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Building Brand Recognition: The psychology behind logo design

A strong logo is memorable, effective and recognisable. While it’s important you like your company’s logo, it’s even more crucial that it appeals to your target audience. 

Whether you’re re-branding or inventing, here’s a comprehensive guide to great logo design. 

The power of logos 

A company’s logo plays a big part in its success. It’s more than just an image, it’s a powerful tool in fostering brand recognition, which in turn generates customer loyalty and profitability. 

Great logos become an abbreviation for your entire brand; they stand for everything you stand for. So, it’s necessary to think about design and intention deeply when deciding on a logo for your business. 

Why does brand recognition matter? 

Building a relationship with the consumer is made easier by having a recognisable brand. People are reassured by familiarity, and 57% of people say a logo helps them trust a company. 

Brand recognition creates an emotional attachment between your brand and the consumer. They see a logo they recognise and are reminded of their positive experience when using your product or service. They know you and trust you as a result. 

How logos affect consumer perception and behaviour 

Understanding how logos affect consumer perception is a question of psychology. 

Different colours, shapes and fonts signify different things in our brains, so when choosing a logo for your brand it’s important to consider the psychology behind each component. 

Your brand and colour theory

Colours associated with your brand play a big role in consumer perception. 

Studies show that 90% of snap judgements about logos are based on colour alone. People psychologically associate different colours with different emotions, for example: 

Green

Think WhatsApp, Tropicana, Spotify. Green is used in food retailers to signify naturally sourced ingredients, because of its semantic link to eco-friendliness. But it also signifies growth and fresh ideas, which is important for social media corporations. 

Red

Used in logos like Coca Cola, YouTube, and Netflix. Red is a striking colour that captures attention. It creates impact, great for simple logos that need to pop. 

Blue

The NHS, PayPal, and Visa all use blue in their logo. Popular with banks and healthcare brands, blue symbolises purity, simplicity and trustworthiness. 

The colour you choose to associate with your brand shouldn’t be incidental. Whichever colour scheme you use should reflect an important aspect of your brand you want to project to your consumer base. 

Shape and symbolism 

Square, circle, even triangle: logos come in lots of shapes and sizes. And which form you choose for your logo also affects a consumer’s first impression. 

Generally:

  • Triangles = Direction
  • Squares = Stability
  • Circles = Unity

Triangles are present in the logos of Airbnb, Adobe and Adidas, for example. This is because triangles represent adventure, unexpectedness and forward thinking.  

LinkedIn, the BBC and Microsoft all use squares in their logo to represent reliability, stability and integrity. 

And the London Underground, Pinterest, and Google Chrome all use circles to imply inter-connectedness, unity and integration. 

Does font matter? 

Short answer: yes. Before your customer has even read the word(s) on your logo the way they’re written will strike them first. 

  • Serif fonts have a classic, academic feel. They’re great for brands that want to exude tradition, sophistication and authority. 
  • Slab serif fonts are like the younger sibling to the serif fonts. They have a more youthful appeal. With a chunkier line weight, letters in these fonts have a confident, bolder feel. 
  • Sans-serif fonts skip the ‘serif’. They take up less space, so they’re better suited for responsive web design where pages need to be shrunk down to display on mobile devices. 
  • Script fonts offer a sense of whimsy. They have the appearance of handwriting so they can inject some fun and informality into a logo. However, they’re not always the easiest to read. 
  • Decorative fonts are great for unique, novelty designs. When you’re opting for a more casual, creative look, these fonts are suited for the job. 

Establishing trust and loyalty through logos 

Consumers build trust with brands through positive experience. Once a brand gains consumer trust, its logo becomes a signal of reliability. 

Another way logos foster brand loyalty is through nostalgia. When we see a familiar logo, the brain releases dopamine, associating positive feelings to a particular colour, shape or image. All this fosters a consumer’s relationship with your brand. 

A well designed, consistent logo does half the work for you when building a brand that will stand the test of time. 

How to design a logo that works for your brand 

Whether you’re updating or designing, here’s some things to keep in mind to guarantee you get the most out of your brand’s logo: 

Alignment

Your logo should reflect your brand’s personality. Choose colours, shapes and fonts that fit the culture, essence and overall vibe of your brand.

Simplicity

A logo is a small snapshot into your brand. With as little writing and imagery as possible you want to convey a message with a single look. 

Response

When you’ve narrowed it down to a couple designs, send some samples out for consumer research. This provides helpful feedback that can be implemented before your logo is used officially. 

Consistency

Once you’ve designed a logo that works for your brand, stick with it. Repetition builds consumer trust and gains their loyalty through recognition. 

Final thoughts 

Logos are crucial to building brand recognition and consumer trust. Considering your brand’s personality and choosing a colour, shape and font that reflects that essence creates a logo that does the heavy lifting. 

At Brand Identity we’ll help you bring your workwear design to life. Our range of high-quality pieces are the perfect blank canvas for your logo design. 

If you’re looking to create bespoke workwear or unique custom pieces, fill out an enquiry form or email at [email protected] today. 

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