At a quick glance, a logo – a well-designed logo – speaks to a specific part of our brains. Some call it subliminal messaging. We call it emotional touch points. Who are we? We specialize in getting your message across, whether that be through graphic, logo, or website design. Based in Montreal, we’re an award-winning boutique agency with an expertise in communications. Our approach is in ensuring that your messaging not only appeals to your target market, but also touches on their emotions.
As you may already be aware, a company logo has a huge job to do that goes way beyond brand recognition. The bigger task is in letting consumers know exactly what they can expect from a company. How will the company and its products or services make their lives easier or better? In other words, the logo’s job is to convey a company’s promise and brand essence.
(By the way, you can download our Brand Essence Document at the end of this post.)
From a design standpoint, there’s no better feeling than working on a logo and knowing that you’ve captured a company’s spirit. Ask anyone that’s a hot sauce enthusiast, and they’ll tell you that the “zing” of any culinary creation is always in the sauce. There’s even a campaign (we’re sure you’ve heard of it) that says, “I put that sh*t on everything.”
In the context of creating logos, the hot sauce represents the understanding of a logo’s impact and the zing happens when you know you’re on the right track during the design phase.
If you love design as much as we do (and we’re pretty sure you do!) we’re happy to welcome you to our first post of a series where we will be looking at a variety of known logos and dissecting the elements that make them work, beginning with Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/
As with many company logos, the Amazon logo has gone through a few variations over the years, all representing the company’s position and offering at that time. Today, we know Amazon’s logo as an unassuming typeface. Yet no one can deny its impact. But what makes it effective?
The elements include lowercase letters – amazon – with an arrow. Simple, right? But once you read what we have to say about why it works, we’re certain that you’ll see that a lot more thought went into its design than meets the eye. This is another indication of the power behind keeping logos simple.
First, let’s look at the arrow in connection with the company name. Not just randomly placed, it begins under the letter “a” and points to the letter “z”. The messaging? Amazon sells everything from A to Z. As well, the arrow demonstrates movement, which goes with ‘in transit’ and reflects the momentum of purchases. (From the Amazon or seller’s warehouse to you.)
Another element to the arrow is that it – again, very subtly – depicts a smile. Whether you order books, kitchenware, electronics, or even hot sauce, what happens when you come home at the end of a day and find that Amazon package waiting for you at your front door?
Happiness … you can’t help but smile. This also represents the Amazon promise and consumer experience: satisfaction.
These simple elements all come together to reveal the Amazon brand essence and promise to their target audience.
Which brings us to you. Do you know what your company’s brand essence is? As promised, and to help you figure it out, we’re happy to share our Brand Essence Document with you.
It’s a simple series of questions with examples that will help you better understand your business offering, in turn help you position your company in a way that speaks to your target audience’s emotional touch points.
