I am not a handsome guy in the morning.
My hair already has the consistency of a wire brush, but it reaches its peak of taming impossibility right around 6:00 a.m. Because my facial hair grows inhumanly fast, my neck beard is perpetually on full display. My breath stinks, my eyes resemble a raccoon’s and my face could use a good washing.
Once I bust out the toothbrush, slash away at my beard with a hedge trimmer and spramp my face with cold water, I look presentable enough to venture out into society.
Your logo has its own morning routine, too, and graphic designers play a critical role in the touching up its appearance, giving it some style and sending it off into the world to brilliantly represent your company. A bad logo can render the best business strategy hopelessly ineffective, so think of your logo as your elevator pitch – take too long get convey your message and you’ll lose your target.
This video from PBS’s OffBook series discusses some of the best ways to deliver your pitch through graphic design:
Your marketing materials should be treated as an extension of your logo – now that you have someone’s attention, keep it by presenting engaging copy and valuable information in an attractive format.
As we discussed in “The war for attention,” looks matter. You might be able to get by with a shoddy logo design, but do you want to be the company that gets by? Or do you want your customers to react to you the way they react to Google?
Seth Godin writes that magic and generosity are the two factors in customers developing a brand crush, which is something every company should want its customers having. Your logo is your customers’ entryway to developing that crush. It’s your first point of contact with them – your first date. You damn well better look good.
