Companies spend billions of dollars each year to get people to buy their products. If you’re starting a business and want to start getting sales, you have to be able to compete with the businesses in your industry.

Having a great logo is part of being memorable so you can get a foothold in the industry of your choice.

Learning business logo design tips can help you get the leg up that you need. Continue reading this article to learn logo design tips that can help you get started.

Why Is Logo Design Important?

If you consider skimping on logo design, this is an absolute mistake. Your logo goes everywhere from your business card, letterhead to billboards.

A less than impressive logo can hurt your brand.

1. Images Are a Must

Images communicate quickly. When people see your logo, you want people to have an immediate and clear thought.

You shouldn’t use photographs as images. Photographs aren’t vector, which means they won’t produce the high-quality results you need with every application. They might look good on your website, but they won’t look great when they’re on a billboard.

2. Empty Space Is Your Friend

Don’t try to pack everything you can into a logo. Don’t think that empty space is failing to try. Empty space can be the most effective way to get attention for your business’ brand.

Empty space can highlight your creativity and keep it simple, so people remember it easier, and you can even high a hidden meaning within your negative space.

Well planned out negative space can do more good than the rest of your logo in some cases.

3. Using Shapes Wisely

Using shapes at random might not get the results you want, but if you plan it out, you can make a major impact. Here are some examples of how shapes come across to people.

• Circles make people think of community and connectedness
• Curves are feminine and sexy
• Squares and rectangles make people think of your business as stable

As you can see, depending on your industry, the shape you want to pick is very different. If you’re an attorney trying to convey that you will get the job done, a rectangle or square might be the best option. On the other hand, if you’re a women’s clothing company, you might consider a design with curves.

4. Make Your Colors Work for You

One of the best logo design tips and tricks is making colors work for you. Using different colors or different shades of color can be very eye-catching and appealing when well thought out.

Think about how you’ll use the color, look at a color wheel, start with one color, and work your way up from there.

Business Logo Design Tips for the Win

Now you know some important business logo design tips. Whether you implement them yourself or if you use a team of professionals to help, you now know what a good logo looks like when you see it.

Do you want to learn more about logo design? Continue through the blog for more.

The business world is full of huge corporations and titans of industry as well as small businesses and solo entrepreneurs. Our capitalistic society is one of the things that makes this country so amazing. However, capitalism comes with some downsides.

For example, did you know that nearly 50% of small businesses fail by their fifth year? The question is why.

For some, they take on too much overhead while others simply have poor management skills. In either case, it comes down to not having enough money. Building strong brands with focused audiences can turn the tides. 

Whether you’re starting a business or are trying to grow your current company, we can help. Keep reading for our top five tips for improving your digital presence and expanding your marketing reach.

1. Well-Researched Keywords

First, to find focused audiences, you need to do a little research. Based on your industry, business, and products/services, what is your target market?

First, let’s talk about the target market vs target audience. The target market refers to the demographic of consumers who your brand is designed for while the target audience more specifically addresses who your advertising strategies target. 

Find out who you want to target with your advertising to determine the best keywords to use on your website. This includes local keywords, long-tail keywords, niche keywords, and more.

2. Content Marketing

Next, understand that building strong brands means building credibility. Content marketing allows you to connect with consumers on a deeper level, rather than just trying to constantly promote your products or services.

Using your various platforms (blog, social media, emails, etc.), publish valuable and engaging content that benefits the reader. These can be how-to tutorials, helpful information, advice, etc. Use content marketing to humanize your company and appeal to consumers.

3. Social Media Marketing

It’s important to follow consumer trends and habits. Right now, the majority of consumers have at least one social media profile. Social media, therefore, is an ideal platform to improve your digital presence and expand your marketing reach.

Use organic social media marketing to gain followers and post content. Encourage your followers to like, comment, and share your posts to increase your influence. 

You can use paid social media ads to reach specific demographics of people outside your organic influence based on age, gender, location, and more. Paid ads also provide valuable insight into ad performance, user engagement, and more. You can use this information to fine-tune your marketing techniques.

4. OTT Marketing

Most people have adopted on-demand TV and movie streaming and prefer it to typical TV and cable. With this new trend has come new marketing opportunities. Over the top marketing (OTT) uses viewer information to target specific audiences. 

