Branding 131 Whitepaper

Branding 131 White Paper

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How your company’s visual language is the key to attracting loyal customers

How your company’s visual language
is the key to attracting loyal customers

More Downloads: http://www.cyberoptik.net/downloads.html

November 19 2013 | Version 1.0

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Congratulations!
You’ve made a smart decision in downloading our Branding Whitepaper.
This whitepaper will educate you on the importance of having a logo, the necessity of having a good logo, and
the reasons you shouldn't create yours in-house.
I want to help your business expand and grow, so if you have any questions as you read through this
document, make a note and feel free to give me a call directly.
We would love to be your resource for anything website- or branding-related.
Ron Johnson and the CyberOptik Team
Main: (630) 296-6932 | Direct: (630) 533-3752
Email: ron@cyberoptik.net
Website: www.cyberoptik.net
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ronjohnson



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Table of Contents
4.

3 Reasons Your Business Can't Afford to Do Without a Logo

7.

Is Your Bad Logo Affecting Your Business?

9.

Why You Shouldn't Try to Create Your Own Logo

11. What You Should Get From Your Logo Designer
13. What Now?



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3 Reasons Your Business Can't Afford to
Do Without a Logo
If you are responsible for marketing your business, then you’ve no doubt faced the
challenge of choosing a logo. While it may be tempting to neglect that difficult (and
often time-consuming) task and to put your marketing investment elsewhere, you
should know what a grave mistake that would be.



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The success of your business relies on an effective business logo. Need some convincing? Here are three reasons why
you can't afford to go without a logo for your business:

Your logo is the staple of your brand. If you know anything about business
marketing, then you must know that branding is central to any marketing concept or campaign. To
take that even further, your logo is the unifying factor of your business brand. It represents
everything you want to convey about your business, including your business scope and purpose, your
mission statement, your target audience, and your product or service. If you are lacking a logo, then
you are lacking a very powerful spokesperson for your business.

Your logo represents your business, even in tight spaces. Effective marketing
is a numbers game. Given the wide variety of marketing mediums, it only makes sense that you use
every avenue possible to grow your business brand. Many marketing mediums are space-limited (not
to mention expensive with regard to size), and you therefore need a powerful marketing tool that can
work in even the tightest spaces. Your business logo will represent your business when a paragraph of
text simply won’t do – on everything from business cards to classified ads to coupons to letterheads.



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Images speak more loudly than words. A number of hard-to-ignore marketing
studies have shown time and again that people respond better to images than they do to text. Not
only are people initially more attracted to images, but they also stay engaged with images longer
and remember them longer than they do text. That means that no matter how great your business
slogan or brand message is, it is simply no match for a great logo image. With that knowledge, and
in a market where your competitors are sure to have a logo, can you really afford not to have one?



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Is Your Bad Logo Affecting Your Business?
How much time and thought did you put into creating your logo? If your logo was an afterthought, then
it's time to revisit it. Don’t make the critical mistake of underestimating the power your logo has to
make or break your business-marketing and branding efforts. Is your bad logo affecting your business?
Here are some things to consider:

Bad business image.

Low impact.

Think of it this way: your logo is the image
that will be most closely associated with
your business. If your logo is poorly
designed, unprofessional or sloppy, then
that is exactly the impression it will leave
with potential customers when they think
about your business.

There are some clear-cut rules when it comes to creating an effective
logo. A logo that is poorly designed is often difficult to see clearly,
interpret, and/or remember. This is the type of logo that won’t make an
impact in the market, and that will be overlooked in favor of more
effective ones. Therefore, a bad logo may not be harming your business
as much as it is simply not helping it.



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Bad targeting.

Wrong idea.

Even if your logo is well designed, it may not be designed
appropriately for your target market. As a business, you
need to know who your customers are. If your logo is not
speaking directly to your customers, then it isn't working for
you. By the same token, if your logo is getting a lot of
attention from people who aren’t likely to have a need for
your product or service, then it's also not working for you. A
good logo design is one that is relevant and that grabs the
attention of the people who are most interested in what
your business has to offer.

This is another instance where your logo, even if well
designed, may not be the right one for your business. Your
logo should convey to potential customers what your
business is all about. Everything about your logo – shapes,
colors, images, and fonts – relays a certain feeling, or
message, about your business. Therefore, a bad logo in this
case is one that does not effectively give customers the
right idea about your business.



