Instant Recognition
You can not underplay the significance of a well-designed logo for food brands, all you have to do is ask which food brand logo comes to your mind first when asked. Some of the most easily recognisable logos that the average person will recount other than Apple or sports brands are food brands such as Coke, Pepsi, McDonald’s, and KFC. These logos are known around the globe and are instantly recognisable.
All of these logos started somewhere and they all are under constant assessment and have evolved with their company and their customers. They stand as great examples of the importance of capturing the essence and identity of a brand through a logo.
Define Your Brand Identity
Before you can design or create anything you need to establish the fundamentals. The time spent understanding your brand values, mission, and target audience is of critical importance. Only after you gain this understanding can you consider moving forward to defining the unique selling propositions and key attributes of your food brand. If you can’t tell the difference between your brand and another, how are your customers meant to?
You need to get to a point where you know every single facet of your proposition and are ready to test it with consumers.
Research and Inspiration
Research and inspiration should be a constant element of your brand. Conducting market research to identify trends and competitors is essential for continued growth and success.
Your successful competitors should be seen as a source of inspiration, how they change and evolve should be noted and built into your development, not to copy, but to ensure a clear distinction between your brand and theirs.
When researching and looking for inspiration it is the perfect time to explore different design styles, colour palettes, and visual elements that resonate with your brand identity.
Simplicity and Memorability
The challenge is to take all the inspiration and insight you can find and instead of applying it all, strive for simplicity in your logo design to ensure easy recognition and recall. The ultimate goal is to end up with a memorable concept that aligns with your food brand.
Typography Selection
Each element of your logo must be considered with your unique proposition in mind, this is especially important when considering typography. Selecting an appropriate font that evokes the desired emotions and reflects your brand personality is key. Be very disciplined and only accept a font that balances legibility and uniqueness to create a visually appealing logo.
Versatility and Scalability
Keep in mind that a logo not only has to look good it has to work hard. It is of critical importance to design a logo that works well across different mediums and sizes. There is no point in creating a logo that works well on a billboard but fails on your packaging. Rigorously test your preferred logos in a variety of sizes, colours & monochromes and consider the different backgrounds or surfaces it may be applied to. Testing your logo’s scalability is crucial to maintain its visual integrity, wherever it is used.
Seeking Professional Design Assistance
Professional Logo Designers or design agencies will consider all of the above and more when considering a new logo or brand. The value that experienced and creative designers can bring to a project can mean the difference between the success and failure of a food brand.
By collaborating with designers to translate your brand essence into a visually compelling logo, you are giving your food brand the best chance of success. Your designer’s knowledge and insight will not only show in the logo design but will be visible in the clear guidelines and supporting materials that accompany a professionally designed food brand.
Test and Refine
When it comes to testing your food brand logo, it’s essential to gather feedback only from trusted individuals or focus groups. Choosing the right audience is crucial, as you are looking for critical & constructive feedback rather than well-meaning platitudes. Constructive feedback is invaluable in refining and polishing your logo so that it can be the very best version it can be for launch.
Even after launch, you can never get enough feedback on your logo, brand or product. Use this information to regularly check to make sure your logo is engaging the right audience in the right ways.
Conclusion
As with building anything, good foundations are essential, never is this more true than with food brand logos. Establishing the fundamentals first saves time and money later on and guides the following stages including testing and refining.
The importance of research, simplicity, and visual representation speak for themselves but the impact they have on your success and growth needs to be recognised. Brands that invest in a well-crafted logo that effectively communicates their unique identity in the competitive food industry are far more likely to be successful and grow than those that don’t.
