There are almost 28 million small businesses in the United States. So as a small business owner, you’ve got a lot of competition out there.

Well, one of the best ways to make a lasting impression on your audience is through having a strong logo.

In fact, the best logos showcase your brand’s personality. But it can be hard to make that happen.

That’s why we created this guide to help you portray your brand personality through your logo. Read more below!

The Basics

Let’s start with the basics. What is a logo and why is important? Well, a logo is a brand element that gives a face to your brand.

In other words, it’s your visual identity. It’s a key way for your audience to recognize your company.

Since there is so much competition out there, it’s crucial that you stand out from the crowd. When someone sees your logo, they should understand a little bit about your brand’s personality.

In fact, in many cases your logo is the first impression someone receives about your company. What do you want people to think about you when they see your logo? Thinking through this question will help you develop a logo that correctly conveys your brand values.

It’s easy to wonder why corporations spend so much money on logo creation. Often, companies that have been around a while go through extensive logo updates. This is because industries and trends evolve and change.

Fashion changes over time and so does design. So you should be conscious that your logo is up to date so you don’t come off as outdated or behind the curve.

Next, let’s go over the key parts of your logo.

The Graphic

First, let’s start with the graphic element of your logo. This can be an illustration, an icon, or a pattern. If you think about logos you know, there’s a huge range of graphic elements used.

Apple uses a simple apple as their graphic. Burger King has a burger. Almost every sports team uses a little illustration of their mascot.

Some graphics are more conceptual and less concrete. This could be a pattern or a line.

A great example of this is the Nike swoosh. When taken out of context, the swoosh is just a simple curved line, but now through years of successful branding, the swoosh has come to represent Nike.

The Typography & Font

Fonts can say a lot about your business. Fonts themselves convey feelings and personalities.

For example, Times New Roman is known for being stoic, professional, but also a little boring. Comic Sans, on the other hand, is the classic font for more playful or youthful settings.

Think about your brand values and personality. What adjectives do you want people to use when they describe your company? These answers will help guide your typography choices.

In everything you do with fonts, make sure they’re legible. Also make them unique. Don’t just use a common font that anyone could find in Microsoft Word.

Instead, work to find a unique font that conveys your brand’s personality well.

The Colors

The third and final crucial element of your logo is your color palette. The colors you choose will also convey specific things about your company’s personality. You want to make sure they convey the right things.

Think about the emotions you want people to associate with your brand. It’s simply not enough to choose colors because you like them.

For example, in design blue is often used because it comes across as friendly, authoritative, peaceful, and trustworthy. But every shade of blue is a little different and can mean different things.

At the end of the day, the key here is that you think through your color choice and experiment with different options and combinations before making a final decision.

Need help with your logo design? Check out our online logo maker.

Choose a Design Style that Matches Your Brand Personality

Now that you’ve gone through deciding on graphic, typography, and color, it’s time to put it all together. The most important thing here is that your logo design style matches up with your brand personality.

But the truth is that while this is all great information, it can be hard to know how to move forward without seeing a few examples. So here are some common brand personality traits and brands that you can draw inspiration from.

Simple vs. Complex

Think about the McDonald’s logo. It’s just a simple M. But the key here is that it’s in a unique font that has turned into an iconic symbol.

Their M is so iconic that it even has it’s own name: the golden arches. But at the end of the day, it’s just a letter in a unique font.

On the other end of the spectrum is Unilever. Their logo is also a letter, this time a capital U. But it’s very complex.

Inside it has all types of illustrations and elaborate decorations. This is because Unilever is a large corporation with more than 400 different brands in all types of categories.

Playful vs. Serious

Do you want your brand to come off as playful and fun or serious and experienced? It totally depends on your industry and your brand positioning.

When it comes to playful, Toys R Us is a perfect example. They use a super fun font and bright colors that grab both kids’ and parents’ attention. They also utilize their friendly giraffe mascot often in their branding, which is the perfect graphic element for their lighthearted toy store brand.

Think about most law firms on the other hand. They typically use darker colors in a serif font. This portrays seriousness and expertise.

When you’re in need of a lawyer, you want someone you can trust who knows what they’re doing. You’re paying them a lot of money and you want them to win your case.

So in this case, straightforward, serious branding works perfectly.

Closing Thoughts

Now that you’ve read all about portraying brand personality through logo design, it’s time to try these tips out with your logo!

Would you like to know how to trademark a logo?

A logo that you create is central to your brand’s image. It’s also one of the most valuable assets you have in your business.

Think of it this way, what would Nike be worth if it wasn’t instantly recognizable by the swoosh? Well, that mark is worth about $13 billion.

When you trademark a logo, you’re protecting your most valuable asset and you’re setting your company apart from the competition.

Read on to learn what it takes to trademark a logo.

Why Trademark a Logo?

The main advantage that comes with a trademark is the legal protection.

By having an official, federally registered trademark, your company is the only one that can use it. You’re protected under the law.

PayPal has filed suit against music provider Pandora for trademark infringement because they look too similar, according to PayPal.

