Your logo is your company’s first point of contact with the world.
It subconsciously informs a customer what you stand for and what to expect from you.
But most logos are not designed with this in mind at all. It doesn’t care about what the customer thinks.
Your logo sucks not because the design is poor…it sucks because it lies about you.
Your logo sucks not because the design is poor…it sucks because it lies about you.
It tells your customer you are the same as everybody else in the market, even though you have invested in the latest technology, hired the finest talent available, and set systems to deliver the best.
It says you are cheap; despite the fact you have the highest quality product to offer in the market and deserve a premium on your product.
It warns the customer you are only interested in making quick profits, not building a long-term relationship with him.
It says a lot, without speaking a word. That’s what makes this a complex problem. Thankfully, there are warning signs.
5 warning signs you must watch out for (and what to do if your logo actually sucks)!
Warning Sign #1: Your logo is the odd man out
Have you noticed that bank logos are mostly rectangles or squares?
Square shapes convey a sense of stability – an emotion particularly important for a bank.
All banks look alike.
On the other end, brands like Nike, Puma and Reebok have movement and energy to them, because that is what their customers seek from them. Excitement and risk, not stability.
Simply put, as cool and iconic as the Nike swoosh may be, we wouldn’t take it seriously if it was a bank.
Granted your logo must stand out, but it must do so within the boundaries of pre-set expectations of your customer.
Solution:
Make a list of well-known, big companies in your industry or industries like yours and see what their logos look like.
Use these logos as a benchmark to redesign your logo.
Warning Sign #2: Your logo has no instant recognition
Humans love recognizable shapes. We find them friendly.
Look at sci-fi alien movies for instance.
Aliens seem to have arms, legs, faces, and eyes, even though no one knows what an alien looks like. But having such human-like features helps the audience embrace the alien as a real being.
Here’s how big brands use this knowledge.
They use recognizable shapes. Look at brands like Starbucks, Airbnb or GAP you will see that the overall form is a simple recognizable shape. A circle, a square, a triangle.
These shapes are not created by accident, they are strategically chosen.
Simple recognizable shapes help the audience accept the logo easily. And in turn, accept your product easily.
If your logo has no describable shape as such, it is working against you.
Solution
Make your logo shape as simple as possible. A circle, square, rectangle, hexagon. Shapes that everyone knows and understands. Note that these shapes have their meaning, but better to keep it a ‘simple something’ than a ‘complicated nothing’.
You could also use forms of animals, fish, birds or trees to make the shape instantly recognizable.
The test is to have someone take one look at your logo and say that it is a leaf or a cloud within 3 seconds. If it is taking too long, please ask your designer to simplify it further.
Warning Sign #3: Your logo doesn’t fit anywhere
This is a practical problem.
If your logo is too wide or too tall – it is very difficult to use it well.
For example – social media profile pictures are always circular. If your logo is too wide or too tall, the overall form must be squeezed to fit into the circle, totally ruining the readability of your logo.
Solution
Ask your designer to adjust the name and symbol such that your logo fits in a 3:2 ratio rectangle. This is not a rule, but a great way to tackle your odd size problem.
If this is not possible difficult ask your designer to create a ‘stacked’ option for your logo. Basically, place text one on top of another, this saves space.
Warning Sign #4: Your logo is unreadable
The font for a logo must convey the right emotion and energy, but most importantly it must be readable.
Do not let fancy fonts excite you if your company’s name is not even readable.
Share your logo with an 8-year-old and ask if she can read it easily. If not, then you have a problem.
Solution:
Use simple, clear, and readable fonts. Do the same to handwritten fonts as well.
Keep your logo at a distance and ask someone if they can read it, if not, use a simpler font.
Warning Sign #5: Your logo doesn’t have a team.
You cannot use your logo everywhere. This applies to all logos.
What you need then is a support system, or you can think of it as a team – a combination of colors, shapes, fonts, spacing, imagery, and alignments that are unique to your company or brand.
You need an identity that supports and complements your logo, without it being there.
