7 April 2009

The most popular colour in logo design is blue.  When our logo designers begin a new project, we work on six bespoke logos, we work hard to see all the possible ways we can approach a particular business. Once a client has chosen a favourite design, we then develop it further taking their comments and keeping an open mind on ways to improve the logo further. Around this stage of the project we start experimenting with different fonts and colour combinations on the chosen logo design. We know from all our years in the business that when we offer different colour-ways, eight out of ten clients will choose the blues option.

Blue logo designs you may be familiar with are:

Ford, white script on blue oval, designed in 1928, it has changed little over the years. In 2003, to celebrate 100 years, Ford released a logo that they named Centennial Blue Oval, which is a graduated fill from dark blue up to light blue.

BARCLYS they used to have a logo with white text and an eagle reversed out of a blue, solid and dependable. Since 2008 they have a new identity, a hollowed out globe designed by Brand Union, for an eye watering 600 thousand pounds!

More contemporary logo design is the GAP logo, white text reversed out of a blue square. The name comes from the phrase ‘generation gap’.

Also bmi airline uses lowercase letters in blue. British Midland Airways launched its new identity in 2001.

The COOP supermarket also use either blue letters on white or white on blue, redesign in 1993, the ‘cloverleaf’ brand conveys the Co-op’s origins where several independent companies came together to form one organisation with shared principles. 

AOL have blue capital letters with a triangle and circular icon in blue. AOL have the dubious honour or being rated the worst and the best internet providers by Watchdog, a BBC programme reporting on consumer affairs in the UK. At it’s most popular this internet service provider had 30 million members, so the AOL brand must be one of the best know brands in the world.

DELL, famous for computers use turquoise blue capital letters with the E placed at an angle, as logo designers we are always looking for the meanings behind the image, but what is that? A plug, a computer tower, E as in E commerce… 

The IBM logo, capital letters in blue with horizontal white lines through them. This logo is iconic, it is like the grandfather of modern logo design, by logo designer Paul Rand in 1972.

Blue is a universally appealing colour. Perhaps it is the association with blue sky and sea.  In logo design it may feel like the safe option but not without good reason. Blue is not just about being conservative, blue has a grounded feel about it, a dignity and assurance that makes people respond positively to a logo design, a brand, a business.

 If you can think of any noteworthy logo designs that are blue, do let us know and we will add them to our article.  If you would like to comment on this article just fill in the box provided, otherwise email us via our contact us page.

31 March 2009

Pizza pizza based in Baldock, Hertfordshire, wanted to brand their thriving take-away pizza restaurant.  They came to Logopro earlier this month and being in a kitchen rather than at a computer, our client phoned us to request our online logo design services. Pizza Pizza new their onions, but had little idea of what they were looking for in terms of logo design and left us with a blank canvas.  We were happy to oblige, our logo designer really enjoyed this project and presented 6 fresh new designs for our client to choose from.  Again our client rang to discuss which logo he liked and gave us a few ideas on how to develop it further.  Once we get close to the final design, we try different colour combinations, some more zany than others - pizza pizza chose black and khaki-green for their final logo design, which proved a good idea for what is a very striking and memorable logo design.

26th March 2009

Being green, at this moment in time, is heavily associated with environmental issues. Most of us support the idea of global protection of our planet and the responsibility we share in both causing the problems and potentially solving the problems we have created. This concern has been noticed and tapped in to by the more aware businesses and there has been a rush to get on the green band wagon when it comes to branding a company or service. One of our most popular search term is environmentally friendly logo design.

It is worth remembering other connections with the colour green when it comes to your logo design. Our logo designers are very aware of the power of colour in logo design and although they usually try various colours and colour combinations, ultimately it is our client who makes the final choice on their custom logo design.

Green can also be used to describe someone who is lacking in experience, naive, gullible.

We talk about being ‘green about the gills’, which is about being sickly or pale. Apparently this phase dates back to the 17th century when the flesh around our jaws and ears was known as the gills. 

