The ubiquitous logo, trademarked icons that are on our computers, our cars, clothing, telephones, you name it you’ll find it with a logo on it somewhere. Never mind the obvious corporate “swag” pens, hats and t-shirts, calendars, and coffee mugs, it’s hard to find something manufactured that is logo-less. With almost any athletic shoes (sneakers) you buy you can usually get an idea of how much they’ll cost just by the logo that is on them.

Logos have become such a common element of our society, that we may have lost the sense of their real value. The emotion logos can inspire is very powerful. World religions have their own logos and it is easy to see how people are moved and motivated by these images.

Logos send people an instant message and leave an impression that is often very hard to change once it’s “out there” in the public domain. Allow us to employ the old adage, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression."

Your logo is often that first impression. Your logo needs to synthesize the personality of your brand and what your brand stands for and helps deliver the “promise of the brand”; in other words, what kind of experience the owner of your product may expect from your brand.

Given the importance and need for a logo that can truly build your brand image, why do so many companies spend so little time and money on developing their logo? These days you can buy a logo on the Internet for under $250. Actually, we just received a flyer in the mail that is offering a free logo when you purchase $250 worth of business products.

As creative designers, no matter what we say now it will be considered a biased opinion because the development of logos is part of what we do when we are developing corporate identities for brands. However, we believe that 9 times out of 10 you get what you pay for. You can buy a car for under $1000 or a car for over $100,000. Consider the question, “which car do you want to be seen in versus which car will get you from a to b?”

Every business has goals and there are a lot of elements that require investment to help you achieve your goals. A logo is one of those critical investments that can either make or break you because company image is all part of building your brand. Our advice, invest wisely.