Retro logos
Vintage is everywhere. From the revival of flip phones to the relaunch of the ZX Spectrum, retro mania is on the up and up. And while you might think that demand for such gadgets comes from nostalgic 40-somethings, it’s clear that youngsters who missed out on the technology first time round want a piece of the action too – resurgence of retro-tech sales of vinyl records and the ‘new’ polaroid instant camera is led by the 18-24 demographic.
Time Honoured Logo Designs
With such an appetite for all things retro, it’s little wonder that logo design is being swept along by the current trend. But what about the ‘real’ old school logos from the past? Not all of them have been lost in the mists of time – the real classics have staying power, remaining resolutely unchanged over the years, refusing to morph with passing fashions.
British Rail
In the 1960s, Britain’s transport industry was in a state of flux. The allure of the open road beckoned motorists with the promise of freedom, while travel by train looked increasingly unappealing and outdated. In a bid to modernise its image, British Railways commissioned a radical rebranding campaign.
After considering dozens of professional designs, the honour finally went to Gerry Barney whose design remained unmodified from his first back-of-an-envelope sketch. Like all good designs, the logo cleverly incorporates several elements with clarity and elegance – parallel lines and two interlocking arrows to symbolise the railway network. It rapidly became one of our most familiar and iconic logos and is still alive and kicking as the established symbol for UK railway stations. Despite its apparent simplicity, the ‘double arrow’ logo is surprisingly difficult to draw correctly from memory – go on, give it a try.
Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND)
Designed in 1958, the CND Logo has become a classic icon for peace movements the world over. Its enduring appeal is testament to the skill of Gerald Holtom, a professional designer with a deep affinity for the cause. The symbol is particularly effective as a pin badge. This proved to be the perfect medium for spreading awareness to the masses, and worked brilliantly as an early form of viral campaigning.
Amnesty International
TheAmnesty Candle blends two concepts by combining two separate visual elements. First there is the burning candle, a symbol of hope, while the encircling barbed wire evokes a sense of oppression. The result is a very simple yet powerful image which is still recognised and respected the world over.
Retro Revival
The interesting thing about these three logos is that they have not dated. Society and technology has changed around them, but they have retained their integrity and look perfectly at ease in the world today. The current trend towards ultra flat, pared down design might seem like a new thing – after all, this trend is driven by the latest design technology for smartphones and smart watches – but these logo designers got there first.
How many of retro-revival designs of today will prove to be as resilient as these classics?
Brand style guides: keeping your brand coherent
Once you have built a brand and a loyal customer base, think very carefully before changing it on a whim. In October 2010 the retailer Gap replaced its familiar blue-box logo with a new design, without warning. The backlash from customers was swift, and the company dropped the new logo within a week. It is a useful reminder that a hasty rebrand can undo years of recognition overnight.
Consistency is what customers remember
Gap learnt that once a brand is on solid footing, there is real danger in veering off course to chase a trend. People recognise you by repetition: the same logo, colours, typefaces and tone of voice, on your website, your social media, your vans and your invoices. You may only get a few seconds to make an impression, so every touchpoint needs to look like it came from the same business.
What a brand style guide contains
Large organisations publish brand guidelines so that staff, suppliers and partners follow the same rules. You may not need a hundred-page document, but even a short guide helps. A good one covers:
- how the logo is used, including minimum size, clear space and what not to do with it;
- the colour palette, with exact values for print and screen;
- typefaces for headings and body text;
- layout, photography and imagery style;
- tone of voice and how to write about the business.
Keep it usable
A guide that nobody reads does no good. Write it in plain language, show examples of right and wrong, and store it where your team can find it. Some brands lean towards a playful voice and others towards a formal one, and the guide should reflect that personality, not fight it.
Change with care, not by accident
Brands do need to evolve, but the best changes build on what people already recognise. If your identity has drifted into twenty slightly different versions, a set of guidelines is often a better first step than a new logo. Our article on common branding mistakes looks at the other pitfalls to avoid.
Guidelines come as standard with our branding work. If yours need creating or tidying, get in touch or email info@designminds.ie.
