Wednesday, December 15, 2010

The Perfect Hair Salon Logo - What to Consider When Choosing Hair Stylist Logos


Are you looking for a logo design for your hair salon business? If so, read on and find out what you must consider before you consult with a designer.

Hair stylists are essentially creative professionals. The creativity of a salon’s stylists and the kind of service that they offer can be expressed in a hair salon's logo design. Logo design is very important in this industry for creating brand flavor, creating the right first impressions and putting out the right image to the market.

In this article we take a look at some of the elements that make up a great hair salon logo and we offer some suggestions on how to get the right design to represent the brand that you want to develop.

Marketing an Image

It is important to put some thought into what kind of clients you want to attract to your hair salon. You then need to present an image that is appealing to people in this target market. Depending on your clientele you may want to present an image that is charming, chic, classic, stylish, modern, exclusive or friendly and welcoming. Your logo design, working hand in hand with your interior decorating can go a long way towards putting forward the right image.

Be Unique - Be Remarkable

Your logo design should distinguish you from other hair salons. Don’t make the mistake of falling in love with the design of another hairdresser logo and asking your designer to imitate it.

If you do see other salon, spa or beauty logos that you like you should try to understand exactly what elements about them are so appealing to you. Rather then trying to imitate other logos it is better to take small elements from each that can be incorporated into something fresh and original that you can truly call your own.

Keep it Simple

Insist that your logo designer keep your logo simple. Logos that are simple are usually more memorable and easy to understand than those that are too cluttered. Modern design trends are moving towards simplicity. If you look at the logos of some Fortune 500 companies you will see this trend. On the other hand, small, old fashioned or amateurish businesses are usually the ones with complicated logos.

Usage of Color

All good logo designs should look good in black and white so that they can easily be faxed or photocopied without losing their effect. It is usually best to keep the combinations of color used in a logo to a minimum. With a maximum of two or three colors, your hair salon's logo will be clear and easy to understand. By minimizing the use of color you may also be able to save money on printing costs.

Font - What Style of Lettering Looks Good?

One trend with hair salon logo design is that designers and salon owners are going mostly for text based logos or for lettermarks featuring the initials of their business name. Font is important for visual appeal, clarity and it contributes a lot towards brand image. Hair salons usually either go for a font that is elegant, flowing and feminine or they go for something bold, modern and urban. The number of fonts is almost endless and a good logo designer will be able to make recommendations.

Popular Hair Salon Logo Images

Aside from text, images can also add to the power of a logo. While there are no limits here with what you can do and it is advisable to come up with something original, there are some images that commonly appear on hair salon logos.

Hair, in many different styles is of course a popular image. Images can be realistic looking but are usually more effective if they are a little more abstract. Faces are sometimes included and sometimes hair is featured on its own. Scissors, hair dryers and other hair dresser equipment can be featured as part of a logo but can look a little clichéd so be careful. Other hair stylists have gone for logos with images that match their business name or their salon location.

A logo is a crucial part a of the marketing effort for any hairdressing business so it is important to put the time, effort and money into getting something effective that is going to serve your salon well over the long term.

Monday, January 11, 2010

Why Getting the Cheapest Logo Design May Not Be the Best Idea

The first thing that online shoppers think about when looking for an online logo design firm is price.



Consumers looking for a customized logo are lucky in that the Internet has to some extent given logo design firms a chance to cut overheads on their services without compromising quality. Finding a logo online these days is convenient and cheap and consumers are spoiled for choice.


However, while it is great to save some money in the early stages of a business's life, stop and think about the importance of having a good logo in today's business environment.


Your logo is usually the first introduction that customers get to your company. In only a few seconds of glancing at your company logo customers subconsciously determine what kind of business you are and if you are the kind of business that they want to deal with. A logo can be the difference between gaining a customers business or a customer who goes over to a competitor who is projecting a better image through their branding.


So maybe price should not be the main focus when shopping for an online custom logo company.


Instead of looking at a logo design purchase as an expensive purchase of, say $240, try spreading the cost over your first two years of business at $10 a month and suddenly it does not seem so expensive after all. A logo is such an integral part of a company's marketing effort, yet $10 a month is insignificant compared to a typical firms average monthly marketing budget.


Some entrepreneurs these days, particularly those operating online start up many small businesses to quickly test markets before deciding to go ahead or quit. So a $27 custom logo design does still have its place for certain business models.


However, if you are starting a business with long-term intentions involving considerable investment then you should get off to the best start possible with a great custom logo design.




Sunday, January 3, 2010

Bar, Pub, Or Nightclub Logo Design

Are you planning to set up a bar, tavern or a nightclub business? Or have you been thinking of giving your bar or nightclub a new look? Before you start ripping off the floors or start looking for the ideal business location, put some thought into getting a great logo design first. A logo should be the foundation of your branding efforts and will be an important step in getting your business off to a great start or a successful re-branding of your current operation.



Consulting with a designer to come up with a great bar or nightclub logo need not be very difficult. Nonetheless, there are a few things marketing experts recommend that one should keep in mind when planning a logo design. First of all, keep your logo simple. This does not mean that you have to settle for something too plain or boring though as pubs and clubs are usually associated with fun and entertainment after all.


Think hard about the kind of clients that you want to attract to your establishment. This will influence the kind of imagery that you will want use as part of the overall design. In this industry you will want to go with images that convey a message of quality service and pleasure and enjoyment. Food and music may also come into the mix as well. Designers will generally avoid cheap, tacky or loud symbols and go for images that appear more refined of tasteful. Symbols or objects that you can consider using within the logo could be martini glasses, wine bottles, smiling people or musical instruments. There are no limits here really and it is better if you can come up with something totally original to distinguish your business in this very competitive industry. Remember that you are not limited to realistic images and something more abstract can offer greater flexibility and can command more attention.


Think about if you want your bar or club to seem exclusive to a particular kind of customer or if you want to put on a friendly face to encourage all to enter. Your logo should immediately let patrons know if it is the kind of establishment that they are looking for in terms of atmosphere and dress code and the kind of people and alcohol that they will expect to find inside.


Design experts generally suggest using a maximum of three colors and prefer to avoid too many bright colors but these rules don't really apply for club and bars. Depending on the theme that you want your logo to reflect then bright colors can work really well, especially on nighttime neon signage.


Words may also be incorporated with your logo design. Again, think of what your company stands for. Reflect on the goals or mission of your business that you will have set out in a business plan when you started. Is the goal to make people have fun after a hard day at work? Is it to celebrate big and small achievements of different individuals every day? Play with words and you can probably come up with a catchy phrase or line that would best suit your establishment.


Keep in mind that whatever design you end up using, it is most likely that you will be using this for many years. So you should put some effort into getting the best possible bar, pub or nightclub logo design that can serve you well in the years ahead.