{"id":18544,"date":"2018-06-18T15:30:20","date_gmt":"2018-06-18T20:30:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/?p=18544"},"modified":"2022-08-10T10:15:57","modified_gmt":"2022-08-10T15:15:57","slug":"ecommerce-branding-power-of-logo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shipstation.com\/blog\/ecommerce-branding-power-of-logo\/","title":{"rendered":"Ecommerce Branding: The Power of Your Logo"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Of course the name of your ecommerce store is important. No one wants to buy from a company whose name sounds as if it was created during a drunken game of Scrabble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But your logo? Your logo is the true visual representation of your brand<\/a>. It’s what differentiates you from your competition.\u00a0Your logo has the power to invoke an emotional response from shoppers. And it influences how\u00a0consumers\u00a0feel about your company as a whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can\u2019t dedicate countless hours to coming up with your brand name and then half-heartedly throw some logo together. Because a stellar logo can compensate for a less-than-creative brand name. But the opposite is rarely true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read on to learn the critical role a logo plays in ecommerce branding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Your Logo Matters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Ecommerce<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It shows your commitment (or lack thereof)
to the customer experience.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A well-designed logo proves your brand cares about its reputation and the products it sells. It demonstrates that you\u2019re concerned with how shoppers perceive your company. An outstanding logo shows consumers your ecommerce business is genuinely committed to every aspect of the brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if your logo appears to have been cobbled together without any regard to aesthetics or relevancy? Well then in a customer’s mind, your brand is clearly disinterested in the image it portrays. And, in turn, shoppers assume you likely care just as little about your merchandise. A poorly-designed logo shows you have little or no confidence in the company. Why should a shopper invest in you if you clearly haven\u2019t invested in yourself?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Humans can recognize images more quickly than text.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Author\u2019s Note: When I was doing research for this blog, I once again came across this oft-cited claim: \u201c[Humans] can process visuals 60,000 times faster than text.\u201d I\u2019m willing to bet you\u2019ve also heard this assertion (or some variation). Did you know it\u2019s unfounded? Straight-up made up<\/a>. So, I\u2019d like to present some <\/em>actual research on visual perception.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2014, MIT neuroscientists studied the minimum time a person needs to recognize and comprehend an image. They discovered humans can process images in as little as 13 microseconds<\/a>. That\u2019s 0.000013 seconds. The researchers found participants required no advance information about the visual and only needed to see the image once in order to identify it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now let\u2019s think about this on a more fundamental level. The average age at which a child can identify shapes and colors is 2-3 years. But most children don\u2019t have basic reading comprehension until they\u2019re around 4 or 5 years old. All of the evidence \u2014 both scientific and anecdotal \u2014 indicates pictures are powerful<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This isn\u2019t to say you shouldn\u2019t include your brand name or any other copy in your logo. Rather, you must consider your logo as a work of art, a visually pleasing masterpiece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your name can\u2019t change. But your logo can.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Over time, your company will (hopefully) grow and evolve and mature<\/a>. You\u2019ll adapt your business model to meet the changing needs of your audience. You’ll add new items to your product lines and retire others. But the one thing you\u2019re married to for the life of your company is your name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, when your ecommerce branding is in need of a refresh, what you can<\/em> do is redesign your logo. When executed correctly, a logo redesign can not only retain current customers but also attract new ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Take YouTube, for example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ecommerce<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n


Image Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last fall, YouTube rolled out its first-ever logo update. The art department at the granddaddy of all video-sharing sites decided it didn\u2019t make sense to continuing focusing on the \u201cTube\u201d part of their name. This choice was motivated by two important facts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. YouTube offers a whole lot more than just TV shows.<\/li>
  2. No one even calls TVs \u201cthe tube\u201d anymore \u2014 especially not YouTube’s target audience.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Instead, the new logo features the site\u2019s well-known red play button, emphasizing the on-demand aspect of the brand. As an added bonus, the iconic nature of the red play button enables YouTube to create an app icon which features only that little graphic and is still recognizable:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Ecommerce<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
    \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    Bonus Advice!<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    <\/a>Depending on your budget, you have a few different choices for the actual creation of your logo. There are hundreds of different options out there, but we’ve narrowed it down to three of the best free and paid ecommerce logo makers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

     Free<\/strong><\/span><\/td> Paid<\/strong><\/span><\/td><\/tr>
    \"Adobe<\/a><\/td>\"Logaster<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
    \"Canva<\/a><\/td>\"Logojoy<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
    \"Squarespace<\/a><\/td>\"GraphicSprings<\/a><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    Some sites have more features than others. And the user-friendliness of the interfaces varies a bit. So just play around until you find the tool that best suits your logo design needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    How to Design a Logo You Can Be Proud Of<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \"Ecommerce<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Bad news: There are over 1 million Google results for \u201chow to design a logo\u201d (4 billion if you don\u2019t search for that phrase exactly).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Good news: I waded through a bunch of those results and put together 10 of the most valuable ecommerce branding tips into this nice little list below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Design from scratch. Don\u2019t just use some random images you found on Google. And definitely don\u2019t steal someone else\u2019s work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    2. Don\u2019t use graphics just because you think you should; an image isn\u2019t required for a good logo. If you can stylize your brand name in an artistic way that eliminates the need for graphical elements, go for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Examples from ShipStation Users<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Ecommerce<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    (ONNIT<\/a>, lollaland<\/a>, and The Bearded Bastard<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    3. If you absolutely, positively just have<\/em> to include an image, make sure it’s relevant to your products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    4. Ask your friends, family, and even strangers for their opinions on your logo. Don\u2019t be upset if they hate it. But definitely take everything they say with a grain of salt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    5. Your logo will not always be shown in full color. Ensure it looks good even when it\u2019s displayed in black and white or grayscale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Examples from ShipStation Users<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Ecommerce<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    (EmazingLights<\/a> and InstaFire<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    6. Create a logo that\u2019s unique but not bizarre. You want to stand out from your competition, not appear as if you don\u2019t belong at all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    7. Every part of your logo (both images as well as text) should be easily readable and recognizable even when the logo is super small \u2014 e.g. when viewed on a mobile device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Examples from ShipStation Users<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Ecommerce<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    (Rural King<\/a>, LobsterAnywhere<\/a>, and Tower Paddle Boards<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    8. Be objective and brutally honest about your logo design. Accept that you may have to just scrap\u00a0it all and start over. It\u2019ll be painful, but it\u2019s way better than branding everything<\/a> with a logo you end up hating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    9. When possible, incorporate value statements and unique selling propositions into your logo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Examples from ShipStation Users<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \"Ecommerce<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    (Simple Sugars<\/a>, Jaime’s Spanish Village<\/a>, and R.Riveter<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    10. See what your competitors are doing with their ecommerce branding. Do it better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Where Your Logo and Branding Should Appear<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \"Ecommerce<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Literally everywhere. And by \u201cliterally everywhere,\u201d I mean on your \u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Website<\/strong>
    Every page \u2014 seriously. There shouldn\u2019t be a page anywhere on your site where your logo isn\u2019t visible. The easiest way to do this is to embed your logo into the header and footer of your site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Packaging<\/strong>
    This includes the exterior and interior of boxes and envelopes,     shipping labels<\/a>, packing materials, tape, and packing slips<\/a>. If you can print or write on it,\u00a0your logo and\/or brand name need to be on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n