People who use services like Netflix, Hulu, CuriosityStream, and Amazon Video can be targeted by your ads based on their viewing habits and personal information.

5. PPC and SEM

Finally, building strong brands means learning when to invest in marketing strategies like pay per click and search engine marketing. Pay per click allows you to publish an ad on a host website, granting you access to their audience. You then pay the host for any click your ad receives.

In SEM advertising, you pay search engines to bring your website up at the top of the results pages for specific keyword searches. Once again, you pay the search engine site for each click your website receives. 

Need Help Building Strong Brands?

Do you need help building strong brands? If so, be sure to check out some of our other articles about business marketing and brand development. Our website is dedicated to helping small business owners like you make a big impact on their target audiences.

Creating your business logo is an important step in becoming a legitimate business. 

If you’ve never designed a logo before, it can seem a bit daunting. How do you make one that expresses your business and builds brand loyalty?

Excellent business logo design is effective in representing you and your business. Fortunately, if you avoid certain pitfalls, it can be simple to create an effective logo.

How to Avoid Business Logo Design Mistakes

Your logo is going to show up on your website, letterhead, and paystubs. Look for a hassle-free pay stub generator to make life easier.

Here are 5 things to avoid.

Mistake 1: Choosing the Wrong Color

Colors for logos help show personality. You’ll want to choose ones that help create an emotional connection between the viewer and your company. Color creates meaning for logos.

Avoid using too many different colors, conflicting shades, and placing colors over backgrounds that make it hard to see. Stick to warm or cool tones. Don’t put them together.

Mistake 2: Picking an Inappropriate Font

Some try too hard to stand out from the pack when thinking about ideas for designs, but this can backfire.

You want to be unique, but you don’t want to be off-putting. Avoid putting two business logo fonts that don’t go together in your design.

Don’t use all capital letters with calligraphy. Keep it simple and pick a font that matches the tone of your business.

Mistake 3: Making it Similar to Others

It is important not to go so far from the norm that you leave people scratching their heads, but you’ve also got to ensure your logo doesn’t look like a rip off of another business.

Budget in the time to research other logos in your field to make sure what you’re thinking of hasn’t already been used before. It could be an innocent mistake, but it will hurt your credibility and possibly bring legal trouble if you copy another logo.

Mistake 4: Letters Overlapping

Something you should avoid is having the letters in your logo overlap or touch each other. 

You might think that it looks cool, but unless you’re only using one or two letters, it can make it very hard to read.

Mistake 5: Making Your Logo Too Complicated

You don’t want your logo to be too busy. Sometimes people have a tendency to go all out in order to stand out. You don’t have to go crazy to make an impression.

Avoid overly loud colors and hard to read fonts. Don’t try and jam in more information than people can easily absorb. A little goes a long way here. Keep it simple and easy to read.

Get Started

Keep these 5 mistakes in mind and avoid them as you’re creating a logo for your business. If you keep it simple while communicating your uniqueness, you should be in great shape to make an effective design.

Effective business logo design makes a huge difference. Get going today on making a logo that represents what makes your company stand out from the rest. 

Employee swag isn’t only a reward or something that costs your company extra. It’s a form of internal marketing, wherein you target the people who matter the most to your company.

Choosing the right one can boost the employees’ morale and in turn, their productivity. It should also promote unity; it’s a great reminder of being a part of an organization.

But, how do you know what your employees want?

Simple – you need to give them an office swag that’s both useful and practical. Avoid items that tend to become clutter. Keep on reading for some brilliant ideas.

1. Water Bottles

Water bottles are great as staples on the employees’ desks or for on-the-go hydration. One can never have too many of them as they’re useful everywhere.

Everyone can use it when jogging, in the gym, while hiking, during camping, and even on a simple trip to the grocery. It allows you to advertise your company everywhere.

2. Fitness Gear

Another item that can accompany your employees and clients to the gym or for a jog is a fitness gear.

A phone holder, for instance, that they can strap to their arms allows them to have their phone at easy reach. A yoga mat is useful, too, for when your employees would rather get active at home.

