WTF Should I Do with My Logo?

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You know you need a logo for your business, it’s a major milestone on the path to entrepreneurship. It’s a visual reminder that your business is real and having one can boost your confidence in your startup journey or pivoting process.

 So, you’ve commissioned a logo that you’ll be using for the next few years, and now you’re asking yourself, “WTF do I do with it?”

If you’ve worked with a reputable logo designer, they will have provided you, along with your logo files, with some basic usage directions or a set of general rules to follow. They may call this a Brand Standards Guide, a Logo Usage Guide, or a Style Guide. It is important that you and your ambassadors understand and carefully follow these usage guidelines to create a unified image in producing your website design and anything else that contains your logo. (If you didn’t know… a unified image is the secret sauce for building valuable equity in your brand!)

It’s your job as the business owner to protect the integrity of your brand’s visual identity. It’s okay if you are a little unsure about the content of your logo usage guidelines — perhaps you don’t know the difference between typeface and font, or you’re confused about resolution and color space. Focus on what you’re good at and let a professional handle your design work. As the old saying goes, "Good design build value faster than it builds expense.”

 If you didn’t receive logo usage guidelines or unsure how to maintain your logo’s integrity, here is a common list of what NOT to do with your logo:

• Do NOT skew the logo out of proportion

• Do NOT rotate the logo into angles

• Do NOT isolate specific pieces

• Do NOT recolor your logo

• Do NOT publish it at a size less than the recommended width or height

• Do NOT use the wrong version for the context
  (For example, the full version may not be readable as your Facebook profile pic)

• Do NOT change the typeface or font
  (Significant thought has gone into the selection of brand typography)

• Do NOT add additional decoration
  (There is elegance in simplicity)

• Do NOT change the orientation

• Do NOT overprint other graphics

• Do NOT use the wrong file type for the task at hand.
  (If your designer requests a vector file for a print job, providing a copy of your logo that is embedded into a Word document will not meet their quality expectations)

• Do NOT place your logo atop a busy background or in any context that renders it unreadable

• Do NOT intrude on the logo’s clear space with text or other graphics
  (The logo needs space to breathe without obstructing its visual impact; and don’t cramp it into a corner, it will cheapen your brand)

• Do NOT add gradients, drop shadows, warping or 3-D effects
  (These are temptations that amateur designers fall into)  

• Do NOT overestimate your logo’s importance

Here’s what you should DO with your logo:

• DO use the logo appropriately as described

• DO use proper resolution and color space for the job at hand

• DO ensure all brand decisions align with your business’s core values or mantra

• DO ensure your brand identity is really solid before sharing it with the world

 While your logo is the sacred foundation for your brand’s identity, and you might be really excited about your new logo… contrary to popular belief, it should not be front and center on every piece of your business collateral. Your logo is not your brand. There are other elements, when applied consistently, that comprise your brand’s visual identity. These include, but are not limited to:

• Language (tone and voice)

• Image style

• Typographic style

• Color application

 Treatment for these elements is best designed alongside your logo and then applied to every piece of your collateral moving forward. You will build equity in these elements as fast as your logo if you create and publish consistently, every time. Your goal is for people outside of your organization to be able to recognize an ad/ website/ catalog/ fill-in-the-blank piece as coming from your business without having to read the copy or see the logo to confirm it. This won’t happen if you slap your logo onto random Canva templates.

 If you like using templates, ask your designer to build you custom templates for things like flyers or social posts, where you can customize the message at your discretion while maintaining the visual standards for your brand. Brand designers are uniquely experienced in creating visual identities purposefully and flexibly, so that styled elements will work together nicely across a variety of contexts, sizes, and media while maintaining their distinction. Similarly, an experienced designer will know how to refresh these elements over time, without breaking your brand’s standards. This will allow the identity of your business to evolve (as you offer new products or services) in the future without the look going stale.

 Once you’ve established a visual system you love, your designer will help you apply it to all the important pieces which may include new business cards, your email signature, a vehicle wrap, a mobile app — create or update anything you need for daily operations. Ensure your domain, email address, and social sites are reserved and then prepare all your visuals in the background. You’ll have only one chance to launch and make a dynamite first impression: Publish everything at once to maintain consistent communication with your audiences. For example, you’ll want the same profile photo across all social networks so people will have an easier time recognizing you. People aren’t always ready to immediately buy, but when they are, you’ll want your product to be at the forefront of their mind. Brand consistency builds memorability, which in turn boosts your bottom line.  

 Consider writing a blog or social media post with a description of the design process and why you chose the new logo, or you could show the evolution of your brand’s logos over time. Engage your audience by generating enthusiasm for your brand.

 Whatever you do, remember to apply that great new logo consistently along with the other elements in your brand’s visual identity, and in-line with your brand standards guidelines. Avoid going rouge. And if you’re ever in doubt, default to a professional brand designer for advice.

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If you need help designing a visual identity system around your new logo, our Brand Design Intensive may be the perfect solution. We’d love to chat with you about the ways we could use design to support your success. Please reach out with any questions, we love to meet new creative people.

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For more information on creating and using your new logo, read our book: Discovering Your Authentic Brand.