Friday, January 29, 2021
10 minutes
Do you understand the impact your company logo design has on your business?
A company logo can make or break your brand! A company logo design is vital for your business because it quickly grabs the end-users attention and communicates the company’s core values. “It gives customers and clients the first glimpse into your brand identity” (Deanna de Bara, 2017). When designing a company logo, it is important to consider the following factors; the type of company and what it offers, its core values, its target markets, as well as its brand message, personality, and tone of voice.
In this article, we uncover the importance of having a company logo design, as well as elaborate on the logo designs that have been developed for Genwest, Vencor, Nelson Mandela University and House of Granite. The agility of these brand logos allow it to be applied to various applications, and most importantly suit and meet the needs of the company and its target market.
Have you ever considered how you can create a logo design? The type of colour you will use, or even the font you select. It is crucial to understand the vital importance that design elements can have on a logo in order to create the best one.
Would you buy from a retail brand such as Adidas if their company logo design looked exactly the same as Nike? I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t purchase from either brand because it would not be unique at all.
A logo is a good visual descriptor which should depict what your company stands for and what it can offer to its target market. It can also be used to differentiate your brand image from other competitors.
“Your logo communicates ownership. It can tell the potential customers who you are, what type of product or service you sell, or what benefit you offer consumers”.
One of the clients we are currently working on is Vencor. Vencor is a fully integrated manufacturing and distribution network that provides quality meat from farm to fork with an abattoir based in Polokwane. The Vencor slogan, Quality Meat on Time, Every Time perfectly describes the A-grade quality products and services they provide their customers on a daily basis.
The logo made a dramatic change from the old emblem based logo above to font-driven logo below. Later in this article, we will touch on what an icon represents and what a font driven logo is. If you have a look at the new Vencor logo, the icon is the ‘V’ in front of the text and it represents the two divisions of the feedlot and abattoir.
The green sharp pointed element on the ‘V’ symbolises the distribution movement from the feedlot to the abattoir to the end-user. However, the rule for this logo is that the icon would always be used with the supporting font and never used separately as used in the next logo design, Nelson Mandela University.
With Vencor’s packaging the ‘V’ element from the Vencor logo was used, this concept fuses the brand’s identity with simple representations of animals, creating unique Vencor labels that tie back to the brand.
“A well-designed company logo can communicate everything from the Company’s background to their mission and core values” (Tailor Brands)
A supporting logo is a logo that is designed to stand on its own - to be a visual graphic that is designed to accompany a font driven logo.
Nelson Mandela University had a similar logo type to Vencor, which was an emblem supported by the font. When the institution re-branded, its logo change was also similar to that of Vencor, having icons that represent symbolic logos and a supporting logo.
The "O" in Nelson and the "A" in Mandela have been turned into a circle and triangle that symbolise the values instilled at Nelson Mandela University - which are: diversity, excellence, integrity, and responsibility. In more detail, the circle within the brand name symbolises the globe, openness, and approachability, and the triangle represents growth and forward thinking. These are the characteristics traits that the institution stands for. The brand colours have meaning too. The university’s blue represents maritime, wisdom and stability, while yellow gives the sense of freshness, positivity, intellect, and loyalty" (J, Maggs, 2018).
This dramatic change from the old logo to the new aided to the approach of South Africa’s bold and revolutionary change. The supporting logos represented in Nelson Mandela university logo are in fact the circle and the triangle. These supporting graphics can be applied and used separately from the font unlike Vencor, the reason being it is effective and bold enough to stand alone.
However, where did the idea of using a circle and triangle come from? The icons were retrieved from the old university emblem that had the triangle and circle. With the new logo, we did not want to move too far from its old represented emblem and symbolism. Therefore, we incorporated the refined circle and triangle icons into the new logo.
Imagine a world with only one font type. Where would your company be if it had no uniqueness or tenacity? It would not stand out from its competitors that’s for sure. A font driven logo is a company logo that is a crafted typeface designed by letters.
"Powered by Challenge"
Genwest was established in 2002 and the company generates steel in various ways, such as comprehensive plate stock holding and laser cutting to mention the least. The font driven logo was designed in a way that the blue incisions would represent cut sharp steel and the colours (blue and grey) would represent the reflections of the steel. The agility of the logo allows it to be applied from signage to clothing, as well as incorporating the icons in the interior spaces. This type of logo was purely a font driven logo with aspects of symbolic icons within the typeface.
This is a graphic that is supported by a font. They are used to add clarity and they can either be an image, symbol or design.
Elegance Refined
House of Granite is a retail store that supplies and manufactures tombstones and kitchen tops. When tasked to redesign their logo, there were key elements that needed to be developed to represent the sub-brands and the overall brand as a whole.
For House of Granite, the supporting graphic is the granite looking elements on the image above. This supporting graphic has been used as a design element for the interior space and exterior signage of the House of Granite stores. This graphic supports the font, and it is used in unison with the selected typeface.
From what we have seen with Vencor and Nelson Mandela University, icons can either be used separately from the font or they have to be used together – as long as it still represents the brand and its core offerings.
If you have noticed, there has been a trend in which brands would redesign their logos from wordmarks to icons. Take for example Instagram. They have not changed their wordmark at all, but they have re-designed their camera icon which is now being used more than the wordmark.
“The icon is what truly represents the brand now” (Jenna, 2016).
Company logos designed for Genwest, Vencor, Nelson Mandela University, and House of Granite are companies that will be remembered for its distinguishable and memorable logos. (Please note these logos have been trademarked to uphold its company and product). One can also associate these brands or companies with their logotypes. It can also invite customers to get to know you, and the products and/or services you offer.
If you ever require to enhance and further improve your logo design, you can contact us. At Creative Caterpillar, we are experts in the field of building brands across various industries, from logo design to signage, as well as the interior and exterior design of your office spaces in order to take the brand to the next level.
We are all driven by colour and “pretty” things and it’s all about who stands out from the crowd. Let’s be honest, a company logo that is seen everywhere is a logo we become more familiar with and build a trusting “feeling” towards.
If you require an evaluation of your current company logo design, contact us for a free consultation and we can advise you on how you can achieve the best company logo design. www.creativecaterpillar.co.za
References:
