What Meme's, Logos, and Catch Phrases Have in Common

What do meme's, logos, and catch phrases have in common?

Stated simply, they're memorable. Or at least they should be. Fact is, as we're picking out our slogan or catch phrase, we too often focus on too many things. When designing our logo, we too often try for something cool and hip, rather than communicating something important about the company. Some of the best logos are abstract creations, but then it takes millions of dollars in advertising to get them recognizable, much less memorable. And everyone knows what a meme is, right?

A meme is defined as a “An element of a culture that may be considered to be passed on by non-genetic means, esp. imitation” So anything that is catchy, that takes on a life of its own, and becomes part of the pop culture is a meme. Urban legends, famous chain letters, and catch phrases like "I'll be back" (from the movie, Terminator with Arnold Schwarzenegger as the lead character,) become so ingrained in the culture that it's hard to find someone who doesn't directly know the reference, or has not at least heard someone use it in their best impression of Arnold's performance.

"Viral Marketing" is the most recent of concepts using meme's as a kind of carrier, vis-a-vis the outrageously funny picture that everyone is compelled to share with their friends also including a small, unobtrusive advertisement for the originator's web site and featuring their logo as well.

And catch phrases seem to be on everyone's mind lately. I say this because I run another website called Scrapbook-Quotes.com that is chock full of sayings, quotes, and catch phrases. And yet, people searching for catch phrases often take just one look and pass it by. Perhaps because they're looking for just that one single phrase that will function as a meme for their company, so they don't need a one year subscription to it.

Anyway, I ran across the following article by Nola Cooper on the proper design of your logo and how to use a catch phrase or slogan in connection with it. I think it's spot on and Nola was kind enough to allow me to reprint it here in its entirety.

Lee Reedy
Media Strategist

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The Memorability of your Logo

© 2005 Nola Cooper, Classic Creations Design

You’ve chosen a name for your business…..you have the perfect product….you are ready to introduce it all to the world, and you’ve hired a graphic designer to design your logo….

How can you be sure your logo design will be memorable?

Start with simplicity. Many people think they need to get very detailed in their logo design; however it’s important to remember the short attention span of the typical client. You don’t want your customers to have to spend more than a few seconds “thinking” about your logo. You want quick recognition of purpose, and then you want them to move on to read more about your business with a sense of comprehension. Believe it or not, that can be achieved with a clean and classic design.

Using geometric shapes in your logo can be one of the easiest ways to start. Often starting with a simple shape, and “warping” it to be more abstract, can give you the notable design you’re looking for. By adding just one other color to that abstract, your result is a clean image that doesn’t require close study.

The more detail and color you have present, the more consideration it requires to decipher. Your goal in having a logo is to begin to "brand" your company. Branding is done through providing an image that is as easily recognizable as a name. A simple logo inspires a feeling of understanding and trust. Complex and overly colorful logos can inadvertently confuse your customers before they even get started. Confusion does not encourage confidence. While it may seem that having an elaborate hand drawn illustration better suits your business image, it is much more difficult to brand your products with such an illustration as your logo. An illustration works much better on a sales page or brochure that discusses a specific product or service you provide.

Color - Experts say that the best logos contain no more than 4 colors, and let’s face it…when you’re ready to visit the print shop for business cards, brochures, and color sales sheets, you’ll be very happy that you stuck to that rule. Printers charge you for each color they print (even different shades of a color are considered different colors). They will also charge you when colors “touch”. The fewer colors you have in your design, the more money you’ll have in your budget for nicer paper and raised ink! Unless you’re absolutely set in your color choices, it always helps to know how colors affect emotions.

Using a color scheme that appeals to your target market, will increase the effectiveness of your logo.

Make sure that your logo is resizable! Business cards and product labels don’t present you with a very large amount of real estate, when it comes to your logo. The last thing you’ll want is for the person, looking at your business and your products, to squint and wonder what all that “stuff” is in your logo!

Slogans and Catch-Phrases - What if you have a detailed message to imply? The answer – save the details for your marketing and advertising materials. Imagine your business 5 years from now. Will your message still be the same? What about your slogan, or catch phrase? Chances are you’ll change these things as the market changes. The way you present your product and company is dependent upon the current fads and fashions of the marketplace. You should never limit yourself by including a slogan or catch-phrase in your logo design. The only words you should ever include are the words in the title of your business. Slogans can be changed easily in the text of your marketing materials. Including a slogan in your logo could cause you to have to redraw it often!

Your logo should also be unique, most importantly to avoid any trademark or copyright infringements, but also to help in the process of branding your company. The easier to recognize your logo, the easier to remember what it stands for (symbolism). Eventually, upon success, the symbolism matters less than the recognition. For example: McDonald's "golden arches" began as a symbol of the arch shaped sides of the restaurants. Today, many of the restaurants no longer have the arch shapes…..and yet everyone recognizes what company those golden arches symbolize.

Always remember that the purpose of your logo is to visually communicate with potential clients, before they read any messages, see any products, or meet any people. It’s the old adage of the “first impression” being the most important. When your logo design is simple, yet powerful – you’ve got a memorable base to work from!

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About the Author: Nola Cooper is the owner of Classic Creations, a graphic design business she started in 1995. She has written and published many articles about running a business, and family life and is editor of her own online magazine-The Classic Life.

You can read more about Nola and find out about her businesses at http://www.ClassicCreationsDesign.com
http://www.ClassicCreationsDirect.com and http://www.TheClassicLife.com

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