TRX, the fitness company known for its suspension trainer, successfully won a multi-million dollar judgment against a company that created a knock-off product. It was an infringement of the brand and the product. It has a great product, a strong brand, and a great fitness logo.

This kind of protection would not have been possible if TRX didn’t have the trademark protections in place.

There are some instances where it doesn’t make sense to have a trademark.

It doesn’t make sense to register your logo if you don’t know how long you’ll be in business. You might also decide to change your logo after a few years.

How to Trademark a Logo

The first thing to know about how to trademark a logo is that it’s a long process. It takes a lot of time and it takes about 10 months to go through the trademark process.

State vs. National Trademarks

Depending on your business, you can register the trademark in your state. If you’re a local business with one location and no intention to expand, this might make sense for you. In this case, you’ll want to register your trademark with your state’s secretary of state’s office.

However, if you’re an online business with a national presence, you’ll want to be sure to register your business nationally. That means you’ll have to file with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Do Your Research

As you start thinking about whether or not to trademark a logo, start by doing research. You have to ensure that your logo isn’t used by anyone else or it’s not similar to a trademark already in use by another company.

Just about every trademark lawsuit is avoidable with good research.

To research logos and designs, you’ll need to start by visiting the USPTO’s search database.

You need to look at your logo and note all of the design elements that are there and match them with the right code in the USPTO Design Search Code Manual.

You’ll also want to note any keywords, phrases, goods, and services, that your business falls under. You’ll also need to check the international class to make sure that there are no additional conflicts.

There are a few criteria to use when doing your research. Your logo must not:

• Be similar to another logo that’s already in use
• Cannot be offensive or misleading
• Cannot cause confusion in the marketplace

If your logo meets these criteria, then you can proceed.

Use the Logo

If did your research and found that no one is using a logo that’s similar to yours, start to use your logo. This will give you some protection under the law, but you won’t be fully protected.

File the Application

One thing to remember is that you may have a tagline or business name as part of the logo. These must be filed separately, so you’ll have one application for the logo, and another for the business name.

Your application must be complete and meet the USPTO’s strict guidelines. A large percentage of applications that were declined was due to incomplete applications.

You would have to resubmit your application and pay another filing fee.

After you’ve filed your application and it’s been approved, you can then keep an eye out to make sure that no one else is using it or anything that resembles it.

There are trademark watch companies such as CompuMark that specializes in trademark protection. They take the time to do the research so you don’t have to.

Should You File the Application Yourself?

One question you’ll have to answer early on in the process is whether or not you do it yourself, use an online service, or hire an attorney.

There are advantages and disadvantages to each. The main concern for most people who want to trademark a logo is the cost.

At an absolute minimum, it’s $225 for the filing fee for a single class. It also depends on how many classes you want to trademark in and how complex your filing is. You will be responsible for doing the research yourself and filling out the application properly.

On average, online services like Legal Zoom charge about $500. They’ll give you basic research and if there are issues with your application, you’re either on your own or you’ll have to pay more money to have it completed.

An attorney will cost between $1500 – $2000.

Yes, that can be cost prohibitive, but you can increase the likelihood of your application being accepted. It’s been found that attorneys that submit the application are 50% more likely to have them approved than if you do it yourself.

That’s because they will do incredibly thorough research, ensure that the application is complete, and ensure the scope of the trademark isn’t too narrow or too broad.

Your Logo is the Key to Your Success

Your logo is a gateway to connect with your customers. It’s real value, however, gets more powerful over time.

That’s because your customers have had more good experiences with your company, and those positive feelings become associated with your logo.

And that’s also why you want to protect it.

When you know how to trademark a logo, you’re sure to protect your company’s most valuable asset.

If you’d like more great logo tips, check out our blog today.

Unhappy with your practice’s current logo design?

Feel like your logo looks like every other hospital, pharmacy, or medical professional’s office in your neighborhood?

Do you know that you need to make a change to your medical center logos, but aren’t quite sure what that change should look like?

Don’t panic – we’re here to help you.

In this post, we’ll tell you a few of the most important elements you need to consider in your medical center logos. Then, we’ll let you know where you can go to create several potential logo designs.

Read on to learn how to create logos that reinforce your brand message, differentiate you from your competition, and make an emotional connection with your target market.

1. Consider the Central Image

One of the most important things to consider when it comes to creating strong medical center logos?

The central image of your design.

This image will help you build your brand recognition, connect with your target market almost instantly, and, above all, make it clear the specific type of medical services you offer.

This last point is especially crucial.

While, yes, things like a stethoscope, a red cross, or even a drawing of a medication bottle communicate some kind of medical service, these images don’t do a lot to make it clear exactly the kinds of services and specializations you provide.

For example, if you’re a cardiologist, then you might want to make a logo that incorporates a heart rate monitor into your design. If you specialize in pediatric medicine, include children in your logo, and use lots of bright colors in your design.

Above all, your central image should illustrate the kinds of patients you see and should make the specifics of your practice clear.

Not only do stereotypical images fail to set your practice apart from the competition, they also do nothing to give your market any kind of information. Think bigger, and be better.

