Considerations Before (Re)designing Your Logo: Part 2

This is Part 2 of series of considerations that will help you prepare and get the most out of a logo redesign process. 

I’ve broken these pre-design considerations into the following posts:

Part 1 : Basic Business Considerations, click here if you’ve missed it.
Part 2: Marketing Considerations
Part 3: What not to bring to the table
Part 4: What you should expect to pay

Stay tuned to future posts for Parts 3 and 4. This section focuses on how you externally plan on communicating, and a nugget about the firm you choose to help you. Good luck.

Part 2: Marketing Considerations

1. Where will this logo end up specifically?  Other than on your business cards and on your web site, where else: embroidered or silkscreened on clothing, on the side of a building, etched on glass, on grocery store shelves next to your biggest competitor, on a Boeing 737, on a plastic handle, on sides of trucks, as a wardrobe tag, amusement park ride, etc etc? 

Note: don’t be afraid to project a little. Take FedEx for instance. In the 70’s they started with a handful of planes and trucks and now their fleet of trucks is well over 10,000. The original Federal Express logo treatment (above left) cost $1,000 more to apply per truck than the redesigned FedEx treatment (above right). When you have that many trucks, that’s a lot of money: $1,000 x 10,000 trucks = $1,000,000 in saved expense. Some could argue that FedEx actually netted money by having their logo redesigned. Not to mention the significant readability of the new logo. It’s smart to plan all potential scenarios now, and hiring a design firm that specializes in identity work, can help you do so and save you time and money in the short and long run.

2. You’ll need at least the basic stationery system: business cards, letterhead, envelopes, Office template (Word and PowerPoint), plus the right files to use in applications like QuickBooks and in your email signature. Make sure you document and communicate all these specific needs plus any other details. It matters, and should be part of your entire Corporate Identity program. 

3. How are you currently marketing your company? How will you be? (print, face to face, online, experiential, broadcast, co-op, etc) This will help create context and potential constraints your logo will need to consider.

4. Make sure you are engaging with firms that specialize in logo design/corporate identity work. (Note: If it’s one of 26 “specialties” they tout on their web site, they’re just bull-shitting and don’t specialize in anything.) In other professions like medicine, law, engineering, etc. specialized expertise matters! I’m certain you wouldn’t hire your ear/nose/throat for open heart surgery. Or your family law guy to represent you in an intellectual property dispute, or a electrical engineer to design a bridge. So why would you hire a general agency help you solve a specific challenge like your identity. It’s not worth any perceived convenience. Check my post Logos Done Right Last a Lifetime for more thoughts.

There’s lots of information you need to bring to the table, and once you’re in good shape, you’re ready for Part 3: What not to bring to the table.