{"id":1529,"date":"2012-07-30T05:51:28","date_gmt":"2012-07-30T05:51:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.adviceinteractivegroup.com\/blog\/?p=1127"},"modified":"2012-07-30T05:51:28","modified_gmt":"2012-07-30T05:51:28","slug":"logo-design-branding-its-hip-to-be-square","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.advicelocal.com\/blog\/logo-design-branding-its-hip-to-be-square\/","title":{"rendered":"Logo Design & Branding: It\u2019s Hip to Be Square"},"content":{"rendered":"

The word, avatar, seems to have origins in Hinduism but has only been used in mainstream Internet lexicon for less than 20 years. No kids; the idea of an avatar, Hindu or binary, was not created by James Cameron. Merriam-Webster\u2019s definitions three and four of the word, avatar, are the two uses I will talk about in this post concerning the importance of allowing your logo design and branding to reflect the profile-picture-driven world we face (no pun intended) each day.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I\u2019m an Avatar Living in My Avi World<\/strong><\/p>\n

Webster\u2019s third definition of the word avatar is, \u201ca variant phase or version of a continuing basic entity.\u201d <\/em>Back when Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) and forums were popping up and accessible from home computers, a cool advent of that time period were graphic enhancements allowing a bitmap to show up alongside your username. We have come to know these as avatars or more commonly refer to them as \u201cprofile pics.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Internet has forced even the most un-savvy user to put up a profile pic of some sort. Our phones have forced us to embrace the idea of an icon. The avatar, profile picture, and icon embody something bigger than our words can explain. I\u2019m reminded of the beautiful words from the Christopher Nolan film, Batman Begins:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u2026as a man, I’m flesh and blood. I can be ignored. I can be destroyed. But as a symbol, as a symbol I can be incorruptible. I can be everlasting.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

When a company brands or rebrands itself, I find it imperative one consider \u201cIt\u2019s hip to be square!\u201d The Internet uses squares of different sizes for the purpose of easily identifying people, brands, and ideas. Everyone uses a square. If your brand\u2019s logo is horizontal or is just long stylized text, it is not the time to say, \u201cWe\u2019re gonna need a bigger boat.\u201d But it is time to consider the importance of an alternate version of your horizontal style logo or maybe creating a 1:1 size-ratio-symbol to add to your branded horizontal text logo.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For a moment, consider in your mind some of the largest companies in the world. McDonald\u2019s (1:1 ratio golden arches), Apple (1:1 ratio apple), Microsoft (1:1 ratio butterfly), HP (1:1 ratio text design), Amazon (1:1 ratio \u201ca\u201d design). These designs are quite often used separately from their full text logos. Almost every major brand has this type of alternate logo they can use in subtle ways to create brand association. The reason they work is because they are used and used in a lot of different ways. Every automobile company I can think of uses their symbols more than their text. Why can\u2019t smaller businesses do the same?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Branding for Quadrilaterals<\/strong><\/p>\n

Let us look at two very popular products with historically different types of logos. Pepsi has always had the \u201cGlobe\u201d logo to use as a symbol next to, as a backdrop, on top of, or as a stand-alone to the text logo. Coca-Cola\u00ae has never used a symbol in addition to or instead of their text logo, save for the bottle-cap logo used occasionally. The Coca-Cola\u00ae \u201cRibbon\u201d is the closest thing the company has had to a stand-alone alternate branding device.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Below are screenshots and links to both Pepsi and Coca-Cola\u00ae Google+ Brand Pages. As you can see, the \u201cGlobe\u201d logo is used as the profile picture and the text \u201cPepsi\u201d has been moved to an alternate area, the banner. The \u201cGlobe\u201d will serve as the visible logo for brand association for posts by Pepsi appearing in your timeline. It\u2019s subtle for sure and those who are very literal might have an aversion to this type of branding, but I\u2019ll discuss visibility in the Coca-Cola\u00ae example.<\/p>\n

\"pepsi<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In my opinion, the Coca-Cola\u00ae Google+ Brand Page has a problem as it relates to what I\u2019m suggesting companies do with their branding. The problem this profile pictures has is a lot of white space and minimal branding. Before the white space lovers send me scathing emails on design, let me say I love white space. I love subtlety and minimalistic, think-for-yourself design. In fact, if you\u2019re paying attention, the red Coca-Cola\u00ae bottle design on a white background is part of the company\u2019s current branding push. This minimalistic alternative to the Coca-Cola\u00ae text is a stunning visual on HDTV or movie-theater commercials.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"coca-cola<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

My issue with the red bottle design is visibility and size. Profile pictures, especially those in your timeline stream or icons on your phone are small in nature. Can you see on your phone or your timeline stream the words Coca-Cola\u00ae? Would your company\u2019s logo or text be visible in a small 50×50 pixel icon on your phone? Specific pages have larger versions of these icons or avatars, but most of the impressions a consumer sees come from a timeline or news stream. I contend one should want to maximize the space given to them considering its small size and fill that square avatar with a 1:1 sized logo or alternative branding like the Pepsi \u201cGlobe.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One might ask why Coca-Cola\u00ae has never created an alternate logo. Honestly, I cannot answer that question but I don\u2019t think it defeats my reasoning for other, less established brands to create one for the profile driven era we operate in each day. At this point in history, they are Coca-Cola\u00ae, how much more aware could one be of them?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Think Inside the Box<\/strong><\/p>\n

Consider your current logo and branding. Does your company fit inside a box? If not, I think you should take some steps to better brand yourself and increase your visibility for your online properties and for all your other marketing efforts. A symbol, as mentioned in the quote from the movie Batman Begins, is everlasting and if used in the right way can come to mean so much more than you could ever say about your service or product.<\/p>\n