2. Choose Colors Carefully

Once you’ve decided on your central image, you’ll then need to start thinking about the colors you want to include in your design.

For best results, we recommend sticking to a minimum of two colors and a maximum of about four.

Yes, being bright and bold will help you to stand out – but if your medical center logos look like the page of a child’s coloring book, you’ll stand out for all the wrong reasons.

Plus, keep in mind that color psychology will also play an important role in your design. If you provide natural and holistic services, you may want to go with greens and blues. If you offer emergency services, red and white will make that clear and create an emotional response in your target market.

Above all, the colors you choose to include in your logo design should be consistent with the rest of your branding.

For example, take a look at look at the website for this alcohol rehab center.

They’ve focused their entire website design on the colors blue and white, to help to keep website visitors calm and focused. The text of their website is also white, which is further emphasized by the blue background of the page.

The writing in their logo is consistent, in the same white color, as is their design – a soothing, wound shape like an elongated spiral. This design and the color scheme is consistent with the services they set out to provide.

3. Don’t Neglect the Size

Once you’ve chosen the colors and the central image you’d like to use, it can sometimes feel like your medical center logos are complete.

However, there are still a few more things you need to consider.

One of the most important?

The size not only of the logo as a whole but all of the elements within it.

Think about how many different places that logo is going to be displayed. It may be on physical signage outside of your practice. It might be on your business cards, your social media accounts, printed in a newspaper, or even on the back of the jersey of that local sports team you sponsor.

When you’re creating your design, it’s up to you to ensure that, in any size, your logo images and text are clear, easy-to-read, and don’t end up looking like a Monet painting.

Don’t overcrowd your logo design, include too many words, or create several smaller images. Instead, go for a sleek design that tells your consumers you don’t need all the bells and whistles to get noticed.

4. Typography as a Branding Strategy

We’ve also discussed the importance of choosing the right colors when it comes to your medical center logos.

Now, let’s quickly discuss how the right font can influence buying decisions, build your center’s brand recognition, and help you to connect with your target market faster than ever.

Of course, the most crucial thing to keep in mind is legibility. As with the image you choose, your font choice will still need to be readable in many different forms.

But your font can also reinforce your overall brand and set you apart from the competition. If you’re an eye doctor, use the same font that’s used on eye test charts. If you work with children, you could choose a font that looks like it’s been written by a child (though is still legible, of course).

Your font matters, so don’t be afraid to take a risk.

Ready to Design a Few Medical Center Logos?

One final thing to keep in mind regarding logo design?

You probably won’t get it right the first time.

To come up with several different logo design options that you can let your patients, your employees, and your target market vote on, use our free online logo maker tool.

Still need a little more advice on how to design the most effective logo possible?

Be sure to check out our blog for access to the latest tips and trends when it comes to logo design.

We can’t wait to help you strengthen your brand with a new logo.

Did you know that there are over 30 million small businesses listed on Facebook alone? That means, if you want to compete in this crowded market, it’s important to make your business stand out.

One important way to do this is with your branding. Have a clear, recognizable brand identity that follows specific logo guidelines will help customers remember your business.

Want to make your brand identity strong? Check out this tips to communicate your brand effectively.

Why Are Guidelines Important?

First, let’s take a moment to consider why it’s so important to have guidelines for your logos and brand identity.

The purpose of a logo is to create an icon that is immediately recognizable to folks in your target market. Whether you put your logo on social media, a billboard, a mug, or a set of pinback buttons, customers should be able to associate it with your company.

Simply put, it’s impossible to achieve this goal if you don’t have consistency. If your logo looks slightly different from one medium or publication to another, it will be harder for customers to make the association.

Determine Your Colors

One of the reasons that Coca Cola’s brand is so recognizable is the unmistakable red and white colors. And it’s not just the fact that Coke always uses red and white, but that Coke always uses the same shade of red in all of its branding.

When you choose your colors, it’s important to stick with them. Determine what the RGB and CMYK color codes are, and make sure to always use the exact hue.

Also, whatever colors you use in your logo, make sure to incorporate these across these brands. For instance, if you have a particular shade of green in your logo, you should use that green on your website, or on promotional items like pens.

Choose Your Typography

If you decide to use lettering in your logos, it’s important to choose your font carefully. Will you use a serif or sans-serif font? Will it be bold, thin, or italic?

Also, whatever font you choose for your logo, carry this font across other branded materials. The same or similar font should be used for advertisements, publications, etc.

Specify How to Use Variations

Sometimes, companies have multiple variations of a single logo. Maybe there is one version with the icon and the company name, and another version with just the icon. Or, maybe there is a version in one color, and another in a different color.

Having these variations is acceptable, provided that you are consistent with how you use them. For instance, you may indicate that the icon-only logo is okay for internal communications, but the full logo must be used for external ones.

Put Logo Guidelines to Work Today

With these factors in mind, you’ll be able to design a logo that you can use on multiple platforms to reinforce your brand.

Ready to get started putting these tips for logo guidelines to work for your own business? Use our free logo maker today to design the perfect logo for your family.