How many brands do you immediately recognize just from seeing their logo? For something so small, a logo holds a lot of responsibility. After all, it is how you represent yourself to potential clients and customers. A bad logo can harm a business. So, how do you design a logo that represents your company? And how do you get it out there?
Keep It Simple
Believe it or not, many companies make the mistake of making their logos too complicated. Start with a shape and keep it simple. Is there a shape that represents your business? For example, a roofing company may want a house logo, or a box company may use a box. Simple shapes like circles, hexagons, and rectangles all work well too.
Think About The Details
Next, think about the image. Keep it as clean as possible. Logos can become too confusing if there are too many elements. Think about colors and fonts. For example, a company that makes stuffed zebras will want to use the colors black and white. All colors have meanings. Blue, for example, represents trust, loyalty, trust, and faithfulness. Red often means courage, danger, heat, and love. White means honesty, beginning, and cleanliness. Keeping your logo unique will help your company stand out next to similar companies. Think about your logo being used for t-shirt marketing and being scaled down in size – will it still be recognizable?
Tell Your Brand’s Story
The logo must look good, but it should also tell a story. Your logo is the doorway into your company. When looking at your logo, a customer should get a feel for your company’s personality, mission, and values.
Test It Among A Selected Audience
Once the logo is complete, it is time to take it out for a test drive. Show it to shareholders, business partners, and people with whom you value their input. Take their feedback to tweak the design.
Put It On A T-Shirt
Now, the logo is ready to be revealed to the public. T-shirt marketing is one of the most effective ways of getting your brand seen. However, your marketing budget may not be as big as you like. It is possible to get quality customization without breaking the budget.
Start with the t-shirt blend. The most popular and least expensive are cotton shirts. Next is a poly-blend. Limit the number of logo placements. The more places the logo appears on the shirt, the more it will cost. However, that does not mean you can not be creative. Maybe you want the logo placed on the back or sleeve of the shirt. To make sure the logo looks crisp and clean, limit the number of colors. It is cheaper too. Finally, look for quantity discounts. It may be less expensive to order 100 shirts as opposed to 20. For t-shirt marketing, you want to choose a well made shirt as well, to show your potential customers that quality matters. Don’t settle for the cheapest option.
Finally, how do you choose a printing company? Start by asking to see a print sample. If the sample looks sloppy, so will your shirts. Next, make sure they explain their different printing techniques and choose the one that works for you. Inquire about turn around time. If you are doing a trade show in four weeks, you want the shirts before then. Price is a factor. Make sure to get a breakdown of all of the costs. Ask about their quality control policy. What if your shirts have errors? Finally, do not forget to consider their customer service. Are you getting all the information you need? Good customer service makes a difference.