How to make your logo stand out from the crowd
Picture a wedding cake on a silver stand. You probably imagined tiers, smooth white icing and a flourish on top. A cake is made of familiar parts, yet each one still looks different. A logo works the same way: it uses recognisable ingredients, and the skill is in making the result yours. Here are four ways to help your logo stand out, drawn from our logo design work.
Fit in before you stand out
Your logo has to tell people in an instant who you are and what kind of business you run. Look at the logos in your sector and you will see shared qualities. Technology brands often favour cool colours and clean, uncluttered forms, while food and leisure brands tend to be warmer and livelier. Study your competitors, then decide how far you want to sit alongside them. You do not want to blend in so much that you disappear, but you do not want to look like an outsider either.
Start with your values and your difference
Identify the principles that underpin your business and what you offer that your competitors do not. This is not an abstract exercise. It gives the design meaning and gives customers a reason to remember you. A distinctive idea, whether it is a shape, a name treatment or a way of using colour, will do more for recognition than decoration. If you are unsure where your difference lies, briefing a branding agency well can help you find it.
Test it before it goes live
Feedback at the design stage prevents an expensive and embarrassing mistake. Check how the logo looks at small sizes, in a single colour, reversed out of a dark background and on real applications such as signage, packaging and embroidery. We often see marks that look fine on screen and fall apart on a van or a polo shirt, which is why our post on designing for livery and signage is worth a read.
Standing out is only one part of an effective logo, but it is the part customers notice first. A mark that is distinctive, appropriate and properly tested gives you something to be proud of and something that works hard from day one.
Want a logo that is distinctive and built to last? Get in touch with Design Minds or email info@designminds.ie.
Is your logo a shirker or a worker?
Whether you know it or not, your logo is an intrinsic part of your workforce, a tireless ambassador for your brand. Or, at least, that’s how it ought to be. A well designed logo really can be a powerful asset to your business, pulling in your target customers and winning brand loyalty. To achieve this, your logo needs to look the part and give off all the right signals as it makes its way in the world.
A logo built on firm foundations will have genuine confidence and integrity that will set it ahead of the competition. Take a look at these examples of classic logos, and notice how they embody the character and spirit of their brand with strength and assurance.
JCB and CAT
Designed in 1953, the JCB logo is a familiar sight on JCB diggers, trucks and forklifts the world over. With its no-messing-around lettering and distinctive black and yellow colour scheme, the logo picks up the flavour of those warning hazard stripes that are frequently used around construction sites. If you take a look around at companies in a similar line of business, you’ll see a theme developing. The Caterpillar Company CAT goes for the same distinctive yellow and black colour scheme with its iconic CAT Triangle. This famous yellow triangle even brings in additional revenue of the company through merchandising, making it a nice little earner. JCB is also tuned in to this additional stream of revenue with the JCB Shop selling everything from JCB scale models to watches, hats and USB sticks.
Lego
Generations of children have grown up with Lego, so it’s little wonder that Lego has the go-to logo when it comes to branding toys and games. Established in Denmark in 1932, the logo has evolved over the years into the simple, bright red and yellow friendly lettering we know today. The rounded, playful font choice has been part of the design since the 1950s, and has become a benchmark for branding products aimed at children. Other toy logos with the bright colours/bubbly font combination include Play-doh and Crayola.
WWF
Launched in 1961 this global charity has one of the most iconic and enduring logos of all time. The founders wanted a symbol to embody the plight of all endangered species driven close to extinction, and the Giant Panda was the perfect choice. All credit to conservationist Sir Peter Scott, who had both the vision and design skills to create the original logo. Apart from a few tweaks over the years, the WWF Panda is still going strong and attracting supporters to the cause.
Creating a successful logo that reflects the personality of your business takes skill, artistic flair and a sound understanding of the principles of logo design. Invest in a designer to create your own unique logo, and it will give you years of loyal service representing your company and promoting your brand.
Choosing colours for your logo: what each colour says
Colour is often the first thing people remember about a brand, before the name and long before the tagline. When you are choosing colours for a new logo design, it is tempting to start with the shades you personally like. A better starting point is the reaction you want from the people you are trying to reach.
What colours tend to say
Colour associations are not fixed laws, and they shift between cultures and sectors, but some are consistent enough to plan around:
- Red reads as energy, urgency and appetite. It is a staple of food, retail and anything that wants a quick decision.
