Take The Logo Litmus Test

Here is your C.I.T.T. (pronounced "kit") [Color . Illustrate. Type . Test]

COLOR. Color plays a major role in influencingparticular moods and feelings about your company. Don't believe me?Look at DoveT soap. You'll find the shampoo bottles are white. Whiteconveys purity, simplicity and a sense of cleanliness. It's strategicand makes sense doesn't it?! Have you noticed that you can associate anindustry by its color? Blue is a popular color for technology companiesand bottled water companies, for instance. How about identifying acertain mood by color? Quick, what mood do you think the color redevokes? Could be romance or anger or urgency...

ILLUSTRATE. Small businesses and solo-entrepreneursdon't have budgets like Nike, Starbucks and McDonalds... so, if youdecide to create a graphical image to represent your business, makesure it communicates what your customers might expect from yourcompany. Great examples of this includes the logo of Giftpile.com andIndieArtistStation.com

TYPE. There is an art to lettering... just ask acalligrapher or illustrator who can create a logo based on letters.Again, illustrated in the Giftpile.com (mentioned above). Anillustrator created a custom type which looks similar to gift wrap andribbons on presents which is very appropriate for the serviceGiftpile.com performs (wedding gifts).

TEST. With the variety of promotions and advertisingyou may conduct, shouldn't your logo look *Good* in black & white(b&w)?! "Shouldn't I think about color for my logo?" and "Why isb&w important?" you may be asking... Great questions! Do you thinkyou'll ever make copies of your marketing materials... isn't it cheaperto make b&w copies at Office Depot (average $0.02-$0.05/each)? Yourlogo will be on all your future business faxes, too! If you participatein tradeshows, you may have b&w imprinted giveaways because it'smore affordable to imprint your logo in b&w than in color. Thatgoes same for print advertising (newspapers, magazines, businessjournals, etc.). Since your logo will be used in all types of media ora variety of mediums (from posters, t-shirts to mugs and pens), itshould be easy to resize (larger or smaller) while keeping the qualityand crispness of the design. Most likely the end result of the logodesigned for you will be available in a vector graphic format (the mostpopular design tool is Adobe Illustrator which saves your design as a.ai or .eps file) - simply crisp line graphics easily scalable withoutloss of quality.

About the Author:

With over 100+ websites designed in the past 4 years, Maya Sunpongco isyour Chief Imagination Officer and Website Workout Mentor withDesignInomnia.com in San Diego, CA - an internet/web graphics firm thatharnesses the "Power of Design to Communicate." You have thirty secondsto capture your visitor's attention online. Is your website doing thejob? Find out with your Website Workout Assessment and improve youronline presence today. Visit DesignInsomnia.com and discover theprocess of building a great website that helps you sell yourself withease.

Logo Designs on the Go
Logo sets up an identity and name for the business that aims to be remembered. It is something that a business really needs to have to instill in the customers a sense of belongingness and authenticity of business. Your business logo should contain new colors, casual and fun look and a uniquenes...
Corporate Logo Design
A corporate logo design is essential in todays corporate world. If used effectively, it will be highly instrumental in building your corporate identity and should successfully exude the companys attitude.
Logo Design Mania
When you are about to design your very own logo take into consideration how you plan to use it. For instance, a logo created for website or full color stationery printing will be designed for faxing and imprinting on coffee mugs and other items.
Most companies crave to use their logo for more th...
Facts about the unlogos
Logos are the first impression a customer gets about a company. The logo is the business itself. No matter how simple or how beautiful your logo is, the effect it has on people will determine how effective your logo it. It is one way of having credibility...
How Important it is to have a Professional Logo Design for Your Business ?
The article discusses about the importance of having a professionally designed logo for any business, points out the ineffectiveness of an amateur design and the impact of a professionally designed logo on the customers.
How to Create a Favicon for Your Web Site
One of the simplest things you can do to give your site identity and to make it stand out from other sites is to use a favicon (favourite icon). They are the little logos that go next to the website listing in your favourites folder, and pop up in other places...
Seven Logos To Avoid
Your logo is the visual personality of your business and as a first impression; your logo essentially is your business! A professional logo is one of the fastest way to build credibility. If you sell quality products, your logo should reflect this. Likewise, a poor quality logo suggests inferior pro...
The Importance of a Well-Designed Logo
You have one chance to make a first impression. Potential customers will form an opinion of a business within seconds. A companys logo is therefore extremely influential, as it is almost always the first thing a customer will see. In addition, once a customer becomes familiar with a business, the ....
Logos Explained
Logos are graphical shorthand that can represent a company or product, and communicate certain characteristics.
In order for a logo to be visually effective, it must exhibit certain related fundamental design characteristics...
Building an Image with a Logo
Website design can be elusive to even creative individuals. Sadly some webmasters do not realize their incompetence and they post websites that have grainy graphics and turgid colors.