Many people come to Woof Media and ask us to design a new logo for their tourism business.
Usually they have started a new business and want something with which to identify themselves. They usually ask for “just a logo”.
But what makes a good business logo?
Whilst a logo is definitely important, all businesses need to consider the entire “branding” process before their logo becomes a twinkle in their designer’s eye.
But before we go any further, let’s explore the differences between a logo and a brand.
What is a logo?
A logo represents your business in graphical form.
A logo can be an icon or pictorial identifier that you use, usually in conjunction with your business name; or it might just be a unique way of displaying your business name in words via a distinctive font and colour.
Think the Nike tick, Coca Cola and Cadbury colours and fonts …
Corporate identity
A logo is sometimes referred to as a corporate identity.
However a corporate identity is more than that. It is the logo plus the stationery, the signage, the building, products and packaging, communication styles and messaging, the website and more.
It is the set of physical and organizational attributes that distinguish it from other businesses.
What is a brand?
A brand is much more than a pretty logo or professional corporate identity package. A great brand has more to do with human psychology than graphic design!
Branding for your business is a set of beliefs that you consciously develop and promote around your logo, your marketing communications, your business ethos—basically everything you do in your business!
When people see your identifier/logo, they should instantly bring to mind all the positive messages—your brand—that you have worked hard to associate with that image.
Managing your brand means you are concerned with the emotions and feelings that arise when your company name is mentioned or your company logo or corporate identity is viewed.
These feelings can be developed via advertising and PR that your business actively promotes. They are also reinforced by the customer’s experience with your business and by the systems and physical attributes of the company’s product, service, website and infrastructure.
Pause, and consider these questions.
- How do you feel about Nike or Coke, or Toyota?
- What emotions, opinions and impressions does the mention of their brand conjure up in you?
- How do you regard their reputation?
- In your mind, where are they in comparison to their competition—better, worse or somewhere in the middle?
Do you really need ‘just a logo’?
So when you say you want ‘just a logo’, have you considered if that is all your business really needs?
- What do you plan to do with your logo?
- How are you going to use it?
- What messages do you want to convey with it?
Options to Create a Logo for your Tourism Business
There are a number of ways you can go about creating a logo:
Signwriters
Go to a signwriter. Ask for a sign and in the process he/she will design you a logo, but you are only paying for a sign. Bonus! You get two for one.
Online Design Websites
Go to an online logo shop. You might get a custom-made logo designed by an overseas designer or student. You will be asked to provide a brief. You may get a couple of options. It will be cheap and you will get what you pay for, ie a logo that often looks like it came from an online logo shop. But it was cheap so that’s good, right?
Professional Design Studio
Go to a professional design studio. If the design studio takes itself and your business seriously, they will take the time to understand your business first.
In fact, they should insist on it!
They will ask you lots of questions about your business. They may get you to complete a survey to better understand your needs.
They will come up with a number of options. They will present the options and refine the chosen one. You should receive various versions of the final chosen logo for various reproduction purposes. They will assist you to develop a corporate identity using that brand.
Buying a logo from Woof Media
At Woof Media, in everything we do for your business, we take the time to understand your business first—actually, we insist on it!
We will also discuss your corporate identity needs, and your branding to find out how you wish to be thought of by your customers. After all, why create a logo without a purpose!
Here are the typical questions we will ask. Yes, it’s in-depth. That’s because we take your business seriously enough to learn as much as we can about it.
About your business
- What does your business do?
- What are your competitive strengths?
- What are the messages/impressions you wish to convey?
- Who is your target audience?
About your logo preferences
- The style of logo you prefer—abstract, classic, corporate, cartoonish etc.
- The colours you prefer.
- How you want to use the logo, ie signwriting, embroidery, stationery etc.
- Whether you have any definite ideas as to what you want (or don’t want!) in your logo design.
- Some examples of logos or brand you like.
The process for buying a logo at Woof Media is:
- You will be asked to complete a comprehensive brief to tell us about your business, your objectives, your preferences in style and form, how it will be used, etc.
- We will clarify and confirm any questions we have regarding your brief.
- We will supply a fixed-price quote.
- After you approve the quote, our designer will begin the design process, with all your business information at the front of their mind.
- We will present you with several options, and refine your preferred choice.
- When the final concept is refined and accepted, you will receive your files on our online logo storage system that can be accessed by you and your suppliers, eg. signwriters or embroiderers.
An example of the creative, ‘outside the square’ thinking from our team can be seen in a new logo we designed for the South Australian Northern Zone Rock Lobster Fishermen’s Association.
The chosen logo concept that cleverly incorporated the state brand has been very well received by both the Association and Brand South Australia.
And what did Brand South Australia think?
OMG! We LOVE it! This is very creative and totally within guidelines! Keep us in the loop of when you are going to launch and we will work with you to get some added exposure of how the Brand can be used in such a creative way.
Now you have a logo, what’s next?
Now you have your logo, you need to apply it and use it in your marketing.
You need to start developing that wonderful new ‘brand’ of yours with all the emotions and perceptions that you want people to feel and believe when they think of your company or see your logo.
A logo on its own cannot do very much for your business.
That means you need to think about marketing your business using new and traditional media.
A whole other ‘brave new world!”