A logo may stand alone or be part of an identity. Either way it is often the most important graphic element that a company or organization shows to the world.

Be remembered

The most important task a logo has is to be remembered. The importance of this cannot be overstated.

Be well thought of

The second task is to evoke positive associations in the mind of the viewer. It is important to note that the viewer doesn't need to realize this process is happening for it to work. In fact unconscious positive judgment is what a logo is meant to create.

This positive judgment can also carry mental associations such as

- Trust
- Energy
- Competence
- Prestige
- Strength
- Sophistication
- Fun

No logo can evoke all of the possible positive associations. Some positive may even be antithetical to others.

When having a new logo made or revising an existing logo it is important to know what values you are looking to evoke. These values should tie into your marketing plan & help to distinguish you from your competition.

Technical

A logo should be designed so that it will reproduce well in the media it is likely to be used in. Here are just two examples

- If a logo is going to be printed on newsprint in black & white, special attention should be paid to the black & white version of the logo and to making sure that it will print well on newsprint.

- If a logo will be used on TV, testing should be done to ensure that the logo reads well on a television monitor and certain colors which bleed on screen should be avoided - or a separate TV logo produced.

No logo

Some extremely sophisticated marketing no uses no logo at all or a series of logos. This strategy can be effective in certain markets but is unorthodox & will not be useful in most cases.