On a more positive note, green is also associated with growth, there are lots of business people and politicians out there looking for the ‘green shoots of recovery’ including Business Minister Baroness Vadera, who got into very hot water over her observation.

How about being ‘green with envy’? 

According to thefreeonlinedictionary, green is also the street name for ketamine. A drug used primarily by vets as an anaesthetic or tranquilizer but also used as a recreational drug by those mad enough to use it!

The American dollar has a green back and green has become synonymous with money in the USA..

 So there you have it:

green : ecologically sound

green: inexperienced

green: sickly

green: growth, regeneration

green: envious

green: recreational drug

green: money

25 March 2009

Towards the end of February a new client came to LogoPro for custom logo design.  Welsh Veg produce vegetable plants ready to be planted in the garden.  The target market is local garden centres and our client want to present themselves as a professional company,  branded in a simple but contemporary and memorable way.  Welsh Veg requested that the logo designer should not use too many different colours, as a bold, clear statement was required on labels, stationery and on the flower pots too.

23 March 2009

Red is a primary colour, the other colours in the RGB colour model are green and blue.  In theory, these three colours can be combined to make all the colours. When considering colours for use in a logo design it is worth looking at how many red logo designs there are, for instance, Coca-Cola, a truely iconic logo the world over. Also, to list a few other well know logo designs:

The Virgin logo, red script or white script on red

McDonald’s with the famous yellow M on a red background, a clever logo that echos the burger buns in the shape of the M

Texaco’s logo with the red T in a white star in a red circle

The Lego logo which is a red box with white text with black and yellow outline

A prestigious car, AUDI use a logo design that has red text with silver rings

‘the world’s local bank’ HSBC, uses black text and the well  know white and red triangles

All these logo designs have red as their dominant colour. Our logo designers are very aware that red captures attention, perhaps because we associate red with emotional intensity, passion. We also know red as the colour of danger, anger and of course blood. All powerful reasons to have a basic response to a powerful logo design that uses red as it’s main colour.

30 January 2009

We have recently completed a new logo for a research project being conducted by a London University. Dr Perkin came to LogoPro at the beginning of January looking for a logo design for EAT, with a strap line - Enquiring About Tolerance.

The logo is for a large scale clinical trial on children’s allergies.  The trial will recruit 3000 babies who will be tested until 3 years of age for any sign of a food allergy.  Half the children will be breastfed exclusively for 6 months, the other half will be breast fed and introduced to some allergenic foods from 3 months old.

Dr Perkin wanted a logo that included a picture of a baby, or a mother holding a baby. He requested 3 designs with baby faces and 3 designs using other concepts and for the logo to be one colour only.

Our logo designer worked on designs with Dr Perkin and his team, and after a few rounds of revisions, they were very happy with the final result.

8 January 2009

Recession, credit crunch, deflation - all words at the top of most people consciousness. The news is full of alarming statistics about redundancies, 27,000 people now out of work because of the closing of Woolworths 815 stores. Other well known businesses re going under daily, here is a list of just a few who have gone under in 2008/9: Viyella, Wedgwood, Wickes Furniture, Whittard of Chelsea, MFI, Adams Children’s wear, Amtrak Express Parcels, Morgan clothing brand, too many airlines and banks to mention and of course Northern Rock, little did we know this was just the tip of the ice-burg!

So a difficult times ahead, but not necessarily a bad time. During the 1970’s England suffered a terrible economic downturn. The 3 day week was introduced to save electricity, a need brought about by the coal miner’s strike, causing a downturn for business generally. It was during this time that Microsoft and Apple started trading.

For those who are or expecting to be unemployed now is the time to be creative because not many companies will be looking for new recruits at the moment. Look at what you have to offer, resurrect that business idea you have been nursing all these years, instead of fretting about your circumstances start working on a plan, a business plan.

There are many good reasons why starting a new business in a recession could be a good time especially for internet and i.t. based companies. Starting a business in difficult times brings out qualities like creativity, problem-solving, perseverance and energy, all things which are good for a new business, and will set you up for success in the long term. Of course the success of any venture will depend on you.

