Setting Your Logo Up for Success (Our 3-Step Guide)

Your logo is your first impression. It’s how you will visually communicate your message as well as how consumers will identify who your company is. Designing a logo and further branding takes time, care, and knowledge. It is not something that should be taken lightly, nor should the process be rushed. Likewise, it is also critical that your logo works across various items. Our guide will help you set up your logo for success on any promotional product.

Why is it Important to Design Your Logo for Promotional Products?

Promotional products like custom pens or custom drinkware are a fantastic way to promote your company. They are also a great way to increase brand awareness and customer loyalty. The design theory behind your logo is important because it will be the first thing people see when they purchase your product. You will never be able to make the first impression a second time. Make sure the chance you get counts.

Let Your Logo Speak For Your Brand

Your logo is the first thing people see when they view your website or visit your company. It usually makes the biggest impression, for better or worse. Here are 3 simple tips for setting yourself up for success.

1. Ask yourself these questions:

• What's the intent? 
  What is the goal of your promotional product? To motivate? To increase sales? To boost brand awareness? Your logo's design will depend on your purpose, whether you want your logo or company name on the item or need contact information like a website as a call to action.
• Who's the target audience? 
  If you are targeting children, you would want something colorful and fun. However, if you are targeting adults, you would want something more sophisticated and elegant. Knowing your audience is the first step toward creating something that will have a positive impact.
• What's the product? 
  How small or large is the imprint area? Depending on your item, imprint areas (or the printable area) can range from a small space on a pen to a larger area on a tote bag. Knowing about these restrictions ahead of time can prevent a ton of headaches down the line when ordering promotional items. Designing with small spaces in mind can help make your logo better in the long run.

2. Learn from these 3 common mistakes of logo design

• Rushing through the process – Creating a great logo begins with research. A solid understanding of your company and its representation is the foundation for designing a strong mark. Ask yourself why does your company exist? What is your purpose? What makes you different from your competitors? What does your target audience value? The more you know about who and what your company can truly help when developing your visual identity. This process should not be rushed through.
• Color Scheme – Color is an important part of your brand but can also be a distraction. It is impossible to save a bad logo with a good color palette. It is easy to destroy a good logo with a bad color scheme. Doing some basic research into color theory can help save your newly minted design from tragedy down the road. Your printers will thank you as well.
• Keep it simple – A good logo design is memorable. Keeping things simple will help your brand stay in a customer’s mind, despite all the other branding they will come across throughout their day-to-day activities. Being too literal with your design can also be detrimental to your logo's overall success. Remember, KISS.

3. Improve your artwork depending on the item or imprint size 

• Simplify
  Going back to "what's the product?" depending on the size of the product and imprint area, it may be wise to make minor adjustments to your logo. For example, if you have a very detailed crest and the organization's name, those details may not print well on a pen with an imprint size of 1.5" w x 0.25" h. In this case, we recommend removing the graphic from the logo and just using the name portion of your organization. Another example will be if you have the text "knocked out" of a shape or background. Typically in these cases, it's more likely for that text to bleed and print less legibly, so we recommend printing the inverse of that text.

• Drop your tagline (or any extra text) 
  Let's go back to what your intent is. If the purpose of your promotional product is to boost brand awareness, you may only need your logo. If the goal is to increase online sales, you will want to add your website. Only include what information is necessary - the imprint area is valuable space on your promotional product that you do not want to clutter with anything unnecessary.
• Choose your imprint color (about the item color)
  Many promotional products will imprint your company logo as a one-color screen. In this case, you will want to choose imprint color (or the color your logo will be printed in) that contrasts nicely with the item color. For example, an excellent general rule of thumb is light imprint colors work best on dark item colors and vice versa - dark imprint colors on light item colors. Some color combinations do not print well, including a red imprint on a black item or a white imprint on a yellow object. These color combinations will print extremely subtly or hard to read. You want your logo to stand out clearly to your target audience! Also, no worries if your logo is not submitted with the color you'll be printing - the promo products company will take care of that on their end.

Create A Logo That Resonates!

Trends are constantly changing, but the basics will always remain consistent. Building a logo with a solid foundation is paramount to success both within the business and when it comes to printing it. Without a logo, your brand loses its identity and meaning. While creating the perfect logo takes time and patience, we hope our guide can help jumpstart the process and lead you on the path to a killer brand.