Plenty of people start with the logo because it's the first thing they picture about a business. It's nearly always the wrong order.
What a logo doesn't fix
It doesn't make people find you, it doesn't explain what you sell and it doesn't convince anyone to buy. A beautiful logo on a business that doesn't yet know what it is or who it's for is a well-printed label on an empty box.
When you do need one
- 01You're clear on what you do and who you do it for.
- 02You're about to print something: a sign, a van, packaging, cards.
- 03You're starting to appear next to other brands and you stand out badly.
- 04You feel awkward sending a quote looking the way it looks now.
A logo isn't an identity
The logo is one piece. What makes a business recognisable is the whole set: which colours you always use, which typeface, what your photos look like, how you speak. You can have a great logo and still look like ten different businesses depending on where you're seen.
What to ask for when you commission it
This saves you from hunting down whoever made it every time you need it at another size.
- 01The logo in vector format, which scales up without going blocky.
- 02Versions for light and dark backgrounds.
- 03A reduced version, for when only an icon fits.
- 04The exact colour codes and the names of the typefaces.