If you do not have an identity. Your brand will never be unique.
Solution:
Identify 1 or 2 colors that represent your company, this can and should be borrowed from your logo. These will act as the primary colors for your company.
Select 3 to 4 secondary colors that complement the primary colors. These are known as secondary colors. Basically, helping you mix it up a bit.
Get your designer to create shapes and patterns using the logo.
Select 2 fonts that work well for your brand (Note: Use default system fonts for PowerPoint and Word.)
This is the most important step. Do not deviate from these colors, shapes and fonts. Use them everywhere possible. Consistency matters.
In Conclusion
Truth be told – many large company logos have all the signs above, but they are just too big to care about it.
You on the other hand don’t have the same luxury.
So, use the ideas I have shared and make your logo work harder than you.
The ongoing debate of website vs. social media for building your online presence. Nearly everyone uses social media these days – athletes, celebrity chefs, the queen of England, even your great aunt Helen.
Many business owners jump on a social media platform because that’s where all the people are – Facebook alone boasts 2.7 billion active users. Social platforms are great at what they do – connecting people across the world – but they can be dangerous and ineffective for business owners wishing to establish a strong online presence.
Maintaining a presence on social media is a valuable part of your overall marketing plan, but is relying on social media alone a sound marketing strategy? Let’s talk about why it is risky to put all of your business eggs in a social media basket.
Losing Ownership of Your Content
Simply put, you do not own your social media page, and you never will. All of the content you post – text, photos, product information – is owned by the host, whether Facebook, Instagram or the like. The same holds true for data pertaining to the connections and followers of your page.
When you sign up for a social media account, you are agreeing to the site’s terms and conditions and relinquish control of these items. You don’t own your content or your audience on a social media platform.
What’s more, you cannot control how your content is used, opening the door to potential branding issues. When you sign up for a public social media page, you agree that all users are authorized to share and re-distribute your content.
All of your content can be shared, for better or worse, on another user’s personal profile or in a private group where you cannot see how your content is used or discussed. As a business owner, it’s hard to take ownership of your brand message when you don’t know how your brand is being represented.
Risking Selective Restrictions or Cancellation
Social media sites can also remove any content as they see fit. In today’s polarized political environment with “cancel culture” running rampant, business owners are aware now more than ever that what they say and do affects the bottom line.
Not only are customers watching, so are social networks. Every post is scrutinized to ensure it follows a site’s terms and conditions. If it doesn’t comply, it’s out.
While abusive or offensive posts are obviously flagged, seemingly harmless comments can be removed as well. Recently, Twitter locked a profile after the account holder, a business owner, jokingly encouraged followers to get out and vote on November 4 (the day after the election), cutting off his connection to clients. Social networks can restrict anything they do not agree with, and there is very little you can do about it.
Getting Lost in Changing Trends
Social networks that are “in” today can be “out” tomorrow. For every Facebook, there are hundreds of social sites that didn’t make it. When is the last time you heard someone talk about checking their Vine, MySpace or Friendster account?
In April 2019, Google shut down its own social network Google+ due to dwindling engagement and a significant data breach, taking with it all data not saved prior to the shutdown. If your business was using Google+ as your online presence, that would have been the end of your connection to customers.
Additionally, keep in mind that platform ownership can change, or its central focus can shift to no longer support business pages. This could spell trouble for business owners only using social networks with no outside website.
Narrowing Your Audience and Accessibility
The whole point of taking your business online is to reach more customers, but that is hard to do if they cannot find or access your site.
With recent studies and documentaries regarding social media’s negative impact on society, there is a growing trend to limit social media usage or move away from it altogether. Be aware that not all of your clients use social media, and it is possible many current users may go offline in the not too distant future.
Also note that not everyone enjoys social media. For many people, the road to hell is paved with likes and hashtags. If these individuals can only find you on a social media platform, you’ve instantly lost them.
By relying on social media platforms alone to market your business, you inadvertently create a barrier of entry. If someone is required to sign in to a social media account they rarely use, or create a new account on a platform they are not familiar with, they may simply opt to find another business to meet their needs.
