Branding For Dummies®

Chapter 8. Designing Your Logo and Tagline

In This Chapter

• Deciding what kind of logo you want for your brand

• Developing and testing your logo design

• Using, managing, and protecting your logo

• Knowing when, why, and how to create a tagline or slogan

Logo design is the point at which the branding process acquires fanfare. The minute people in your organization see your brand emerge in a logo that embodies your name they begin to get enthusiastic about what may have previously felt like a whole bunch of navel‐gazing. To most people, logo creation is the fun part of branding. It's also the part that unduly gets the most energy and enthusiasm.

If you opened straight to this chapter with the hope that you could give your brand a face without wading through the process of researching, positioning, and defining your brand identity, realize that branding isn't like a game of Monopoly. You can't just jump to “Go.” The only way you end up with a logo that accurately reflects the essence of your brand is by defining the essence of your brand before you begin the logo design process. If you haven't yet done so, do yourself and your brand a favor by going through the steps presented in Chapter 6. They help you clarify your understanding of your brand's mission, values, vision, culture, and character so that you can create a symbol — a logo — that serves as an accurate presentation of who you are and what you stand for in your marketplace.

If, however, you've taken the necessary steps and are truly ready ...