The importance of a logo can never be overstated. Every business, be it big or small, needs a logo for recognition and establishing an identity.
Those little images are the ones that give businesses their identity. The first thing people will see after your business name, is your logo.
This is the reason why logos are everywhere. People are exposed to more logo than they realize, and many of them stick to their mind like magnets. Those little images act like ambassadors to the business it represents; reminding people that the product exists and people should buy it.
While many logos have the ability to pronounce a business out loud, even when people weren't realizing their presence, many others failed.
Below are some of the reasons why logos can fail. If you think that your business has one or more of the following, you may need to rethink about your logo design.
They don't stand out
Your logo, in many ways, is the face of your business. In order to make it shine, it needs to have some distinguishing features to make it memorable. Logos that stand out, are easiest to pick from the crowd.
The more your logo can stand out from the crowd, the more it appeals to people.
Complicated and complex
While a sophisticated logo can indeed be one of a kind, but its complexity can make it unable to adapt.
A logo should look good on any sizes. A logo should also be able to pronounce every parts of its design, even if printed in black and white. In essence, it should look great in whatever medium it is shown. A complex logo rarely have this ability since it is complicated to replicate. Too complex also means to many information to give. People don't really buy that.
So here you should say no to overly complex design that has too much colors or too many font types.
Ideally, your logo should at least scale well without losing any of its impact.
Having the wrong emotion
Just like any other piece of art, your logo should influence potential customers on an emotional level. From its design aspects that include its colors and shapes, your logo should be able to play with people's mind, associating your business with your branding efforts.
Your logo should have the right color to represent your business. Its shape should also be well-designed so it can be distinguishable.
Appeal more than the products you're selling
Your logo is the representation of what you sell, not the one that you should sell. If your logo stands out more than your product, people will see your logo as the product itself. Since it becomes the epicenter of your business, people will be misinformed, and won't necessarily translate to better sales.
Doesn't represent you at all
If you're a tech company, your logo should at least have something geeky in its characteristics. This way, people that never encountered your logo, should tell you apart by knowing what you sell without researching.
The same goes to all other businesses in any industries. Logos should be distinguishable and able to represent them, without having to say a word about themselves. Here, colors and shapes really matter, and they should work well together to create a piece of art that spearheads your business.
Another thing to consider is that, when your company is shifting its focus, you may want to do a refresh to your logo.