- Blue suggests trust, calm and competence, which is why it is so common in finance, technology and professional services.
- Green signals health, growth and the natural world, and suits food, wellbeing and environmental brands.
- Yellow is warm, optimistic and highly visible, useful for playful brands and for anything that needs to be seen from a distance.
- Purple carries a sense of richness and quality, and is often used for premium products.
The catch is that if every competitor in your sector uses blue, a blue logo will help you blend in rather than stand out. Look at the colours your competitors own before you choose yours.
Colour as an asset
A colour used consistently for long enough becomes part of the brand itself. Cadbury spent years in the courts trying to register its particular shade of purple as a trade mark, which shows how much value a business can attach to a single colour. Most firms will never go that far, but the principle holds: pick a colour deliberately, specify it precisely, and use it the same way everywhere.
Breaking the rules on purpose
Some of the most memorable identities work against the expected associations. Pink paired with harsh yellow can feel aggressive rather than soft, and a logo with almost no colour at all can stand out on a crowded shelf simply because everything around it is shouting. Subverting a convention only works when you know which convention you are breaking, and why.
Practical checks before you commit
A logo colour has to work on screen, in print, on signage and on a van, so we always check it in a single colour and reversed out of a dark background, and we specify it properly for each use: RGB and hex for digital, CMYK and Pantone for print. Contrast matters too. A pale colour that looks elegant on a monitor can fail accessibility checks and disappear on a phone in daylight.
Colour works alongside typography, which we covered in what your font says about you. Get both right and your logo will be recognised before anyone has read a word.
Choosing colours for a new logo or a rebrand? Talk to us at designminds.ie/contact or email info@designminds.ie.
The stories behind famous logos
Ever look at a logo and wonder how on earth the creators ever came up it? As a budding designer, no doubt this thought will have crossed your mind more than once – and there are actually some fascinating stories that hide behind a few of the world’s most famous logos. Listed below are some of the ways in which several of these recognisable designs came to fruition. Drawing on their inspiration might even assist you when it comes to creating your very own logo in the future.
Salvador Dali Was Behind The Chupa Chups Lollipop Logo
That’s right – the mind behind surrealist masterpieces such as The Persistence Of Memory was actually the same mind that conjured up the design for Chupa Chups lollipops. Although nowhere near as strange as some of his typical work, Dali’s logo idea for wrapped candy on a stick still differed from many typical brands at the time. Instead of slapping the curly lettering on the side of the wrapper, he plonked the words on top – allowing for a distinguishable and easily readable name that the public would catch sight of without having to twirl the lollipop around in their hand. A small change – but a significant one.
The Word “Mom” Is Hidden In Wendy’s Collar
American fast-food diner Wendy’s has always tried to create the image of a company that produces food using home-cooked recipes like the ones your mother used to use. As such, the word “Mom” is actually visible on the collar of Wendy in the logo. Three blue stripes on either side symbolise the “M” letters, whereas the circular necklace represents the letter “O” in between. Cute, huh?
The NBC Logo Creates The Appearance Of A Peacock
If you take a closer look at the logo for the television broadcasting company NBC, you’ll notice that there’s a white space sandwiched between the six different sprouts of coloured shapes on either side. This was drawn specifically to create the appearance of a peacock spreading its wings – reflecting how “proud” NBC is of the programs it produces.
The Sony VAIO Logo Contains The Symbols For Analogue And Digital Signal
The Sony VAIO logo is one of the most shrewd and intelligent logo designs you’re likely to find. The “V” and “A” are shaped in a wavy way to represent the signal for analogue, whereas the “I” and “O” are drawn in a way that makes them take the appearance of a “1” and “0” – the signal for digital. One quick glance at the Sony VAIO logo will reveal how the company dabbles in both analogue and digital modes of technology.
The Toyota Symbol Contains Three Hearts
The Toyota symbol is a little more intricate than the symbols used for other car companies, and that’s because it’s trying to say something rather specific. Within the symbol are three interconnected ellipses, all of which represent the unification of three separate hearts – the heart of the customer, the heart of the company, and the heart of progress in technology.