Limiting Your Search Engine Exposure
If you are doing business online, search engine optimization (SEO) should be a top priority. SEO increases the quality and quantity of traffic to your website through organic search engine results, using keywords specific to your business. SEO helps you land on page 1 of search engine results, instead of getting buried on page 5.
The better visibility your website has in search results, the higher your chances of attracting potential and existing clients to your website. While social media pages do allow for SEO customization, it is more challenging to build an SEO-friendly page within the set templates.
A true business website can be specifically tailored to maximize SEO more than a social media site ever could. Plus, a social page will not rank over a website in an organic online search.
Missing Out on Client Views
All social media sites use algorithms to choose which posts users see, and in what order, every time they check their newsfeed. These algorithms determine who pops up on your newsfeed based on who you interact with the most.
This is why posts about your favorite college football team and pictures of your best friend’s puppy always appear on your feed, while that guy you haven’t seen since high school graduation is nowhere to be seen.
The same holds true for business pages. If your customers are not actively and repeatedly engaging with your page, your business posts won’t make it through the algorithm to your intended audience, especially if you have not paid to turn your post into an ad. If you can’t guarantee placement in a newsfeed, you are losing out on potential customers.
Website vs Social Media
The Bottom Line? You really need a website.
Social media is important for digital marketing efforts, but as a business owner you cannot limit your online presence to just social networks.
Your clients should be able to find your company online every time they search, without fail. Don’t make it difficult for them by counting on unreliable social platforms alone. In the ongoing website vs social media debate, the bottom line is – you need a website for your business.
Take a minute to look around you right now, wherever you are, and I guarantee you that you can identify at least 5 brands. If you consider any of your personal property, you will soon realize that you actually have a reason for supporting certain brands.
Before I elaborate on branding, let’s first consider what branding is not:
BRANDING IS NOT JUST A LOGO
You have a kickass logo, yay! But nobody knows about it because you haven’t set up the correct channels to reach your target audience.
BRANDING IS NOT JUST A SYMBOL
Unless you have reached Nike or McDonalds status, relying on a symbol ain’t gonna get you far.
BRANDING IS NOT JUST A PROMISE
We start a biz, we do the things, our mission, vision and values are drafted (we need something on the wall and website, right?) but what are we doing to materialize this vision?
BRANDING IS NOT JUST A WEBSITE
The Ripple Effect Agency has designed your website, it looks ahhhmazing, and you are soooo geared to make ALL the sales. Turns out your service levels don’t support the classy message your pretty graphics communicate… and your customers are left in doubt.
BRANDING IS NOT JUST ADVERTISING
Sure, advertising is very important! But spending a few bucks on a facebook advert without having all your ducks in a row ain’t gonna produce the desired results.
BRANDING IS NOT JUST GRAPHIC DESIGN
I mean, graphic design is a BIG part of it. Logos and graphics are almost synonymous with branding, but even so – it still forms part of a bigger picture.
At this point you might be thinking, “Hold up Rita, what are you even on about, graphic design is what you do every day!” Yes, I do, but I’ll let you in on a secret. I spend more time stalking you than I do actually designing your graphics…
Branding is the sum of all of the symbols, products, services, activities, and connections with your customers.
Branding is the customer’s gut feel of your business – their perception of you.
Branding is your business reputation. If you are very personally involved in your biz – your brand often becomes YOUR reputation!
Everyone in your business affects your brand. This is why consistency is so very important (brand schizo is a thing).
Who your business is by day, is who your business is by night. Who your business is in store, is who your business is at a pop-up market.
NOW LISTEN CLOSELY: WHO YOUR BUSINESS IS IN STORE, IS WHO YOUR BUSINESS IS ONLINE (THEY ARE ONE AND THE SAME….) THIS IS YOUR BRAND.
Today branding starts with the customer
Back in the day, the old school biz model would go something like this: Create product, name it, slap a logo on, advertise, sell and repeat. This model is outdated. People hate being sold to, but they love to buy. Say that out loud! In fact, print it and stick it in your pretty journal.
