This is such a great question and is very common among small business owners!
And the most common thing I see now in businesses, is that they are using one logo across all of their marketing mediums. This is a huge mistake that is overlooked so many times.
Your logo should always be responsive and should be designed in multiple sizes, file formats, and design treatments that are suitable for all types of marketing media (all of your marketing materials - stationery, flyers, brochures, loyalty cards, website, print media, etc).
Why do you think big brands like Nike are so recognizable and have more than one logo variation. That famous swoosh is recognized right away!
The four most common logo variations that a brand needs
Primary Logo: Your primary logo is typically the most complex logo. For me, it includes a combination of a wordmark, icon or symbol and tagline if necessary and applicable, but this can also include the established date, location, or any other important information! It is best used on larger spaces such as a website, signage, or flyers.
Secondary Logo: Your secondary logo is a more simplified version of your primary logo, and usually the opposite orientation as well to ensure it will fit into a more stacked layout in a design piece. A secondary logo could be used on a business card, email signature, social media graphics, print ads, and some branded merch.
Alternate Logo or Submark: Submark logos are sometimes a less detailed logo that can be used on a large variety of placements. Many business owners use them for their social media profile pictures but that may not suit your situation if you are the face of your brand in which you would use your own face as your profile photo. Submarks are typically your brand initials or icon. A submark can be used in social media profile pictures, stickers, stamps, branded merch, branded stationery, product packaging, labels, and so much more.
Favicon: A favicon is a super small brand mark that will be used in the tab of your website, this helps people recognize your brand faster, especially if they have your website bookmarked. Favicons don’t have to be anything groundbreaking, it’s just a little mark that represents your brand and keeps it consistent. This little icon is often always overlooked on a brand's website. It is so important to have a Favicon because it strengthens brand recognition immediately when your website is opened.
One logo creates inconsistency in your branding
One logo across all marketing materials, website, and social media will leave your potential leads and audience in a lack luster of confusion. The same logo that is used on your website will not work for a social media profile because when it is made smaller to fit into the profile photo frame, it will not be readable. Your customers could just scroll on by because they didn't recognize that it was your brand.
Same goes with logo usage on other types of media. The primary logo used on your website would not work for use on a business card because of the size, design elements, icon or symbol, and typography. A secondary logo which is commonly redesigned into a stacked smaller version would be used on those types of media.
A polished logo suite gives you the flexibility of a versatile, and scalable logo that is ready for use across all of your online and offline materials. It allows you to show up in a more professional and credible manner than before which increases your brand recognition everywhere your audience is as well as your competitors giving you an advantage in the market.
I always include logo variations in my branding process
In every brand project that I partner with a client on, I am always ready to provide guidance on why it is so important for a brand to have an entire hand-crafted logo suite, complete with the necessary logo variations that they will need based on their type of business and what their products or services are.
If you're interested in working on revamping your logo or need fresh brand strategy to set a solid foundation for your business, I would love to talk with you about how we can bring your vision to life.
Take a look at my various design packages or book a project with me to get started.
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