Your Marketing Communications Identity: Names and logos and tag lines, oh my!

Every business needs an identity -- a way of presenting itself to its audience.  Here are the basic components.

NAME
Leave the discussion of “what’s in a name” to the poets and philosophers. In business a name is selected early on and usually doesn’t change much. So choose wisely IF you get to choose. The best company names are easy to read, say and remember (usually short), are descriptive of what the company does, and evoke the company’s personality.

Examples: Thrivent Financial (financial services), American FarmWorks (agricultural products), Art of Copy (copywriting).

LOGO
This is the graphic signature of a company. It may be just a stylized type treatment of the name, or it may include a symbol.

A logo is used in a lot of places – ads, brochures, signs, trucks, letterhead, web sites, packaging, forms, products and more. Before developing a new logo, think of all the places it will be used. Your design needs to be adaptable for all uses.  A good logo works in black and white, but there may be 2-color and full color versions for different uses.

How often you need to change logo design and colors depends on your market. Companies whose markets are stable don’t need to change often. Companies who serve trend-conscious audiences may need to change  their look frequently.

TAG LINE
This is a brief line of copy that runs with the logo. Not every company has one or needs one. A tag line can blow your horn. Deliver a benefit message. Or explain what the company does. A tag line is a marketing tool that belongs on ads, brochures, web sites, direct mail pieces, trade show displays, etc. Use one tag line consistently for greatest effectiveness.

CONSISTENCY and REPETITION are what make any identity program successful. Pick a name, logo, colors and tag line. Then use them in the same way on everything.