People Hate Being Sold To, But They Love To Buy.
Nowadays, the brand starts with the customer. It starts by identifying a need, then creating a product and service that satisfies that need. The current model works as follows:
Company creates customers
Customer help to build brand
Brand sustains the company.
Let’s create a real-life scenario: If I were to open a clothing boutique in South Africa, would I start by thinking about a cool name, designing a pretty logo, and putting a fabulous website together?
No. I would start by researching my market. Only once I clearly define who it is that I am selling to can I create a brand personality that would appeal to them.
Brands last longer than products or customers do. You cannot be all things to all people. The spray and pray method SIMPLY does not work. This basically means selling to anyone willing to buy from you. It is a recipe for failure and will leave you as a brand owner feeling less than fulfilled.
Identifying your ideal customer (which is a delicate balance between what the market needs vs what would make you happy) is possibly the most important step to take when crafting your brand.
Are you building a bold and sassy brand who lives out loud and cusses without blinking?
Are you building a conservative and sophisticated brand?
Are you building a sporty brand that promotes an active and healthy lifestyle?
Does your brand invoke feelings of crystal chandeliers and a live violinist?
ALL OF THESE FACTORS WILL DETERMINE ALL OF THE ELEMENTS NEEDED TO BUILD YOUR UNIQUE BRAND.
One of the reasons why the Hot Mess team asks you so many questions is to get you thinking outside the box about your brand… and if you aren’t able to put it all together, our questions are uniquely designed to help us read your mind and interpret your vision digitally. We get inside your head. We get a gut feel for you. We also stalk you online. Borderline criminally.
A business has ONE VALID PURPOSE: To Create a Customer – Peter Drucker
What intentional branding can do for you
Establishing a consistent, loyal, and trusted brand means that you will build a loyal following which leads to return business and valuable word-of-mouth. The modern consumer trusts the opinions of other consumers more so than any of your advertising claims.
The only way to build that perfect brand is to ensure that your business culture and values become a way of life throughout every aspect of your business.
Customers help build brands, without a brand you don’t have a business.
Here’s the thing: I don’t have the magic recipe for a successful business. I know it takes so much more than I ever thought, and you have to have everything working together to bring the results you crave. And I know that a website can’t help a business if they don’t already have a good strategy.
But then… on the other hand – if your business is an online boutique, well, it’s kinda the foundation of everything. And if you’re building on a shaky foundation, you know the story!
If you’re not at least asking yourself – is my website the problem? – that’s a problem!
The cold, hard truth is that a poorly designed and barely functioning website is never going to bring the results you want – no matter how much ad spend you throw into promoting it. And while we’re on that subject – do you really want to be spending your marketing dollars to send people to site that isn’t converting?
Heck, no. You want to make the most of every visitor, and the only way to do that is to build a website that delights them, a website that’s beautiful to look at, seamless, and easy to use.
As a boutique owner, it’s your job to keep an eye on your website’s performance. Your website is the face of your business, and a poorly designed or malfunctioning website can lead to lost sales and a damaged reputation. Here are some signs that your website needs attention:
Slow Load Times: Your website should load quickly (under 3 seconds), or you risk losing customers who don’t want to wait. If your website takes more than a few seconds to load, it’s time to optimize it.
Poor User Experience: Your website should be easy to navigate and use. If customers have trouble finding products or checking out, it’s time to rethink your website design. Get as much feedback as you can!
Low Conversion Rates: If your website receives a lot of trafficbut few sales, it’s time to evaluate your website’s design and user experience.
Mobile Responsiveness Issues: You need to optimize your store for mobile – otherwise, you’re losing out on a huge potential customer base!
If you’ve noticed any of these issues with your online boutique, it’s time to take action and make changes.
Yeah, optimizing your site is time-consuming (which is why we’re here to help!), but at the end of the day, it’s worth having that strong foundation – and a website you can proudly send people to!!
Need help optimizing your website to increase your revenue?
