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Behind the Scenes Branding

How to Brand your Trade Show: The Logo Guide

For a brand an essential part of their brand identity is their logo. It is more than a picture or wording – it is an identifier for the brand and something that can make the brand stand out. But how do you decide which logo to pick? There are so many styles, so many ways to go. Which one is for you?

Wordmark

Wordmark logos use stylized fonts to spell out the brand name. They often use customized fonts specifically created for the logo – another strong identifier for the company. The typography used in wordmark logos is used to capture what the brand stands for. For example Google uses a clean, user-friendly font because that is what their brand stands for.

Lettermark

Lettermark logos use initials that represent words – for example CN is Cartoon Network. These initials often use customized fonts and make the brand recognizable, even if they are using initials rather than the full name. This makes the brand memorable and also easy to say.

Pictorial Mark

These are icon based logos that use graphics or icons to represent the brand. These aid in establishing a strong brand identity as the brand becomes known through their logo – the logo makes the name recognizable. These icons symbolise what the brand stands for – for example Twitter uses a bird tweeting because users tweet.

Abstract Logo Mark

Rather than being a symbol that literally represents the brand name such as the apple logo for Apple, abstract logo marks are unique pictorial logos that are abstract and specific to that brand but not a literal representation of the name. These are highly individualizes and make the brand recognizable even if their name is not on the logo. An example of this is Adidas, they include their name in their logo but because of the abstract logo mark they use a consumer can recognize their brand through the logo without the name.

Mascots

Mascots are logos that use a character to represent the brand rather than going for an icon or lettering. These help in creating a strong spokesperson for your brand that speaks for you and becomes something people associate you with. This can be a useful tool for strong brand messaging. An example of a mascot logo is the Michelin man who is part of the Michelin logo – if you take the lettering away you will still recognize the brand through their mascot.

Combination Mark

A combination mark is a logo that consists of more than one element – for example Kodak is a brand which used lettermark and abstract logo mark combined together to make their previous logo. These types of logos are highly individualized and unique to that specific brand, they are customized and make the brand recognizable. Typically combination mark logos consist of the brand name with some kind of imagery such as a pictorial mark or abstract mark. These make the logo easy to read but also easy to recognize, if you take the lettering away the logo can still be recognized.

Emblem

An emblem logo have a font that is inside an icon or symbol. These are classic and timeless and work to create a strong and powerful brand representation. They can also be modernized and still be classic and timeless. An example of a brand that utilizes an emblem style is Harley-Davidson which has become famous for its strongly individual crest.

Logos, Glorious Logos

A logo should be something that is tailored to represent your brand and what you stand for, and is something that takes thought and time to make. So when making a logo write down and think about what you want it to represent and then work on the design of it. A logo most likely won’t be perfect on the first go, it takes time to make and many versions until you have made something that is the final choice.

Our Logo

For Marketing for Good we decided to go with a classic and timeless wordmark logo which is easy to recognize and easy to read. We wanted it to be simple and effective. That is why we went with the same fonts as our decided typography and combined both the fonts we picked to create a strong logo which is neat, clean, and has good contrast in the colour.

You can find out more about what we do and register for our trade show here.

Categories
Behind the Scenes Branding

The Ultimate Guide to Typefaces

You may be thinking ‘Why is typography important?’ Well, the typefaces you select can contribute to setting the entire mood and feel of your brand. Typography is just as important as colours – it has power to evoke feelings in a consumer.

Typography can also help you attract your audience. Think about it, when you visit a website and the font is effortless to read do you tend to keep reading? And what if you visit a website where the font is difficult to read? You end up going off the site, right? Even if the information to the consumer is valuable if it is ineligible consumers will click off it and go search for information elsewhere.

Another thing typography does is help build a stronger audience retention. If something is easy to read it will help keep the reader gripped, and may even make them click on another article or another post to continue interacting with your brand.

