The Most Essential Brand-Positioning Tools - Assignment Example

Introduction to Multimedia and Design Introduction A company logo is one of the most essential brand-positioning tool used by marketers. A logo must possess a value of uniqueness in order to position the product, service or company as such. A logo is design product created from the various design elements. Creating an appropriate design therefore requires the consideration of various factors in order for the logo to communicate effectively. Among the design elements used by designers in the creation of a company logo include colors, lines, shapes, images and texts among many others. The placement of the above stated elements in a logo requires appropriate placement in order to achieve a degree of balance. Designing a logo is a multi-staged process that invokes the incorporation of various factors as discussed in the essay below. The process begins with the conception of the idea. This includes the identification of a need that justifies the development of the logo. The next stage is the collection of features of the company or organization to portray in the logo. The process if consultative as the designer consults the designer in order to determine the feature of the company to capture in the logo. Through the consultation, the designer considers the colors, shapes and images to incorporate in the logo. Organizations have corporate colors, which easily identifies them. The designer should determine the colors that would not only make the logo communicate but equally aesthetic. After the determination of the elements to incorporate in the design process, the next stage is sketching. This refers to the process of developing shapes for consideration. As the designer creates the shapes, he must consult the clients in order to determine the appropriate shapes. Additionally, the designer must carry out research in order to avert any cases of product similarity. Successive stages include the designing, proofing and final designing. The process is progressive with all the stages succeeding each other chronologically. As stated earlier, the design process is interactive owing to the need to satisfy the demands of various stakeholders associated with the finished products. In the design process, the designer assumes the position of various stakeholders including the target audience. As such, he must therefore consider the use of the various colors in a manner that will communicate and appeal to the specific publics. Among the demands encountered in the process of designing a logo include the need for uniqueness, creativity and relevant. Coupled with thee need to satisfy customer demands, the process requires intense interactivity between the designers, clients, target audience and with other clients among other stakeholders. The logo has various audiences key among which are the managers of the company who will use the logo in their letters among other official documents in their basic operations. Managers among other internal stakeholders in the company use the logo to identify themselves with the services and products of the company. Such stakeholders help position the logo as a product identity. Additionally, the target audience will include the target market. To them the logo represents the company; the design must therefore consider the features of the group in order for them to identify with both the product and the logo. The group excluded by the logo consists of people who may not use the product such as children among other special groups. However, just as is the case with any other product or service the logo must increase its target audience. To achieve this, the designer must manipulate the use and placement of the elements in the logo. Changing the colors, shapes and even images in the logo helps make the logo appeal to a larger group of targeted audience. Among the user of the logo who will influence its design are the managers of the organization. The management of the organization determine such elements as he corporate colors and the brand positioning statement that runs below the logo. With the above elements already determined by the management, the designer thus involves the same management who guide the development process who guide such features as shapes and images to include in the design. Despite the interactive nature of the design, the designer maintains control and must create a unique and original logo. Besides the management, the designers must interact with other designers and the target audience whose criticism of the work helps enhances the features of the logo. The inclusion of the public’s contribution improves the appropriateness of the logo. The management can therefore decide involve the public in the design process by asking for their contribution. As they submit their designs, the management and the designer selects the best work from which to improve and develop the final logo. The use of corporate colors in the design is paramount, this helps develop uniformity in the letterhead among other official documents. While the design does not restrict one to the use of corporate colors, it becomes imperative in the positioning of the product or service. The similarity in color as a key design element contributes to the aesthetic appeal depending on the appropriateness of the corporate color. Besides the color, additional elements such as the shape of the logo, the images and size of the lines used are equal contributors to the aesthetic appeal and appropriateness of the logo. As explained earlier, uniqueness is a paramount feature in any artistic creation. This implies that the designer must employ creativity in order to develop an original works. Among the aesthetic improvements advisable for the logo includes the need to balance the colors of the logo. Balance is a design principle that influences the placement of the various elements. Balancing the elements improves their efficacy in the communication process. the designer must determine the appropriate part of the logo to place either an image or a text in order to make them complement each other thereby enhance the communication role. After the determination of the size of the logo, the designer must use his artistic skills to determine the sizes and shapes among other elements in the logo. Images and corporate colors are basic elements in a logo that communicate to the target audience. Additionally, they serve as aesthetic features that enhance the preventability of the logo. However, the elements discussed above have functional, accessibility and aesthetic functions. A logo must incorporate aesthetics, functionality and accessibility in one. This involves the artistic incorporation of the various elements to enhance the beauty, functionality and accessibility of the logo. This infers that all the elements used in the design of the logo must contribute to its relevance and communicational roles. Colors complement each other in both their functionality and the portrayal of aesthetic features of the artifact. Designers must therefore operate with such as the basic information influencing the creation of the logo. The colors and the images used in the logo additionally demarcate cultural and social functionality of the artifact. Different societies and cultures identify with specific colors and images. The use of the two must therefore result from effective investigation on the target audience and the impacts of any possible culture or image proposed for inclusion in the logo. After the determination of such, the designer thus determines an appropriate shape and size for the original design. However, just as explained earlier the process must be all-inclusive (Breward, 2003). Businesspeople determine the cost of doing business based on the profits every undertaking promises. The above suggestions will make the logo more functional. The suggestions increase the scope and breadth of the target market. Additionally the logo will earn the logo greater relevance among the target audience. This implies that the costing of the project must be proportionate to the process of designing the logo. The greatest portion of the budget goes to the research. Research determines the basic features of the design process. The process helps the designer develop an appropriate logo that will appeal to target market and increase size of the particular group. Research process involves consulting other designers and the target market thereby determining the most appropriate elements to use in the design of the logo. Other fundamental stages of the design that require more funding include the actual designing, which requires the use of specific equipment and the presentation stage. Apt investment on the logo designing process facilitates the development of an appropriate logo. Reference Breward, C. (2003). The culture of fashion: a new history of fashionable dress. Manchester: Manchester University Press. Read More