Never underestimate the power of your logo – it’s the symbol of your brand. Indeed, people see your logo whenever they purchase your products or services. In terms of brand recall, it is an extremely powerful tool. This is why you see logos in ads and on billboards. Designers call it the ‘power of visualisation’. In this article, we discuss Where to Place Your Logo to Enhance Your Brand.
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The colour psychology of logos
It may surprise you to learn that specific colours can affect your customers’ behaviour and perception of your brand. So you should exercise care when choosing a colour for your logo as the wrong decision could cost you a considerable loss of potential sales. Listed below are the typical colours used in logos and the emotions they convey to your customers.
- Red is often associated with strength, power, and passion. If your business is in the food, finance, healthcare or legal industries, red is a suitable colour for your logo. You will have undoubtedly noticed that fast-food chain McDonald’s features this colour prominently in its logo. Emergency vehicles such as ambulances and fire engines also use red to signify urgency.
- Orange symbolises creativity, determination, joy, and success. Travel, fitness and tech companies such as Firefox are fond of using this colour.
- Yellow conveys clarity, freshness, joy and optimistic appeal. Companies use this bold colour to draw people’s attention to their brand rather than that of their competitors. Also, companies such as IKEA and Snapchat use it in their logos because it generates quick brand recall among customers.
- Green is often associated with freshness, nature, and harmony. Companies in various industries such as finance, travel spas, health, and cleaning have incorporated this colour in their designs. For example, Starbucks and Spotify both use green in their logos.
- Blue indicates trust, intelligence, and wisdom so it’s no wonder financial institutions such as banks like to use it for their logo’s primary colour. Tech companies and retail outlets also favour blue for the same reasons (Intel, Facebook, GE, and Samsung are famous examples). In addition, the logo will rarely need a colour refresh as blue is always in style.
- Purple is not a popular colour and it’s often associated with royalty, luxury, ambition, pride, and wisdom. Companies with purple in their logos, such as Cadbury and Hallmark, are usually old businesses with a large and loyal following.
- Pink denotes affection, friendship, and peace. You often see pink logos in the beauty, spa and health industry. Barbie and the PINK brand designed by Victoria’s Secret both use pink due to its relaxing and luxurious appeal. Despite its strong connotations with femininity, using it boldly, as an accent or alternatively as part of a pair of colours with perhaps a darker hue such as black, blue or grey it can signify.
How do you create a logo?
You may be tempted to create a logo by using various templates from stock libraries with ordinary images and colours. Don’t! Your logo should be tailor-made for your brand – it needs your company’s essence conveyed – it has to be relevant and personal. This means using colours and iconography that stand out and elicit the required emotions from your visitors and customers. To create a powerful logo, It is best to get advice from a professional designer.
Of course, engaging the services of a designer will come at a cost, but you should treat this as an investment that will pay off in terms of brand recognition and increased business.
“if you think good design is expensive, you should look at the cost of bad design.”
— RALF SPETH, CEO, JAGUAR CARS
Websites and logos
Websites are essential platforms for marketing your products and services so naturally, it makes sense to include a logo design. And remember, your logo should be situated in a position that will grab visitors attention almost immediately. Logo placement is vital since most web visitors only spend a few minutes skimming a site.
So, where is the best place to position your logo?
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Homepage
You should definitely include a logo on your homepage. It should be placed in the top left-hand corner and the following three recommendations should be considered:
- Ideal size – A wrongly sized logo can create too much extra space above the main navigation bar making your homepage look cluttered. It should not dominate the page! Giving some space around it is enough to give it clarity and hierarchy on the page. Using a logo of just the right size enables you to present a balanced website, enhancing your customers’ experience.
- Horizontal format – Since navigation bars and headers are often horizontal, it makes sense that the logo should be the same. Besides, a stacked or square logo not only presents a uniform look but also takes up less space.