3. Ink Pens

Pens are the most owned promotional item in the United States. 89% of people own writing instruments they got from a company. This means people are more likely to store them than discard them as they do with other marketing items.

4. Reusable Straws

Yes, gifting has a marketing purpose, but it doesn’t have to be the only purpose. You can use this chance to promote a greener environment.

Gift your employees some sustainable items that are at the same time, useful. One such item is a reusable straw. They’re so cheap that you can give away sets containing straws of different sizes plus a brush for cleaning.

With these, your employees won’t have to use paper straws, which are less efficient than plastic ones. They’re pretty easy to clean, too, so no one will even complain.

Not only will this help your company look good, but it will also have an actual impact on the environment. At the same time, you encourage your employees and other people to care more for the environment.

5. Reusable Bags

While we’re on the subject of eco-friendly items, reusable bags make for a great office swag, as well. Many cities and countries are starting to ban plastic bags, leaving consumers with less durable or more expensive options. It’s the right decision, though, as a single plastic bag can take 400 to 1,000 years to break down.

Reusable bags help solve this problem for the environment and the consumers, as well. To further drive the point home, choose bags made from sustainable materials.

Your business benefits, too, with your branding printed at both sides of the bag. You’ll get more exposure as your employees use this swag in their day-to-day activities.

6. Power Banks

With people on the go, they need something that can help them stay connected to their digital lives. The average battery life of a modern mobile phone won’t let them do that, though. It’s not enough for people who are always out and about.

That’s why your employees will appreciate a portable charger. It’s not something they will hide away in a drawer to rot. Everyone will find a use for it as many other devices are rechargeable through USB.

For instance, they can use it for their other mobile accessories, like Bluetooth earphones and speakers.

7. Solar Chargers

Why not help your employees become more eco-conscious and stay connected at the same time? Solar chargers ensure one wouldn’t ever run out of battery even without a power source for days on end. It uses the power of the sun to recharge your phone, so all you need is a sunny day.

They’re a little out of the box, so they’re great at positioning your company as an innovative leader. They help people save a little on electricity, too.

8. Car Charger

In line with the idea of being both productive and mobile, car chargers also come into mind. A car charger can work with iPhones, Android phones, tablets, iPods, and all other devices you can charge via USB.

They’re useful even with a portable charger. It will allow the users to save the battery in the power bank while they’re traveling in their car.

Most models have two USB ports, so you and your passenger can use it at the same time. You can also use it to charge two of your devices.

9. Wireless Charger

Yes, we’re still on chargers because everyone needs one. Wireless chargers are steps above the usual chargers, so they’re a sure treat to anyone who receives them. They’re not the best swag idea, though, as not everybody has a compatible phone.

Some power banks double as wireless chargers, too. If you want to give something everyone can use, choose that instead.

This will ensure all your employees and clients will get to use it. Even if they don’t have a phone that has the wireless charging feature, no one gets left behind.

10. Custom T-Shirts

Let’s go back to the basics a bit; custom T-shirts aren’t ever going out of style because everybody wears one – at home, outside, as an undergarment, as sleepwear, and more.

T-shirts are great for businesses, too, as you get free ad space that everyone can see. You have a lot of options for logo placement. Use a swag management platform to make it easier for you to place your branding.

11. Hoodies and Sweatshirts

If t-shirts aren’t on brand or you prefer other clothing items, consider hoodies and sweatshirts. They help your people stay comfy in the cold office. They’re easy to take off, too, so they’re convenient when it’s hot out.

By staying warm, they can associate that feeling with the company.

12. A Hat

Another classic, a hat keeps the sun away from the user’s eyes and keeps your business in their thoughts. They keep your business in mind whenever they use the product.

Also, by placing your logo in a strategic location, you can use the hat to increase your brand awareness.

13. Custom Socks

Funky, colorful socks are on-trend nowadays. They’re appropriate even in professional settings unless your workplace has a strict black-socks-only policy.

They’re great for branding because they are nice conversation starters. They’re always noticeable, which will get the receiver talking about your brand to others.

14. Sneakers

If you have a bit more budget, give your employees some customized show swag. They’re thoughtful and greatly appreciated.

If there’s only one swag item your employees and clients won’t throw away, it’s a pair of shoes. They’ll likely wear it multiple times a week.

