The Core of Your Brand Identity: A Strong Logo

The Google logo was developed in 1998 and underwent almost no changes until 2015. Up until 2015, the logo featured a serif font and already had the recognizable color combination of blue, red, yellow, and green. The color combination is essential for the logo’s success. It consists of three primary colors, making the logo always stand out. The green color is the outlier as a secondary color, a deliberate choice to convey that Google is original and innovative and doesn’t adhere to conventions.

In 2015, a new design for the logo was introduced. The serif font was replaced with a sans-serif font with a slightly sharper color contrast. This gave the logo a more modern look without losing the approachable character of the letters.

Unlike Google’s “wordmark” logo, Nike is primarily recognized by its symbol. The logo was created in 1971 by American designer Carolyn Davidson. Davidson, a graphic design student at Portland State University at the time, met Phil Knight during a class. Knight was in the process of establishing a new footwear brand for runners and asked her to create a logo that suggests motion or speed. Davidson came up with the famous design and initially received a fee of just $35. The rest is history.

The name Nike comes from Greek mythology. Nike is the goddess of victory and is depicted as a winged woman. The logo represents one of the wings of this goddess.

The design is abstract, but Phil Knight’s message is clear. The upward line and sharp points evoke progress, motion, and strength. It symbolizes victory, a nod to the goddess Nike. Originally, the logo was a combination of the name and the symbol. Over the years, the brand became so strong and well-known that the name was removed from the logo in 1995. Nike is the perfect example of a logo that uses an abstract symbol to evoke the right emotions.

How to Determine a Company’s Logo

Over the past few years, we have designed logos for many clients. The character of a company is always the starting point for the design. What does the company do? What are its core values? What associations fit with it? Is the company traditional or progressive? We gather this information and use it as the foundation. Ultimately, color and shape are the tools used to create a logo. Let’s briefly discuss them.

Logo Color

Next, we conduct visual research. How do we translate the story of the company into a logo? Which colors, shapes, and effects suit it? Different colors and shapes evoke emotions and are therefore an essential part of logo design. We describe how color influences our subconscious and how to use this in our blog ‘Determining the Best Color for Your Positioning and Brand Identity.’

Logo Shape

In addition to color, shape also plays a significant role in determining the logo. We know that certain shapes have their own emotions. Here are a few examples:

Circles: unity, love, relationships, friendship
Curves: femininity, movement, happiness, joy
Rectangles: trust, peace, uniformity
Triangle: masculinity, power, energy, purposefulness
Vertical lines: masculinity, power, strength
Horizontal lines: community, calmness, peace

Based on these characteristics, we create a mood board of shapes, fonts, and colors. We create different designs, both abstract and wordmarks.

De totstandkoming van het Hauck Heat Treatment logoWe compile the ideas and send them to the client. Then, we have a discussion with the client to determine which ideas they prefer. We build upon those preferences. Ultimately, we arrive at a few designs from which the client can make a selection. For Hauck Heat Treatment, the choice was made for this logo:

Hauck Heat Treatment is one of the key players in the field of heat and surface treatment of metal. The use of capital letters in the design gives the company the masculinity and authority that suits the company and industry. The symbol next to the name represents heat or fire, which aligns nicely with the company’s services.

Hauck Heat Treatment is an example of how the logo clearly symbolizes what the company can and does. A logo can also represent the character of a company in an abstract way. Another example of this is our own logo. Merkelijkheid stands for no-nonsense, clarity, trust, and purposeful work. This feeling is reflected in the logo by using a block structure of triangles and rectangles. The emotions that correspond to this design align with the company’s identity.

In summary, as part of your brand identity, a strong logo aligns with the positioning of your brand. If you want to learn more about brand positioning, you can read our comprehensive article on positioning.