​4 Reasons Why a Business Logo should be the Last Concern

The brain-child of an entrepreneur is their pride and glory. Everything about a start-up business is treated like a very delicate machine that has to be constantly taken care of in order to continue generating revenue.

It is their banner, their brand.

When companies hire outside talents to work on the logo, plenty of variables come into question. What colors are to be used? What object or animal or idea shall represent the company? Shall there be a slogan attached to the logo? What is this logo going to say? These questions are a standard when it comes to conceptualizing a logo. This is because a logo works as a branding mechanism to which potential and existing customers can relate.

This is why it is easy to become too enamored with the notion of selecting the right logo to represent the business. Since this logo will represent the would-be company, everything about the logo should reflect the very sentiments and intentions of the business owner.

But despite the importance of this decision, this element should be the last on the list of concerns for the potential proprietor.

As surprising as it sounds, prioritizing a logo at the very start of a business runs some risks and potential pitfalls that may hinder the growth of the company. The following are a few reasons why the logo should be the last concern of a hopeful business owner.

1. Analysis Paralysis – Although the logo shall spearhead the company towards its potential clients, focusing too much energy and effort on it at the beginning of the business will only increase the risk of ignoring other important factors that the business could really use such as financing, labor, research and development, personnel management and others. Worrying about the facade of the business in this case is tantamount to taking the product or service for granted.

In worse cases, worrying too much about the logo can ultimately lead to completely putting off the growth of the business in exchange for formulating the perfect logo. It is a common pitfall most determined people make out of the fear of rejection.

“Everything about the logo has to be flawless. We cannot start without the perfect image.”

The statement marks the beginning of a protracted start-up that might end up getting stalled or even cancelled. To avoid this pitfall, the entrepreneur simply has to set their eyes unto the most pressing matter for every start-up: getting it to click.

2. The lack of information – In the early stages, it is impossible to imagine how ones’ target audience will react to the introduction of the hopeful product or service. It is also impossible to predict the impact of the business to the community. These are a few factors that need to be observed before conceptualizing a logo for the company.

A logo has to be something that is not only pleasing to the people within the company but also to the external forces that will help the company grow. It has to be something that potential customers can relate to. It would be best to put off the logo until the business has all that information to be able to create something that will truly represent the company to its customers. The business owner needs to observe the growth of the business before decorating it with a symbol.

3. Logos may change – Over the years, large and successful businesses have changed their images based on a number of reasons. Coca-cola, Starbucks, Pepsi, Kodak, Microsoft and many other business behemoths have operated under different logos.

The reasons for these changes vary between changes in management, crisis aversion, a shift in core values, organizational restructuring, acquisition, bankruptcy and many more. These reasons all point out to the point that the logo is a changeable element of a business when the need arises. Prioritizing on creating a logo that can change with time and more self-definition will only cause the business to make one change too many. It is best to let the business grow and influence people before being defined by an image.

4. Less Focus on the Business – The decision mostly boils down to what is more important: form or substance? The answer to this question is a very easy one for the business owner that truly wants to prosper. Although form can be important to the eyes of critics, it is the value of the products and services that will define the success of a company. Of all the stages of the growth of a company, it is the beginning that needs the largest amount of focus and care on the product and not the logo. What use is the perfect logo if the company it represents has less-than-ideal content?

This is why most start-ups do not have a logo or choose a very simple lay-out when they begin. Once the company has covered ample ground and has gained enough revenue, it hires a creative designer to create the logo based on the accomplishments that the company has made since it started. Sometimes, businesses stick with their logos for the longest time until the CEO retires and is replaced with someone with a different vision for the company.

In totality, the logo can be considered as icing on the cake. One needs to bake the sponge before layering it with icing. With businesses, one needs to establish hold unto the people it wants to influence before giving these people a symbol to which they can relate.