other than |
| logo. Gulp. A logo? You panic and realize you have | | | | giving you a unique identity. If you do a lot of |
| to have one and fast. After all, every business | | | | mixed-media advertising, such as TV, radio, and |
| has a logo and look how successful they have | | | | newspapers, the logo can help tie your |
| become. Check out Coke, Microsoft, Honda, | | | | promotions together and create a branding |
| Wal-Mart, and the list goes on and on. So you | | | | awareness. For example, if a business called, |
| grab the local directory and pick a graphic | | | | "Party Heaven," uses a red balloon with angel |
| designer or ad agency and get moving. Thousands | | | | wings on it's signage, it's smart to carry that logo |
| of dollars later, you present the new logo to your | | | | through all it's advertising. Also, a company with a |
| ad rep and are well on your way to success, | | | | national scope that has multiple locations or a |
| fame and fortune. After all, now you have a | | | | country-wide franchise, needs to have a |
| logo.Let's back up. Take a look at the process | | | | consistent theme that's aided by a well-conceived |
| where a business is born and think about the | | | | logo and color scheme.But the local plumber or air |
| timeline. When Bill Gates began tooling with | | | | conditioner repair service mostly likely doesn't |
| operating systems for Microsoft, did he begin by | | | | require a cute or complicated logo, to satisfy their |
| designing a logo? If you look at the first | | | | customers. They can simply market and offer |
| Coca-Cola logos, you wouldn't even recognize | | | | good service to build their client base. Especially |
| them today. Other companies simply resorted to | | | | when there are hundreds of plumbers, all using a |
| their initials such as RCA, IBM, or UPS in a slightly | | | | wrench or pipe as a logo in the Yellow Pages. |
| distinctive typeface. You see, their focus was | | | | There obviously must have been a run on clip art |
| actually on the business, rather than the public's | | | | that day. I knew one that actually used a toilet |
| perception. Later, they would hire advertising | | | | with something dark floating in the bowl in their |
| agencies to do the promotion and, if warranted, | | | | ads. Ergo, a lousy logo can actually hurt a |
| promote their logo.Can a logo build a brand and | | | | business's image.So, to summarize, a logo is |
| make the company more money? Of course it | | | | something that derives a well-implemented |
| can. Branding is a huge business in itself. It's been | | | | business plan. It can enhance and establish the |
| proven in surveys that people remember certain | | | | company's image. But it shouldn't be relied upon |
| logos better than past Presidents or world capitals. | | | | for attracting customers or making up for a |
| But these international symbols took time to be | | | | weak product or service. After all, when all is said |
| established and the company became successful | | | | and done, it's still a miniature piece of artwork. |
| on its on merits first. They built a following and | | | | You can look at one of my creations by going to |
| customer base before marketing the logo as their | | | | and check out their logo. It's the lamp of |
| representative. If Nike had begun with their | | | | knowledge and well known to most nurses. In the |
| stylized 'V' followed by their slogan, 'Just Do It,' | | | | meantime, consider your business and what a |
| how would anyone know what they were selling?I | | | | logo can do for you. And if you're a plumber, pipe |
| have been an advertising consultant to thousands | | | | down.Jeffrey Hauser's latest book is, "Inside the |
| of businesses and designed hundreds of logos. I've | | | | Yellow Pages," which can be viewed at was a |
| never seen an awful business made better with | | | | sales consultant for the Bell System Yellow Pages |
| an award-winning logo. Conversely, I've seen | | | | for nearly 25 years. He graduated from Pratt |
| many successful businesses that thrived for | | | | Institute with a BFA in Advertising and has a |
| decades without any logo at all. Most of them | | | | Master's Degree in teaching. He had his own |
| used their name in a variety of type styles that | | | | advertising agency in Scottsdale, Arizona and ran |
| were easily read and, instead, communicated the | | | | a consulting and design firm, ABC Advertising. |
| nature of the company. "Fred's Fine Custom | | | | Currently, he is the Marketing Director for |
| Homes," or "XYZ Creative Web Design," still gets | | | | thenurseschoice.com, a Health Information and |
| the message across.It all depends on your market | | | | Doctor Referral site. |