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Why You Shouldn't Try to Create Your Own Logo
It's understandable that, as a business owner, you want to save on overhead costs
wherever you can. But in some cases, saving money now could end up costing you a lot
in the long run. One such case is logo design.
There are many “free logo design” websites and templates out there, giving you the illusion that making an
effective logo is simple and easy. While it may be tempting to take on the task yourself and forgo hiring a
professional, taking on your own logo creation could be a big mistake for your business. Why? Here are some
reasons why you shouldn't try to create your own logo:
Unoriginality.
An effective logo must be original, unique and highly recognizable. It is virtually impossible to
create a distinctive logo when you utilize a one-size-fits-all web template or service. When you
put your logo design into the hands of professionals, they do the necessary research to ensure
that your logo is unlike anyone else’s. Unless you have the resources and know-how to do that,
you should leave your logo creation to someone who does.



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Amateur work looks . . . amateurish.
Remember that your logo speaks for your business. If it is not professionally made, then it
could come off looking like an amateur art project. Unless you don’t mind that your logo says to
people, “I’m an amateur,” you should leave its design to professionals.

You are not a marketing expert.
What is your business all about? If it's not about marketing, branding and advertising, then you
probably don’t have the expertise to create a logo that will be effective for your target
audience. There is much more to logo design than creating a pleasing image. Your logo must
affect the people who are most likely to need your product or service. Design professionals are
knowledgeable about market analysis, and can create a logo that is effective in attracting the
type of audience your business needs. Unless you understand how exactly to pull that off, you
should not try to create your own logo.

Lack of resources.
When it comes to creating an original and effective logo, you simply don't have the resources
that professionals have. Hiring a logo design company means having experience, artistry and
advanced design software on your side.



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What You Should Get From Your Logo Designer
Your logo is integral to your business branding, and the task of creating your logo should be left to someone
who is experienced and competent. If you are interested in learning more about what exactly you can expect
when you hire a professional to create a logo for your business, check out this list of things you should expect
from your logo designer:

Color.
Your designer should also deliver two color formats – CMYK and
RGB – since one format is best for printing and the other for
web use.
Black and white.
There will be instances where you will have to use a black-and-white version of your logo (newspaper
ads, for example). Therefore, it's important that your logo works just as well when reversed out (in black
and white) as it does in color. Your designer should deliver both versions for your inspection.



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A variety of file formats.
You will need to insert your logo into an array of mediums, including web pages, word
processor documents, business cards, letterheads and more. Therefore, it's essential
that you have your logo in a variety of file formats, as each medium may require a
different format. When you interview potential designers for your project, make sure
they promise to deliver .eps, .jpg, .tiff and .gif file formats for your logo.

Mobile browser icons.

Favicon.

As you may or may not know, businesses these days are
beginning to rely heavily on mobile apps to stay connected
with their customer base. This is because more people
access the web through their mobile devices than through
their computers. If you want your icon to be clear on those
tiny mobile device screens, you should make sure your logo
designer creates a version of your logo that is optimized
for mobile browsers.

A favicon is a smaller version of your logo that sits on the
tab section of a webpage and associates the web page
with your business. (If you need an example of a favicon,
simply head to the Google home page and look for the
blue-and-white “g” icon at the top of your screen.)
Although a favicon is not absolutely necessary, it is a great
way to add even more credibility to your web presence, and
a logo designer who offers one is a step ahead of a
designer who doesn’t.



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So, what now?
Act!
Don’t skimp when it comes to building your brand.
Contact the experienced professionals at CyberOptik today.
Give us a call at 630-296-6932.
We would love to design a brand that will make your company stand out from the crowd.
Here’s to your success!Best Regards,
Ron Johnson and the CyberOptik Team
Main: (630) 296-6932 | Direct: (630) 533-3752
Email: ron@cyberoptik.net
Website: www.cyberoptik.net
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/ronjohnson



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About CyberOptik
CyberOptik is a full-service web design firm based in Elmhurst. We can help you with
your website, social media, web hosting, branding, mobile websites, SEO and much
more.
If you’d like professional help with your website needs, don’t be shy! Contact us today.

To download more free info about marketing
your business online, visit
www.cyberoptik.net/whitepapers



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