Beacon Journal photo by Robin Tinay Sallie -- Michael Houseman at his advertising firm, Trendesign on Main Street in Akron on Tuesday. His company designs logos for businesses looking for an image.

Building the Perfect Logo

It's about getting noticed, in a good way

By: Candace Goforth
Beacon Journal business writer
Posted on Mon, Nov. 17, 2003

F A COMPANY'S name and logo are its fashion statement, a lot of businesses are parading around in plaid pants and loud ties.

Small startups, and even established corporations looking for a new image, are in a constant struggle to get noticed. The challenge is to find the edge between catching a prospective customer's attention and looking like you're trying too hard -- or not trying at all.

Marketing consultants insist that is a possible feat, even for the most budget-challenged organizations, as long as you follow a few basic branding guidelines: Remember your audience, plan for the future and, in designing the logo, keep it simple.

``Most of the time in conversation, how people say things is almost as important as what they say,'' said Michael Houseman, president and creative director of the Akron advertising and design firm Trendesign LLC. ``That holds true for marketing, too.''

Often, entrepreneurs aren't prepared, or willing, to devote scarce resources to marketing. They figure, if they can just come up with something to get them started -- say, something pieced together on a PC -- they can make a bigger investment later.

But by that time, Houseman said, the company already will have made its first impression. And there's a good chance it won't be a good one.

Still, cash-strapped businesses may not have the luxury of making a large investment right away. But even if they can't afford an expensive advertising campaign, they don't have to settle for something amateurish, Houseman said.

The secret to an inexpensive, but effective logo is simplicity.

``Nobody ever got in trouble speaking simply'' Houseman said. ``People get in trouble when they try to speak over their heads.''

Using flowery type faces and trying to execute something really elaborate is generally not a very good idea. You want to project a professional image.

He encourages do-it-yourself designers to keep their personal taste out of the designing process as much as possible.

``If you love something, there's a really good possibility that someone out there really hates it,'' Houseman said. ``Go to the middle of the road, and don't let the message get cluttered by the visuals.''

Houseman said simplicity should be a guiding principal for anyone designing a logo -- and that includes professionals.

``This is all about communication,'' he said. ``It's not art.''

Perhaps not. But it is a creative expression of a company's identity.

For that reason, a professional designer is often better equipped to help develop an image that speaks to an organization's target audience, said Bob Piks, president of the Advertising Federation of Greater Akron.

Tony Ciccarelli recently worked with Piks' advertising firm All Aboard Promotions in Portage Lakes to create a logo for his new venture, Triad Mortgage Group LLC.

``This isn't something you throw together in 10 minutes,'' said Ciccarelli, who ran two other mortgage firms before launching Triad. ``It's like naming your kid. It's something that will be with you forever.''

That's all the more reason to choose a name and logo that will retain its relevance even as the company evolves, said Jack DeLeo, president and CEO of Hitchcock Fleming and Associates.

He said organizations should avoid trendy gimmicks that might lose their appeal in 10 years.

``I drive by Toys R Us, for instance, and I wonder whether they really want that R to be backward now,'' DeLeo said, referring to the way the toy store's middle initial is illustrated in its logo. ``When they thought of it, it probably seemed very cute. But now, with all the emphasis on education, I wonder if they really want to be teaching children to write the R backward.''

A minimalist, straightforward approach might be best for logos, particularly the homemade variety.

But the process of naming a company calls for absolute freedom from restraint, said Daniel Altman, creative director for A Hundred Monkeys, a naming company based in Mill Valley, Calif.

Altman said the most effective names are the ones that reflect the personalities of the business and its people -- even if they don't describe exactly what the company does.

Some marketing experts advise companies to play it safe and consider every possible negative connotation for a name before they choose it.

Altman comes from a different perspective. Too often, he said, the naming process becomes political, and companies end up with names that are sanitized, boring and meaningless.

``You need some degree of play, and some degree of cleverness, but hopefully not too clever,'' Altman said. ``Names are very subjective. It's easy to say, `I like it' or `I don't like it.' But that's not what marketing is about. What marketing is about is rousing people's interest.''

The moniker A Hundred Monkeys does that for Altman's company.

Nothing about the name suggests that the business is a marketing consulting firm. Still, Altman said, the name works, not because it tells potential clients what the company does or how well it does it, but because it prompts a smile.

``It makes people curious,'' he said. ``They want to know what it is.''

The name is a reference to a Thomas Huxley quote suggesting that, if you put 100 monkeys in a room with 100 typewriters, eventually they will come up with a sonnet of Shakespearean quality.

Many people who hear the name of the company may recognize the quote, but it doesn't really matter. As soon as they hear the phrase, `A Hundred Monkeys,' they begin to imagine what it might mean. At that point, the name has done its job, Altman said.

A name has to be interesting, but certainly some degree of consideration is necessary.

Hitchcock Fleming & Associates' DeLeo warned that business owners should choose names that will cross borders if the organization ever has the good fortune to trade on the global market.

General Motors learned that lesson the hard way. Last month, the automaker announced it will change the name of the future Buick model LaCrosse in Canada because the word is a Quebec slang term for masturbation.

The reasons behind most name changes aren't that dramatic.

Sometimes, mature companies find their image simply hasn't evolved with their business. In some cases, rebranding accommodates a company's shift in focus or products. In others, the market itself forces a change.

Last month, Canton-based Royal Estate Management Corp. announced it changed its name to REM Commercial and redesigned its logo.

For years, the company has been known by its initials. But, according to a statement from REM president Charles Webster, the official name change reflects that the company offers a range of services, beyond just the real estate management referenced in the old name.

Other companies just want to update their look.

After more than 100 years of helping their customers express their corporate identities through stamping and engraving, it was time for Excelsior Marking to do something about its own image.

Dave Sutter and his partner Robert Lux bought the Stow company two years ago. The name ``Excelsior'' had history and a reputation the new owners didn't want to give up.

What they did want to give up was the dated brown logo.

The color wasn't the only problem. The old logo incorporated a steel stamp, a reference to the steel stamping work that used to be, but is no longer, the majority of the company's business.

In other cases, companies change their image to differentiate themselves from the competition.

Carter Lumber, under pressure from the home-improvement behemoths Lowes and Home Depot, altered its name and logo to appeal directly to its customers.

Working with DeLeo's Hitchcock Fleming and Associates, the Kent company rebranded itself ``The Yard,'' a reference to the phrase builders often use on the job site.

The term, used for any building materials store, is a throw back to the time when carpenters retrieved their wood from a lumber yard, DeLeo said.

``They'll say, `I've got to head to the yard to get some more lumber,' '' DeLeo said. ``(The name) The Yard almost has more recognition now than Carter Lumber does.''

Like any creative endeavor, developing a company's image is a subjective process. When the business cards are printed and the sign is hung, there may be some who love it, and others who hate it.

That's when you'll know it works.