Are you thinking about getting a logo designed for your brand?

Not so fast! 

Before having your logo designed, there are a few foundational branding elements that you need to have down first. 

Otherwise, you may end up frustrated with designers who don't "get" you, and a logo that doesn't speak to your ideal client. 

First, let’s get on the same page …

Your logo is not your brand. 

Your brand is the promise of an experience that needs to be consistently delivered across every platform of your businesses. Your brand experience is communicated through visuals and messaging that, ideally, are an authentic reflection of you.

While products and services are what you sell, your brand is what sells you, because it gives potential clients something to relate to and resonate with.

With this understanding, you can see that your logo is part of your brand experience, but is it not your brand.

So often, I see entrepreneurs jump straight into their logo without clarifying the important branding foundations that need to happen first. When you do this, your brand ends up falling flat because it’s not based in anything authentic or substantial. You may end up feeling like designers don’t “get” you, and you’ll end up frustrated and discouraged from creating your logo.

If this has been your experience, read on, because I’m about to share 5 things that need to happen before investing in your logo. When you do these 5 things, in the order laid out, you’ll have a much better chance of LOVING your logo.

5 things to do before investing in your logo: 

1. Discover Your Brand Archetype

Archetypes, although we may not realize it, are at the core of how we view the world and understand the people around us. We find archetypal characters in books, movies, songs, commercials, the people in our lives and even the brands we know and love! 

Using archetypes to guide your logo design, will help you build a brand that's aligned with your truth and help your potential clients come to know, like and trust you faster because you fit within their framework of understanding the world. 

I’ve created a free quiz that will help you uncover and understand your brand archetypes so you can feel more confident in how you’re showing up as the face of your brand. You can access the quiz for free at this link. 

2. Define Your Brand Foundations

As a service-based business owner, YOU are the face of your brand. So if you want to love your logo, first and foremost, it will need to reflect your truth and personality. To help you clarify your truth and personality, think about your values, vision, mission, point of view, differentiators and even intolerances as they relate to the work you do.

Then, write these down and share them with your designer so they can take them into account when designing your logo. 

Building a brand experience (which your logo is part of) based on your own identity is important because it’s not so much about the service you sell or the content you share. People choose to work with you because they like YOU.

If you’d like more support figuring out your brand foundations, inside my Impact Tribe membership there is an entire guided process that walks you through this.

3. Hone in on Your Ideal Client

While it’s important to design your logo based on your own personality, it’s also important to take your ideal client into consideration when having your logo designed.

To create a logo that resonates with your audience and meets them where they’re motivated to buy, it’s vital to understand who they are, where they are, what they desire, and what they struggle with. Once you understand these things, you’ll understand how your story and your work fits into their lives, and how you can help them achieve the transformation they desire. 

Let me be clear though, factoring your ideal client into the logo you create should only come after you fully understand yourself as the leader of your brand. If done the other way around, you may end up trying to be someone you’re not to fit into an expectation that you think they want. And your logo will end up reflecting this.

For more on this crazy idea, lol, check out this blog post: Why Basing Your Brand on Your Ideal Client Can Be Deadly to Your Business.

If you need help figuring out your ideal client, there’s a course on this inside the Impact Tribe!

4. Clarify Your Messaging

Your messaging includes elements like your name, title, tagline, brand story, bio, and even the words and phrases you use consistently. It's important to clarify your messaging before having your logo designed, because your logo is often designed around your words. For example, your logo incorporates your business name and tagline so we need your name and tagline first because it influences the design!

In addition to influencing your logo, brand messaging also plays a huge role in how you’re remembered, if potential clients choose to work with you and whether you’re seen as credible and trustworthy by your audience. If you confuse your audience with your messaging, they will look elsewhere. To learn more on how to build your brand message, check out this blog post: 8 Messaging Must-Haves for Service-Based Entrepreneurs.

5. Create Your Visual Brand Identity

This one’s a little different because it needs to happen alongside your logo design.

Your logo alone is not your visual brand. Your logo is part of a complete visual brand identity that needs to include your …

• Color palette
• Fonts
• Patterns/textures
• Brand photography
• Accent elements
• And finally, your logo!

If you’re thinking about hiring a designer to create your website, or marketing materials, such as a slide deck, social graphics, course workbooks, etc. that designer needs to be provided the entire visual brand identity to successfully create those designs.

When you go through the process in the right order and get clear on these five things before designing your logo, you’ll end up with a design that feels more authentic to you, speaks directly to your ideal clients, and is more effective in attracting the right clients.  

Don't stop here, though. I’m here to support you in creating a purposeful, archetypal brand that makes money AND makes a difference. Explore how we can work together here.