5 signs your website needs a redesign
Websites age faster than most business assets. A site that felt sharp a few years ago can quietly start costing you enquiries long before it looks obviously broken. If you are weighing up a website redesign, these are the five signs we look for first, and what each one usually means.
Five signs it is time
- Visitors cannot find what they came for. If you struggle to find a page on your own site, a first-time visitor has no chance. Navigation that has grown page by page over the years is one of the most common problems we see, and it is fixed by planning the site structure again, not by adding another menu item.
- It is awkward on a phone. Most people meet a brand for the first time on a phone. Tiny text, buttons crowded together or a layout that needs pinching and zooming tell visitors you have not kept up. A responsive site should work properly on every screen, not just shrink.
- It does not show up in search. Search engines and AI assistants favour sites that are fast, well structured and kept up to date. Slow pages, missing headings and stale content all count against you, and an old theme can make basic fixes harder than they should be.
- Nobody knows what to do next. Every key page should make the next step obvious, whether that is a call, a quote request or a download. If your contact details are buried in the footer, enquiries are leaking away.
- It no longer looks like your business. If your brand has moved on but your website has not, the mismatch undermines trust. The site should be the clearest expression of your brand, not the oldest.
Redesign or rebuild?
Sometimes a refresh of the design and content is enough. If the site runs on an outdated theme, is hard for your team to update or fails basic accessibility checks such as colour contrast and keyboard navigation, a proper rebuild usually costs less over time than patching. With the European Accessibility Act now in force, accessibility is increasingly part of that decision rather than an extra.
We build on WordPress with themes developed for each client, so the finished site is one your team can update and extend without starting again. If budget is the question, our guide to how much a website costs in Ireland sets out what to expect.
Start with what the site has to do
Before anyone opens a design file, answer three questions. Who is the site for? What do they need to find? What should happen once they find it? Clear answers make the redesign faster and the result far more useful.
Think your website is due a redesign? Talk to us at designminds.ie/contact or email info@designminds.ie.
5 common branding mistakes and how to avoid them
Businesses keep making the same handful of branding mistakes, and most of them are avoidable. Here are five we see often, each with a practical way to steer clear. If you want help with any of them, our branding services start with research and positioning, not just a logo.
1. Resisting change for too long
Markets move quickly, and a brand that never adapts can start to look tired. Owners often hold on because they put so much into the original. Be honest about whether your identity still describes the business and works on today’s screens. If not, a considered refresh is better than waiting for customers to notice.
2. Trying to appeal to everyone
It is tempting to widen the brand to catch every possible customer, but a message for everyone lands with no one. Pick the audience you serve best, learn what matters to them and keep your focus and aims simple. You can always grow from a clear base.
3. Changing too often, or without reason
A good brand changes when the time is right. A weak one changes repeatedly for no good reason. Tweaking every year, or dramatically overnight, confuses the people who already know you. Aim to be recognisable and familiar, and make changes that build on what customers already recognise.
4. Following the herd
Admiring a bigger brand is fine. Copying it will make you forgettable and can cause legal trouble. Ask what you offer that nobody else does and why a customer would choose you. Then let the name, logo and tone of voice say it.
5. Thinking the brand is just the logo
A logo is the badge, not the whole brand. Your brand is the impression people form at every touchpoint: your website, proposals, emails, vehicles and the way you answer the phone. Set out guidelines for colour, type and tone of voice, then apply them consistently. Our article on why your business needs a logo explains how the mark fits into the wider picture.
If any of these sound familiar, get in touch or email info@designminds.ie for an honest view.
How to build brand loyalty
How To Build Brand Loyalty
Developing a loyal and committed audience for your brand is key to its overall success. Discussed here are five key ways to build brand loyalty.
Give Your Brand A Story
People love stories. By explaining the origins and roots of your brand name and how your creation came to be, audiences will immediately begin to feel as though they know your brand. Familiarity, trust and intrigue are all absolutely vital when building a brand with a fine reputation, and you can spark every one of these facets by taking the time to produce a fascinating, illustrious backstory about the brand for your customers.
Make Promises You Can Keep
It’s one thing to promise something, and another not to deliver. Customers expect you to keep your promises – especially the ones in print. You could potentially reel in customers by the bucket load by telling them exactly what they want to hear, but if you fail to follow up on these guarantees they’ll never, ever trust your brand name again. Be honest with yourself and examine exactly what your brand is capable of. Make promises you can keep – and watch your audience develop and thrive as a result.
