Here's a little secret: Your small business doesn't need a logo. Having a logo is not as important as how you align your brand with customers. For instance, I can write "Starbucks" on a napkin and still can send a rush of emotions to the reader. This emotional connection is with the overall brand itself and not with its signature. A logo has only the ability to trigger the feeling that a customer has toward that brand.

Should YOU EVEN have a logo?

Yes, you should have a logo. Having a logo can visually distinguish your business from your competition. However, book, BRANDING TO THE POWER OF 5 will help you understand your small business' brand as being something more than just an insignia.

Before you trot off to design a logo, let's go through the pieces that make up a logo.

DisSecting a logo

Logo taxonomy across the design industry varies. Most design professionals agree that a brand's signature is a symbol (or icon), name, registration mark and tagline. You can see from the example above that a tagline is separate from the logo itself. The logo should have the ability to stand on its own, therefore keeping your tagline flexible.

Because the symbol from your small business' logo does not have the same power that the well-recognized Nike swoosh has, refrain from using it independently from your company name.

Many companies don't use symbols. A creative design approach to the name could be an alternative if you cannot find a symbol to represent your small business.

When you are ready to create your logo, there are many ways you can go about doing it. If your business can afford to hire an independent designer, I recommend investigating their design services. Make sure that this designer can create a logo that aligns with what your company provides and study their portfolio to see whether their designs sync with the feelings you are trying to evoke in your customers. This is a significant moment, so DO NOT hire just any designer. Also, Do not art direct what you want, show the designer the VALUE that your business provides and let them do their job.

If you don't have the luxury of hiring a designer, then I would suggest utilizing one of the Do-It-Yourself services listed below:

LogoMaker (www.LogoMaker.com)   PROS: Fun Set Up Process; Great Tutorial; Design & Save Up to 6 Logos CONS: Not Clear of Additional Icon Options, No Free Business Cards This service provides a proficient Flash-based interface for creating your logo with a combination of clip art, fonts and colors to choose from. They charge $99 for their services (good deal!). You start off with color symbols that you can change and when you are done, you can send 6 saved designs to friends for review. Buy your logo and receive EPS, JPG and GIF files to use in other printable or publishable materials. (Use the JPG or GIF version for your Website). You can also purchase business cards with your logo design for an additional fee.

LogoYes (www.LogoYes.com)    PROS: Fun Set Up Process; Unlimited Revisions; FreeSet of Business Cards CONS: No Multi-Color Icons; Can Only Save 2 Logos A fun, Flash-based tool that gives you 250 free business cards with your order. A disadvantage is the extra steps to get to the layout of your logo. I did appreciate their View & Vote option that allows you to save your versions and send them to your friends to vote on their favorite. When you are finished designing your logo, click the $99 button on the top right to buy. It's not that obvious. This service also gives you EPS, JPG and GIF files to use.

Do-It-Yourself Logo Designing Tips

For inspiration, look at what the bigger competition is using as a logo. Don't replicate it, just observe what the designers did for that company; in terms of font usage, icon positioning, boldness (or lack of), etc.

The following guidelines will help you design your own logo:

• Choose a symbol or style that closely represents what your small business provides to customers.
• Remember that you can use a creative font style without a symbol.
• Try not use more than two font styles.
• Avoid using too many colors; two to three complementary colors will provide the most impact.
• Unless your business is entertainment based, try to avoid flashy colors.
• Try positioning the logo and text in way that counter balance one another other than dead center. (See the IANSITI example above)
• Keep it simple.
• Be aware of the 90's "Swoosh" symbol epidemic where every company wanted a curved icon like Nike. Use a Swoosh only in the most appropriate circumstances.
• Experiment. Create a couple different options and ask a close friend or trusted business acquaintance what they think.

A NOTE ABOUT FULL-color LOGOS

I've always been an advocate of using the least amount of colors in a logo, until recently. With the rise of digital short-run printing, creating a full-color brochure or postcard has suddenly become affordable. If you want to make a nice 3D logo bursting with color, go for it. Regardless, make sure that you have an alternative version to use as a flat, black & white image for newspapers and other mediums.

FOR COMPUTER EXPERTS

You will need to understand Adobe Photoshop and/or Illustrator and discern the use and installation of fonts to take advantage of the following services.

LogoMaid (www.LogoMaid.com)    PROS: Excellent graphic design. Exclusive ownership. CONS: Logos may require full-color printing for stationery. Designs may be too abstract for some business owners. I find this Web site to be amazing. They offer a high quality of the logo designs and files. Although it is about $120 more expensive, I recommend opting for the unique logo options because you can feel secure that your design will remain unique for years to come. Most all logos come with a generic Web site, business card and stationery templates. This is a great deal for the price they are asking! Once you download the files and customize them to your needs, you will need to pay for printing. Services such as OvernightPrints or 4by6 are afordable services that will fulfill these needs for you.

Your logo design will depend upon the name you choose for your small business.

STEP 4: Learn How To Form a Catchy Business Name >>