You will need to take a good hard look at your business idea, do your homework, research who, where and how your competition work.

Is there a demand for what you are offering, now in a time of recession when everyone is holding back and in the future when we come out the other side and things are looking rosier?

Do you have enough resources to get your idea off the ground without looking for loans from the bank? Starting a business in a recession is great because will probably spend as little as possible, the cheaper your company is to operate the less likely it is to fail.

There are other good reasons for starting a new business:

Being your own boss is one of them, being able to make decisions and do things your way is one of the best reasons.

You will be working in an area you are particularly interested in, you could be turning your passion into your career.

The work is likely to be very varied. You will find yourself on a steep learning curve getting to grips with the details of running a business, with many different hats to wear; director, accountant, graphic designer (that’s where we come in), receptionist, sales rep, cleaner, maintenance, tea lady to name but a few.

It can be very profitable, although the beginning can be difficult if work hard and you get it right the profit is yours not someone else’s.

If you are running your new business from home, or a shed in the garden, just think of all the money you will save on commuting.

Of course one of the most important aspects of starting your new business is choosing a new name, making the right decision on this is one of the keys to success, it represents you in everything you do. Once you have chosen your name, make sure it is not being used by anyone else. The next step will be to commission a logo design and the best place for that is LogoPro, over the last 7 years we have made it our business to specialise in logo design and our logo designers are the best in the business. The advantage of coming to LogoPro is the quality of work we provide at a fraction of the cost of conventional design agencies and other online logo design companies. We achieve this by cutting out unnecessary meeting and phone calls to concentrate on the important part of the job, the design work.

There are many examples of our work on our website, and testimonials from happy clients both on the home page and the testimonials page. If you are starting up your new business and are unsure about any aspect our service, do contact us via our website or the blog, or telephone our freephone number 0800 170 1060, we would be pleased to advise you.

11 December 2008

Favourite client BSMimpact asked us to redesign and build their web site.  They came to LogoPro in September 2008, for a new custom logo design that reflected their services.  They opted for our Business Advantage package which also includes stationery design. 

Not only did the new site have to look professional, as with any design, it has to capture its audience, make them want to look further and not lose them on the first click.  Our graphic designer worked with them to create a site that could incorporate many features. They required a CMS - Content Management System - so they could make changes to the site themselves easily.  They also have a search facility, an employee portal and news feeds.

27 November 2008

Being one of the very first graphic design companies to offer custom logo design online, way back in 2001, our aim was to offer our expertise at affordable prices to all businesses, particularly those who would not consider approaching a conventional design agency.  After careful thought we set the price of our first package, Business Class Logo at £160.00 plus VAT = £188.00.  The price for this service has remained the same for the last 7 years - until now -  reflecting the new rate of VAT, the cost of professional logo design in now only £184.00. 

We know from client feedback that some clients were suspicious of our low price, expecting logo designs that look as if they have been plucked straight from a clip art library with a bit of text applied.  Not until they embarked on the journey with us did they realise just how committed our logo designers are to creating genuinely bespoke designs for our clients.

We have considered making our prices higher, but for now we think it is worth keeping our prices as they are because each new client has the potential to become one of the many clients that come back to us again and again for all their graphic requirements.

20 November

Igloo directors, took the bold step of stepping in to the Dragon’s Den. Not only did they come out all in one piece, they were smiling - happy to have secured a good deal with 2 of the dragons.  Four years on Igloo are going from strength to strength, with a huge fleet of vehicles ranging from tiny Smart cars to huge 18 ton lorries.

LogoPro haved worked for Igloo since 2004, providing them with their bold logo design, stationery design and other printed material. We are really pleased that they are doing so well and love seeing a LogoPro logo design emblazoned on all their vehicles.  We wish them continued success.

Igloo will be featured on Dragon’s Den on the 23rd November, with an update on how the company is doing. At least two of our logo designers will be glued to the telly on Saturday to see the show!