Keep In Touch With Your Customers
A completed transaction should never signal the end of the customer experience. In fact, it should be the very beginning. Keep in touch with your customers by means of a newsletter, e-mail and text message – letting them know how greatly you appreciate their support and what exciting things your brand will be offering them in the future. However, you’ll need to make sure you don’t invade their personal space and contact them too frequently or you’ll risk appearing spammy. Throw them a follow-up note and occasionally remind them about what your brand can offer rather than bombard them with info.
Reward Your Regulars
Just because a customer becomes a regular doesn’t mean you should leave them be. Don’t treat them as a source of guaranteed income like so many other brands do – offer them further incentives to keep coming back and spending even more on your product. Loyalty systems are held in high regard by consumers, and by rewarding your audience in some way you’ll only increase the chances of them coming back and spreading the word about your brand to their friends.
Encourage and Embrace Feedback
No doubt you will have come across companies asking you a follow-up question such as “How did we do?” after using their services. As it turns out, there’s a very good reason for this. Taking aboard feedback – regardless of whether it is positive or negative – is absolutely essential when it comes to creating a successful brand. If you don’t realise and acknowledge your mistakes quickly, by the time you come to rectify the issues it may be too late and your customer will have vanished forever. Seek feedback from customers about what sort of experience they had with your brand – always remembering to thank them for their time. When they next interact with your creation/product – clearly show them how you’ve taken aboard their suggestions and how you’ve acted accordingly to improve your brand. Nothing will make your customers feel more appreciated than that.
How Apple built its brand
It’s difficult to argue that Apple are anything other than the undisputed King of Brands. Everybody knows them. Every business owner wants their company to be like them. They’ve got the world by the tail and aren’t letting go any time soon.
Taking a peek into the storybook of how a brilliant brand was built is the first step to uncovering how it became so successful in the first place. It can give you clues as to where you need to go when you first start out, where to go when you’re feeling stuck, and what choices to make when you encounter a setback – and let’s face it, there always will be obstacles to overcome when you’re building a business from scratch.
What better brand to look at for lessons than the mega multinational technology corporation that is Apple?
Identification & Loyalty
No doubt you will have heard someone in your lifetime state four little words that are music to Apple’s ears: “I’m an Apple user”. If you haven’t done yet, you will do soon. Apple users are a loyal bunch of customers, and almost exclusively stick to buying Apple products when it comes to technology. In a competitive marketplace where new companies are always coming out with brand new ideas, on the face of things it may seem a little strange that Apple have managed to obtain such a high percentage of customer retention. When you take a closer look, it’s not actually strange at all.
Apple have understood exactly what’s most important about building a brand – creating customer loyalty. Over time, Apple have welcomed their customers with open arms, thanked them for every single purchase, promised high quality for every single product, and made customers feel like part of the Apple family.
Amassing a dedicated group of users not only guarantees sales for the foreseeable future, it also sees word of your brand spread to new customers looking for a product to try. Customers who are treated with respect and dignity will recommend brands to friends. Take care of your customers, and they’ll take care of your company. They’ll identify with your brand, and will never need to look elsewhere for an alternative.
Why?
This is what the customer wants to know. Why your brand? What makes your products better than a competitor’s? This is another aspect of branding where Apple have hit the nail on the head. The late, great Steve Jobs and his team always issued statements about new products that immediately told consumers WHY Apple funded their new invention. They continue to guarantee that each new idea will make a terrific contribution to culture, and change the world in new and exciting ways. This is what your brand ought to do too. Tell your customers right from the beginning why your brand is so unique, and why it was even thought up in the first place.
Think Different
“Think Different” is Apple’s philosophy, and one of the key reasons why they’ve done so well when it comes to establishing a foothold (and subsequently an enormous share) in the market. Apple always put themselves in the customer’s shoes before thinking up a new idea. What does the world really need? And in what new way can you provide it?
Don’t follow the herd. Think differently. Be something that other brands are not. Tricky, yes. Impossible? Never. Keep seeking inspiration and you will find it. After all, you’re an entrepreneur.