• by Deborah Sweeney , January 15, 2013

Your business logo is more than just a picture and some text -- it stands as a symbol of familiarity and trust within your brand. A lot of thought and effort must be given to choosing and designing a new logo, and it can be difficult for small business owners to determine what fits their business and its image best. Keep these three pointers in mind as a starting guide as you begin building your brand with the right logo.

Try not to shock and awe

Bright colors and exciting fonts are not your friend. I realize how tempting they may initially appear to a business looking to grab their target market’s attention, but it is far too easy to step over the line separating eye-catching and garish. When choosing a color, focus on consistency. Go with the color that you have used the most so far when it comes to promoting your business, be it on your Web site or your business cards. And unless you’re in an artistic industry, try not to delve too deeply into the wide world of fonts. Readability should always take precedence over style. So don’t sacrifice a clean logo and font for an over-the-top mess even if you think the flamboyant display will draw a customer’s eye faster. Chances are they will be more annoyed than intrigued.

The smaller you are, the harder it will be to change

Big business has a little bit more leeway when it comes to changing its logo or brand. As long as some aspect remains the same as what the audience is accustomed to seeing, their advertising budget and name recognition means that they can rest assured customers will still recognize and accept a new logo without too much of a backlash.

Small businesses don’t have these kinds of resources at their disposal. And since people generally prefer familiarity to change, switching your logo -- even if the switch isn’t too terribly dramatic -- can take some time to get used to. Keep the longevity of your new logo in mind, as you will most likely be using it for some time to come. If you do eventually decide to change later on down the road, do so incrementally. It is much more effective to ease your customers into something new than to present a dramatic change and expect them to immediately accept it.

Always, always, ALWAYS protect your logos!

For any iteration of your logo that you may decide on, you still have to protect it. As a small business owner, you are building a brand -- all of the blood, sweat, and tears that you have poured into making your company known and trusted are represented by that logo. If you change your logo and decide to use it on your Web site, in mailings, on business cards, or anywhere else, file for trademark protection with the USPTO. It’s a little pricey to do so, but worth the investment as this will keep your logo protected from being copied or stolen.

Choosing a logo will always be initially difficult to decide on, but changing it is even harder. The key here is to be happy with your decision and how the design reflects your company, as you’re most likely to plaster that image onto everything you send out. Be consistent, keep it simple, and remember to protect your investment –- and watch as your brand takes off!