logo school...

My grandpap used to say, "Just because a Great Dane is as big as a horse, don't mean it is one."

A logo is not art. Pretty does not equal profit. "Ooo's" and "aah's" are nice but will they sell?

According to most marketing research, logos should be — easy to read and simply designed without coming at the expense of losing distinction or conveying the essence of the business concept.

The more stylized the logo, in conjunction with a neologism (a new word, expression, or usage) name, the less the target customer will understand about the business and what it has to offer them. That being said, the logo should convey what the product or service is or has to offer.

The proposed logo that I have offered should appear like a vinyl sticker being applied to a surface (the rectangular nature lends itself to a wall or interior). It should not look like a computer or software company, a personnel or temp agency or a financial institution.

Other points to note include a modern and hip font with the repeated "diamond" of the sticker corner to form the cross bar of the letter "A"; the word surface is in a white rectangular box and appeal is in a colored box on top of the surface much like a sticker would be. The color red was chosen because red is a bold accent color used often with interior design (and color schemes can be altered easily).

So before choosing a logo/identity, you should ask yourself:
1. Is it easy to read?
2. Is it simply designed (and easily replicated by most printing methods and over multiple mediums)?
3. Is it distinctive?
4. Will my customers generally know what the product or service is that I have to offer just from the logo?

Finally, I would always ask to see the logo in one color usage (usually black & white) because there are probably going to be occassions where your logo will not be able to be reproduced in full color or high resolution (i.e. newspapers).