Tips on How to Match Up Logos with Business Names

Your logo is a crucial part of your brand identity, and it’s often the image that people will most associate with your business over time. It’s a defining factor for how you are perceived, so you don’t want it to be forgettable, ugly, or even worse, in complete odds against what your business is all about.

There are many ‘Reasons Why Logo Design Is So Important For Small Businesses’, the most important of which is how this establishes professionalism and trust with your audience. It’s all about the impression you make with potential clients, and you want a level of recognition that welcomes newbies and retains loyal customers alike. 

The reason you may want to match up your logo with your business name is to maximize your brand recall and keep it top of mind. This combo helps you achieve long-term potentiation (LTP), which is how marketers like Jed Simpfendorfer make people remember brands beyond a few days. If you’re in the process of making a logo to match a business name, here are some key tips to stick to.

Keep Every Detail Simple

Regardless of how you want your logo to relate to your business name, the key principle to follow is simplicity. Not only does this give you more room to apply the logo onto different brand materials but it’s also great for readability. If it’s overly complex, people will have some difficulty processing the image. Whether the logo is just wording or a symbol, the best move is to create balanced proportions that feel purposeful.

If you look at popular logos like McDonald’s or Apple, there is a sense of symmetry and mirrored elements around a central axis. This is easy on the eyes and immediately reminds you of the brand name. 

Try Using a Generator

There are plenty of tools at your disposal now, so you don’t need to feel limited with your options. Tools are much more comprehensive than they were when the technology was first introduced, so you can really come up with bespoke results that match your business name. You can get a lot of options for both your name and logo, starting from the business name generator on Namechk. This provides plenty of options and availability checking based on your prompts, so it’s not completely random with no bearing. From there, you can use those results and input them into a logo generator and see what feels right. 

This is a quick way to come up with a name and logo that match up, and it’s considerably more affordable. Kreafolk has broken down logo design costs for startups, and these usually range from $1,000 to $30,000 if you go to an agency or designer. With DIY templates, the cost is significantly lower at an average of $200. 

Don’t Stick to Fads

It may be tempting to follow design and color trends to get that immediate appeal. The trouble is that this doesn’t always match what your name or industry is. It’s better to consider what your actual vibe is and what feeling your business name creates. A great example is the NFL logo, which has remained true to its identity - maintaining its colors, typography, and feel even as it adapts to modern standards every generation. 

If you focus on personifying your brand name, you’ll end up with a more timeless logo that lasts through different tastes. Even as fads come and go, it’s easier to have a base point that you can adjust accordingly. Forbes has expanded on the trouble with trend jacking, especially now that social media and digitalization have made trends fizzle out much faster. While this can help your brand content stay engaging, it will only go against your long-term interests in terms of logo and name. 

Map Out Relevant Keywords and Imagery

Designers wondering ‘How to Create Memorability in Logo Design’ should consider the science behind memorability. It’s about creating a pattern that not only captures the attention of viewers but creates a visual connection. So, matching your logo to your name isn’t restricted to creating a word-for-word recreation. You may want to make a list of keywords and imagery that can easily be associated with your name, then build off that for your logo design. 

Look at the iconic Nike logo, known as the “Swoosh.” The curved check immediately evokes success and movement, which can easily be connected to Nike as a sports brand. This also relates to the name’s origin as the winged goddess of victory worshipped by Greek athletes of yore. When you map these factors out, you can easily come to a final logo that emerges as a representation of all elements.