Critical Mistake #6—Saying Too Much with Your Logo

As a business owner, you want your logo to tell your story. You hope that potential customers will see your logo (or the sign in front of your shop) and immediately know what you do. But this may be asking your logo to do too much.

As customers experience your business, products, and service, they’ll come to associate your logo with those experiences. Unfortunately, the process doesn’t work as well in reverse.

Most successful companies don’t expect their logos to tell their entire story. McDonald’s uses a red and yellow M, not a hamburger, shake, and fries. Prudential uses the Rock of Gibraltar, not a picture of an insurance policy. And thousands of companies like Borders don’t use an icon at all—the logo is simply type, rather than a book, magazine, or DVD.

McDonald’s M reminds you of the name of the business, not the product. After all, this isn’t just a burger, it’s McDonalds. The Rock of Gibraltar represents stability over time, an important value to customers seeking financial services from Prudential. And the Borders logo, applied consistently to store signage, packaging, and advertising, represents the Border’s book business well.

Think like a successful company. Keep it simple. Develop a logo that can represent the values and ideas your business stands for.