Logos are the chief of all gossipers.

It’s tough to create a good logo. Even tougher to create a great logo. Logos are important for what they communicate. They’re important for creating mnemonic relationships between people and your organization. They are important to communicate for you when you can’t communicate for yourself. So here’s the question I’d ask you to answer if you’re jumping into a logo project for your organization:

What will your logo SAY ABOUT YOU…when you’re not there to SPEAK FOR YOURSELF?

Logos are gossipers. They talk about you behind your back like an 8th grader chatting on myspace about your pimples. So what is your logo saying about you behind your back?

• If your logo says, “I’m complicated.” you lose.
• If your logo says, “I look this way because my owner is too cheap to pay someone to make me look pretty.” you lose.
• If your logo says, “I think I’m adopted because I don’t look like my parent organization.” you lose.
• If your logo says, “I’m the logo for Org A and I look just like the logo for Org B.” you lose.

So, what  can you do to help your logo be on the same team you are?

Simplify.
Your logo can’t say it all; not even if you tell it to. If your logo requires instructions or a legend to map out and make sense of, then it’s not doing your organization any good. In fact, it’s likely a distraction from bringing people to you.

Emotify.
Ok, that’s not a word, but let’s pretend you’re going on a date with this hot new logo. At the end of the night, your hands lightly graze each other and you get all tingly inside. I know, a bit dramatic. But the point is, you want more. You had a great first encounter and you’re ready to go to the next level. This is all about an emotional connection. A desire to go deeper. Deeper, because you don’t know everything about the oganization, but you believe the encounter could be the start of something great. Your logo should share the same energy as your organization. That helps others know whether they want to have anything to do with you. Don’t be afraid to express yourself.

Burn.
You want to burn your image in someone else’s memory. That’s it. Recollection. Recall. Brining it back. That’s what it’s all about.  Like a branding iron leaving its mark, a logo should mark it’s territory in your brain. Don’t let it look like all the others. What’s unique about you that you can easily communicate? Make it plain, and make it memorable.