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Footer
Footers often contain important links and company details, such as:
- HTML sitemap
- Privacy policy link
- Terms of usage page/link
- Social media buttons
- Contact information
The footer is an integral part of your website so you should never neglect this space. Consider positioning the logo in a strategic area such as below the footer and right above or next to the site’s copyright section.
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Offsite blogs or subdomains
You may have a blog page which is separate from your primary site or a subdomain where you redirect visitors. If so, make sure you add your logo to all these pages. It doesn’t matter if they attract little traffic compared with the main website, the primary goal is to help spread brand awareness.
You should also consider linking the logos back to your homepage. This will help visitors return to your main page and reduce the risk of any navigational mix-up.
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Contact page
On a contact page, you usually include the following:
- Email address
- Business address
- Phone number
- Social media icons
This is the last section where you can convince visitors to purchase your products or services so it is essential to provide a simple and straightforward user experience here. You could also include your logo or a slogan in this part of the website.
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Thank-you or confirmation page
Once a customer heeds the call-to-action (CTA), the site should direct them to a confirmation page. Often, this page will contain a simple ‘thank you’ with a message that a representative will contact them soon. Why not brighten up this space with your logo? It will also help boost brand recall among your customers.
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Splash page
A splash page is a cover page that either welcomes users or provides some essential details before they enter the main page. Unlike a landing page, its primary purpose is to deliver a message without a particular conversion goal in mind.
So, what can a splash page be used for?
- Adult content – online businesses that sell products such as alcohol use a splash page to verify a visitor’s age before they proceed.
- Artistic or entertainment sites – these use a splash page as a form of greeting and may include creative illustrations, multimedia or interactive menus.
- Clothing stores and restaurants – new or important products or services are often introduced on a splash page.
In all likelihood, visitors will view the splash pages before the header so including a logo will allow you to instantly connect with your audience.
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About/How it works page
These pages contain your value proposition so it is important to add your logo and reinforce your brand’s visual identity. If you have a mascot logo, consider incorporating it here to make the page look vibrant and fun. It’s essential to come up with ways in which your logo can interact with site visitors. To achieve this goal, make sure you cover all the bases with your website designer.
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Buttons or background elements
You can also display your logo to visitors using subtle means. Talk to your designer about how to add the logo to various aspects of the site:
- Backgrounds
- Menus
- Photo frames
- Social media buttons
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Google My Business
Google My Business pages are relevant in today’s market as they are a quick and easy source of information for customers. With the GMB tool, you don’t have to type a domain name or click on a website to obtain simple information such as store opening hours.
Besides including all the vital company information, don’t miss the opportunity of adding a logo. Also, most of your GMB visitors will be mobile users. So, when adding a logo, ensure that its file size doesn’t exceed 5MB. Furthermore, it should have a minimum resolution of 720 pixels.
Adding the logo or brand name will remind customers about the company they are choosing to patronise.
Where should you avoid placing your logo?
- The right-hand side of the screen – you may be tempted to break conventional norms and place your logo on the right-hand side of your website. However, a survey has revealed that only 21% of visitors could recall a logo they saw on the right compared with almost 40% who saw it on the left.
- Centre of the screen – a site with a centrally positioned logo can look modern and sleek. However, users find it easier to navigate back to the homepage if the logo is located on the left-hand side rather than in the centre.
Setting your logo on the right-hand side or in the centre can also have a negative SEO effect such as a high bounce and drop-off rate. It could even discourage users from revisiting your site.
Conclusion
Designing a website isn’t that much different from setting up a physical store. You want your visitors to leave with a favorable impression. Also, you can use a logo to elicit a particular appeal from your customers. They can then associate it with your products or services.
In relation to logo positioning, you will often focus on all the highly visible parts of your website. However, you can strengthen your brand even further by placing the logo in unlikely places that can engage users.
We hope this article about Where to Place Your Logo to Enhance Your Brand has been helpful, and be sure to leave any comments below.
Author Bio
Sam Sayer is the Creative Director of DeType, a creative agency based in Kettering, Northamptonshire UK. His company specialises in web design, branding, motion, UX, and online design.