Brand Logos as we know are the chief visual identity for any business. They are critical in business marketing. A company’s logo becomes its first impression many times. But what makes a good logo? The answer is simple- a good design.

What exactly is a good design? Design to a large extent is a subjective matter. When it comes to design people might have ample choices on its elements like colors, style, formats etc. Therefore it is tricky to crack one universal code to the best design. However there are a lot of design codes of conducts coming up through great research that makes things easier.

The concept of don’t judge a book by its cover fails when it comes to design. Maybe you do not want to start off as a mediocre with a so-so logo design, which is supposed to be the face of your company. Do you? All that glitters is not gold? Or maybe it is. That does not mean you got to literally glitter shine it, a good design shines out on its own, creates an ah!tastic impression.

Choosing color?

According to a study conducted by the University of Winnipeg, 90% of its respondents agreed that colors influenced the way they made snap decisions. The study also concluded that customers generally make an initial judgment on a product within 90 seconds, and up to 90% of that judgment is based on color.

While choosing color for a brand, two things are of prime concern- color that matches the brand identity, color that makes the brand remarkable or memorable.

• Color that matches the brand identity

Brands want to use colors that reflect the value the company is trying to bring to the market and to appeal to its customers. Color psychology has been studied and analyzed over time, however the psychological impact of color is still moderately subjective. People might have previous experiences with colors from significant events, cultures, people, memories etc. which is why they might react differently to colors. Nevertheless there are a few generalities about how people respond to color, and how they have been used in different brands.

The image below demonstrates examples of how different brands are using colors associated with different emotions also referred to as Color Emotion Guide.

• Color that makes the brand remarkable or memorable

About creating something to remember, something that catches your eye as you are passing by, what are the possible colors? Even though no one color in particular can ensure drawing attention, there is one factor that works very well: the isolation effect, also known as the Von Restorff effect.  Studies show that an item stands out best and is more likely to be purchased when it’s made the center of attention against a solid color background – and that’s a solid background of any color.

The Von Restorff effect is a cognitive bias in favor of remembering the unusual (also known as the isolation effect) identified by Hedwig Von Restorff in 1933. She conducted a set of memory experiments around isolated and distinctive items, concluding that an isolated item, in a list of otherwise similar items, would be better remembered than an item in the same relative position in a list where all items were similar; a bias in favor of remembering the unusual. (https://fieldtripblog.wordpress.com/2013/03/12/the-von-restorff-effect/)

                          

The following research and analysis was done in the process of creating a logo for a product named Tootle. Tootle is an application that serves as a means to provide third party transportation services. The product intends to vibe more towards friendliness, dependability and creativity. A Cardiff Business School study called “The interactive effects of colors and products on perceptions of brand logo appropriateness” suggests that, for effective branding, the colors that represent your brand must fit the image of the product or service you are selling. Focusing on color appropriateness, color psychology and the isolation effect we came up with a brand logo.

Now let us play some guessing! Which one do you like the most?

The one, which was chosen, is the fourth one. Generally people may differ in choices among the first, second and the fourth but I guess none of us would choose the third one as a brand logo for a company that vibes friendliness, dependability and creativity. This is the reason why only a good design is subjective. A bad design like the third one is not even a choice.

The reason why we chose the fourth logo color as our brand color is because the purple and blue color represents with what we want to vibe. We also had to choose an accent color that was flaring from the rest of the content. Accent colors are the colors that are used in interactive elements of the application. There are certain Call To Action buttons in an application that has to be represented by colors that emphasize, contrast and create rhythm. Google Material Design has standards on suggesting accent colors that compliments your primary colors. In this case which is going to be pink.

Wheels of Tootle

The two O’s in Tootle represent the wheels in motion signifying Tootle as an application that serves as a means to provide third party transportation services.

Tootle name origin

The name Tootle was taken as a brand name. The oxford dictionary defines Tootle as an adverbial of direction, which means to go or travel in a leisurely way. Tootle as the brand name vouches for a relaxed journey.