Typography is also a powerful tool in creating a recognizable brand. Some brands have gone to adapt their own font which they are well known for; when you look at that font you automatically associate it with the brand – that is the power of typography.

Typefaces, typefaces, typefaces

There is a certain psychology that goes behind fonts; font style can create different feelings in the consumer. There are many varieties and styles of type. They generally fall under the categories of serif, sans serif, script, and decorative.

Serif fonts promote feelings of class, respectability, and reliability. They are seen as classical and formal fonts and therefore are suitable for brands that want to convey authority, opulence, and grandiosity.

Brands with serif typefaces

Sans serif do the opposite – they are modern, clean, and project stability. The fact that there are no decorative elements in sans serif fonts means they convey strength and honesty. Sans serif fonts are used by brands that are objective and know what they stand for.

Brands with sans serif typefaces

Script fonts are much more decorative in nature. They create feelings of elegance, creativity, and affection. A lot of female-oriented brands utilise script fonts as they are seen as more feminine. Script fonts are also heavily utilised by luxury brands.

Brands with script typefaces

Decorative fonts are unique, stylized, and highly individual. Brands use decorative fonts to stand out, as it is only something that they use, so they become recognized for it. Decorative fonts work for brands that are highly expressive and want to covey friendliness.

Brands with decorative typefaces

How we did it

Marketing for Good typefaces

Here at Marketing for Good we wanted to go for fonts that were timeless, easy to read, and were strong. That is why we paired Garamond and Monserrat. These two fonts work beautifully together. Garamond is a strong font that is timeless as it is serif. It is also a font that provokes comfort and trust, and is easy to read. Monserrat is sans serif, it is fun, clean, and modern. These two fonts go perfect hand in hand and helped us build a strong brand identity through typography.

We have been working hard to build a one-of-a-kind trade show and invite you to the experience! You can register today at www.Marketing4Good.ca

Categories
Behind the Scenes Branding

Spread Colour – How to Pick Colours for Branding

When creating a brand there are many parts to think of – like puzzle pieces that come together to make a greater whole. One of the pieces that make a up a brand is its colours. In this blog post we will take a look at why the colours of a brand matter and how we chose the colours for Marketing for Good Charity Trade Show.

Colours Evoke Feelings

One aspect that makes colours powerful is their ability to evoke certain feelings when looked at. There is a certain psychology to colours and this table below demonstrates it very well.

Image from PNG Kit

Each colour has its own effect on you and how you feel. For example blue is a cool colour which communicates feelings of peace and strength whereas yellow makes one feel cheerful and warm.

Brands really focus on the colours they use as it aids in communicating the feelings they want a consumer to have when interacting with that brand. The table below shows brands who use this well.

Image from Parallel Branding

Nikon is a brand which is fun and energetic, and they use yellow to portray just that to their consumers. When you look at the logo it brings happiness and gives a surge of energy. Virgin is a brand that strongly uses red in its branding. Virgin is a brand that stands for boldness and passion, and the use of red conveys just that

Marketing for Good Charity Trade Show

When picking colours for Marketing for Good we wanted to stick to colours that evoked passion, power, character, and hope.

We as a brand are passionate about what we do. We are daring and are never afraid to face any challenge head on. This is why we picked red as it communicates just that.

Our brand stands for strength, balance, and character – these are things we believe in and gray communicates just that.

We love the contrast that is brought when we add black to the mix – a color which adds power and sophistication.

Marketing for Good wants to add light to this world whilst also bringing hope and coolness, thus we chose white to complete our colour guide.

Spread Colour

This image highlights a fun and interesting way to help you decide which colours to use for your brand.

Image from Designmantic

When picking colours for your brand think what you want to make people feel when they look at your logo or visit your website. Do you want to add freshness or go for something that is more regal? Jot down a list of feelings that matter to your brand and then pick colours that bring that. Don’t be afraid to experiment and play with colour and don’t be afraid to be bold and make a statement!