15. Business Card Holder

It might be hard to believe but people still have business cards. That’s because they remain effective even with the advancement in technology. This means business card holders are still an effective marketing tool.

They’re a great way to make your employees feel valued, too. High-quality holders engraved with the logo of your business promotes unity. They make the user feel like a valued representative of the company.

16. Custom Notebooks

It’s not something unique, as well, but a well-made one can still become a valuable item for anyone. A custom notebook feels special, and if you have the budget, go for the leather one. This ensures it doesn’t get stuck in a drawer somewhere.

You can also have the name of the employee and your company engraved in the cover to make it more special.

17. A Pair of Headphones

In keeping with the work-from-home theme, give your employees and clients a pair of quality headphones they can use for virtual meetings.

This is an item that people would likely buy on their own, so buying it for them will earn you brownie points. Whether you have your logo on it or not, they’re a great item to use.

If you want to keep up with the times, give Bluetooth earphones instead. Phones like the latest iPhones and Samsung devices have dropped the headphone jack. Wired headphones are useless to the owners of these devices.

Bluetooth earphones are more versatile. Your employees and clients can also use them on their computers.

18. Face Masks

Face masks are common items in other parts of the world, and now they’ve become necessities. As such, they’ve become a great company swag idea this 2020.

People look at others’ faces most of the time, and it’s only now that we get to use this area for marketing. Face masks put your branding right in front of everyone’s faces.

19. Hand Sanitizer

Face masks aren’t the only necessity when going out these days; hand sanitizers are, too. Getting sick isn’t always a death sentence, but they’re still an undesirable experience you can avoid. You can help your

What’s more, hand sanitizers have always been a popular swag; germs and viruses aren’t new, after all. They’re great as small giveaways for small events, meetings, and such.

People are always using them, so they’re a great vehicle for your logo, too. Its effectiveness as a brand awareness tool contributes to its popularity among businesses.

20. Beach Towel

Seasonal office swag items are a good idea, as well. When summertime comes, a beach towel will see some heavy use. That is if you live in states with easy access to the beach.

Beach towels are different than the usual, which is what makes them effective. On a nice day out at the beach, your employees and clients can display your promotional beach towel on the sand for everyone to see.

21. Beanies

Speaking of seasonal gifts, beanies are a reasonable and fashionable choice, too.

If you want something that people are likely to wear, choose something neutral. Don’t worry, you can still put your branding through embroidery.

However, fun beanies capture the attention of other people better.

22. Tech Gloves

Winter reintroduces the problem we’ve had ever since touchscreen phones became mainstream. We can’t use them while we’re wearing gloves.

Help your employees stay on their phones by giving them tech gloves as a swag gift. It’s a step up from the usual touchscreen gloves, which are only conductive on the fingertips. Every inch of the surface of tech gloves are conductive, so you can use your hands like normal.

It’s something everyone will appreciate because of how unique and useful it is. Put your branding and let everyone else get jealous of the wearer.

23. Umbrellas

For the rainy season, people only need one thing: an umbrella to keep them dry. People will be seeing a lot of umbrellas at this time, so make sure your company is at the forefront by having your logo printed.

Plus, you get to keep your employees dry and their moods high.

24. Self-Care Kits

Our everyday lives are stressful enough, so let your care show through a self-care swag kit. You can put an assortment of essentials, like tissues, a Chapstick, fidget spinner, and lotion. Don’t forget the pouch so they can bring the kit everywhere.

It helps boost the morale of your employees, allowing them to stay productive.

25. Themed Gift Sets

Aside from self-care kits, you can also get creative with themed kits. On holidays, for example, you can send kits containing an apron, cookie cutters, tips, and such.

Work-from-home kits are also a great idea, which can contain a mug, ground coffee, earphones, and so on. The limit is your creativity. The advantage is that everyone will have fun discovering the kit’s contents.

Keep Your Office Swag in Line with Your Culture

Whatever type of office swag you choose, don’t forget to keep it in line with your company culture. This boosts the item’s effectiveness in marketing terms.

But why stop here when there are a lot of other marketing techniques to discover? If you want to learn more advertising and marketing strategies, we’ve got you covered. Feel free to check out our posts for more guides today.