10 Signs You Need a New Logo

Written by: Lindi KoprivnikarArt Director

A logo is one of the most important aspects of your business. It drives the look and feel of your entire brand. If it’s not right, it can have a detrimental effect on your overall business. If done well, a logo can actually boost sales and create great brand loyalty and recognition.

1. You don’t like it

Seems like a no-brainer, right? We are amazed at how often we hear “I never really liked it.” This means at some point you paid money for something you didn’t even like. If you don’t love your logo, how can you expect anyone else to?

2. It’s outdated

There are some really great, timeless logos out there that haven’t changed much, such as Nike, Apple, Ford or Coca-Cola, but even these corporate giants update their look every few years. Times and fashions change and logos begin to look old. And if your logo looks old, your business appears old. You should strive for a “future-proof” logo that doesn’t follow trendy, fleeting fads, so your brand maintains a relevant look and feel for as long as possible. But be ready to update that look every so often or your business will begin to appear outdated.

3. Your logo was created in Paint or Word

We see this a lot. Sometimes in the early stages of a new business people try to cut costs. It’s understandable. Starting a new business is expensive and often people don’t see the value in a professionally designed logo. They end up with something that looks more like clip art (because it is.) Many times they’ve created it themselves in a program that’s not meant for designing logos, so it’s not vectorized. That means it doesn’t format or scale properly for different uses and looks fuzzy when it’s printed. A logo should be created in a professional vector design application (like Illustrator) that allows for proper reproduction in all media and all sizes.

4. It’s confusing

If your logo is easily confused with something else, or your audience doesn’t understand what it is, it’s time for a change. Your customer should identify with your brand, not be confused by it. It’s difficult to create brand loyalty when people have a hard time understanding what you’re trying to communicate. Simple, strong, and memorable are the keywords here.

5. It doesn’t work in all formats

A good logo should be flexible, not confined to only be used in one specific color or shape. It should work in black and white, as a square, horizontally, in print and web, etc. That way your logo looks good everywhere and on everything. Whether in a newspaper ad, blown up on a billboard, in a lineup with other logos or on a building sign - be confident that its use is versatile while still remaining consistent.

6. It resembles someone else's logo, or even worse, a competitor’s logo

Research, research, research. This is so important when trying to create a new brand. In today’s age of visual overload, originality is hard to come by. It doesn’t mean you can’t have something unique and different, it just means you need to do your homework so your ideas aren’t identical to someone else’s. In an increasingly saturated market, your identity needs to stand out, so make sure you've checked out the playing field.

7. It wasn’t professionally created

Ok, so maybe you didn’t create your logo in Word or Paint. You got lucky and your cousin’s best friend’s mom sort of knows how to use Illustrator and will design it for free. The adage “you get what you pay for” rings especially true when it comes to logo design. The advantages to having your logo created by an educated, experienced designer are more than initially meets the eye. Meaningful discovery and a design brief combined with color theory, balance, and other professional know-how will result in a logo that is not only aesthetically beautiful but also achieves brand recognition, identification and memorability with its audience.

Reason #2 above talks about an outdated logo, but equally bad is having a logo that falls into the bucket of clichÃ©s. As the months and years tick away, old trends and styles become the clichÃ©s of today. This doesn’t mean your old logo is completely dead,it’s just time to put a modern and unique spin on it. Remember, originality stands alone.

9. It was purchased from a “pre-made” logo website

This might seem appealing to some because they’re cheap and some aren’t terrible-looking at first glance. But let’s remember, these logos were not designed with your specific business in mind and there will be others using that same logo. In fact, some of these logos are taken directly from a stock photography website. Yikes! That means they’re created for anyone and everyone, which makes them generic and cheap. Just like the clothes you choose to wear represents who you are as a person, your logo should personify your company.

10. You’ve outgrown it

If you’re expanding, incorporating new or different products, or just driving your business in a new and different direction, it might be time for a change. This is the perfect opportunity to roll out a new logo and a new look for your growing company.

A new logo is a big step and a strategic decision that should not be taken lightly. Sometimes it’s best to evolve your logo rather than start something entirely new. After all, there is probably value in that brand you’ve built. However, sometimes it’s better to start with a clean slate. No matter what type of change you might need (or think you might need), the experienced, graphic designers at Avenue 25 are here to help. Fill out our quote form and let us know more about your company and your vision. Let us show you what rebranding can do for your business. Avenue 25 Advertising is a full-service, customer-oriented graphic design, web design and marketing company, recently named the best graphic design firm in Phoenix.