Your logo doesn’t need to be bigger.
Not on your website, not on your flyer, not on your advert.
In recent years we have seen a cultural shift from ‘less is more’ to ‘bigger is better’. Think cars, smartphones, TVs… we are constantly being told that a large size is equal to large value. In many cases, it is. And we get it, you want your logo to stand out and might think that size is the way to do that.
But the key difference here is that ‘bigger is better’ only applies to the value of the service or product.
An example…
The newer iPhone models come in regular and extra-large models these days, which does indeed deliver higher value. Now that we can do a lot of day-to-day business from our phones, plus there’s gaming and streaming video content, a large screen size on a bigger, more powerful device is absolutely better than the smaller models Apple were releasing a few years ago.
But what if we asked you this:
Think about last time you saw the Apple logo applied to any form of advertising or packaging.
How big was it?
Now, you might be thinking ‘Well, fair enough to Apple, but they are a well-established global brand, and everyone already knows about them, so it’s different.’
We disagree. And here’s why…
Brand vs Logo
It’s critical to note the difference between your logo and your brand. We’ll cover this in more depth in a later blog, but here’s the basics.
Your brand is every attribute of your company. Its what people say about you when you are not in the room. It is the sum of all the impressions and assumptions that your business leaves upon your audience. Your logo will certainly contribute to that impression, but so will the colours you use, your website copy, and the ways in which you interact with your customers online and in person.
Your brand is your public image and reputation. Your logo is just an icon that identifies you.
If you want to make your logo bigger, it is likely for one of the following three reasons:
1. You’re aiming to boost brand recognition
This is possibly the number one objective that leads to clients asking us to upscale their logo on their website or marketing assets. The rationale being that the bigger the logo, the more memorable the business.
This thought process seems logical, until you understand the difference between a logo and a brand.
We’ll tell you the truth:
The scale of your logo has absolutely nothing to do with how well your brand will be remembered.
Your brand encompasses far more than just your logo, and on a website or promotional asset, it should never ever overpower the message or call to action.
You can apply your brand to every part of any website, digital or print asset, and this is done through colour application, typography, copy and tone of voice, ease of navigation and even website responsiveness.
If you don’t execute your message effectively, your logo isn’t going to save you. And you certainly don’t want your logo to outshine the message you are trying to communicate about your product or service. If anything, a big logo is just going to get in the way!
Stand out by communicating how you can solve your audience’s needs, not by making your logo bigger.
2. You don’t trust your designer’s expertise
Your business means everything to you. You want to have control over how it is represented and how your website or advert looks.
Your designer wants to communicate everything you have to offer to your audience in the most effective way possible.
When you work with an expert web or graphic designer, they are genuinely using many years of experience to produce something that will bring benefit to your business. Every aspect of any design is carefully planned, from font size to colour choice, and is backed by strategy.
When we keep the logo size modest, it really is not an insult to you or your business. We are using our knowledge and expertise to determine what your clients need to know to trust you and buy into your product or service, and how we can visually communicate that to them in an effective and impactful way.
Trust your designer to make these calls, instead of asking them to make your logo bigger.
3. You’re not sure how to connect with your audience
Maybe you are fully confident in the value your business can bring to its customers, but you’re just not up to speed on what motivates them and how to communicate effectively.
When potential customers visit your website, 99% of the time its not boredom browsing. They have a want/need/problem. Your solution to their want/need/problem needs to be the first thing they see.
It’s the same with print assets such as a magazine advert or a flyer through the door. Even though in this case the reader hasn’t gone out of their way to find you, you’re hoping that they have a want/need/problem that you can solve, and if they do, your message needs to be loud and clear.
You’ll lose people’s interest within a matter of seconds if you don’t get your value message across. Don’t waste those precious seconds by showing off your logo.
Customer focused design
Successful companies put the customer first and convey that across their website marketing.
Making the logo bigger than the customer benefit tells your customer that you are more important than they are. It’s also, essentially, the visual equivalent of shouting at them, and comes across as insecure. Quiet confidence is much more attractive than shouting about how great you are!
Your customers should be your priority, so make sure that your big fat logo isn’t distracting them from the valuable message you’re trying to communicate. Give that message and CTA the real estate it deserves!
