Creating a logo for a start-up, blog, or website is an experience that carries immense inspiration. It serves as the initial step in building a brand, comparable to the first page of a journey. Through the logo, we witness the transformation of our thoughts, core values, and the distinct personality of our business into a visual symbol. I made a conscious decision to avoid pre-made logo templates or AI logo builders. After all, who else can better express the philosophy and translate it into a logo than the creator themselves? It’s akin to constructing a home that perfectly aligns with your emotions and sentiments.
What is a logo and why it is important?
A logo is more than just a visual element consisting of graphics and a name; it symbolizes the foundation upon which a brand is built. Its significance lies in conveying the philosophy that underpins your brand. Before creating a logo, it’s crucial to understand the core values, purpose, belief system, and overall philosophy of the business. The logo should authentically reflect the brand’s personality.
Do people truly care about the logo?
The answer is both yes and no.
Initially, when a business is new, people are more inclined to connect with individuals rather than logos. Their focus is on the experience, interactions, and the value provided by the product or service.
However, logos do matter when they effectively capture viewers’ attention and subconsciously connect with the company’s values and personality. Established brands often evoke recognition and association due to the interactions and experiences people have had with them over the years.
In today’s world of short attention spans and numerous choices, a logo plays a vital role for businesses. It communicates their identity, and values, and holds deep symbolic associations that tap into people’s memories and emotions.
Shape and color combination plays an impactful effect on your target audience.
When selecting the shape and color of your logo, it is crucial to align it with the core values and philosophy of your business, taking into consideration your industry or niche and target market. Your logo should possess versatility, and uniqueness, and effectively convey your brand’s values. By carefully combining these elements, your logo can visually communicate the desired impression to consumers. It is important to choose colors that set your logo apart from others in your industry, as a logo plays a vital role in establishing your brand’s identity and enhancing its recognition.Points to take care of while building a logo and brand
Choosing the name, typography, graphic representation, colors, and other elements for the logo of Social Mantras was a journey of self-discovery. With limited resources, I embarked on the task of designing my own logo, as it was crucial for it to embody my thoughts, individual identity, values, work philosophy, and the immense passion I have for my niche.
Selecting the name – Social Mantras
The term “social” evokes a sense of community and public engagement, which is precisely our objective with Digital and Social Media Marketing. Hence, I have chosen to embrace the word “Social” as the starting point for our endeavors.
The word “mantras” signifies sacred syllables or verses that hold spiritual significance. Mantras can be spoken aloud or recited silently within one’s mind. Isn’t this reminiscent of the passion we feel for our work? For me, my work is akin to meditation, particularly when I am wholeheartedly engaged in what I love. The mantra of my life is to persistently work (similar to chanting) toward achieving success. I continue to work, whether vocalizing my efforts (which can be beneficial to share with others) or silently at my own pace. Both meditation and work exert a positive influence on my mind and body.
Shape and Symbol of the Logo
The logo’s design draws inspiration from the graceful lotus flower and its delicate petals. The lotus holds deep symbolism, representing self-regeneration, enlightenment, and purity. Nature has always been a remarkable teacher, and the lotus imparts a valuable lesson: to persevere and flourish even in the face of challenging circumstances. It serves as a reminder to keep blooming, just as the lotus produces its most exquisite blossom while rooted in the muddiest of waters.
For me, launching this blog and website signifies the beginning of a new journey. It reflects my personal struggle to revive my professional life and never give up. Similar to the lotus, I aspire to create meaningful and beautiful work for myself and others, regardless of the obstacles I encounter. I am determined to establish my presence, even if it demands considerable effort. Through this symbol, my intention is to inspire everyone to wear a smile and cultivate lives of beauty for themselves and those around them.
Choice of Colors
The selection of petal colors in the logo is a thoughtful process, taking into account subconscious preferences, values, niche, and how the target audience will perceive them in combination. I opted for orange and blue from the tertiary color range, rather than primary or secondary colors. This choice aims to maintain a smooth and calm appearance, avoiding excessive brightness, loudness, or confusion. It has been observed that the most impactful brands often adhere to a simple color palette with fewer than three main colors. Hence, I also opted for simplicity with two colors.
Orange is associated with energy, balance, warmth, creativity, cheerfulness, and enthusiasm, evoking a sense of vitality. Blue, on the other hand, inspires calmness, trust, strength, wisdom, loyalty, respectability, sophistication, and healing. By using these colors, I aimed to evoke specific emotions and impressions in the minds of viewers.
I dedicated time to learning and understanding various color theories, color groups, the color wheel, sets of complementary and analogous colors, and determining the appropriate shades of orange and blue to use. Color theory is a vast topic beyond the scope of this discussion, but it is important to acknowledge the extensive research conducted by experts in color therapy. The choice of colors depends on various aspects, such as your personality, emotional state, and mindset. Therefore, it is advisable not to hastily decide on the colors of a logo. Instead, it requires careful consideration, aligned with the mission of the company, niche, and target audience. I took into account all these factors while determining the shape and colors for my logo.
Throughout this process of logo creation and detail selection, I realized that there are no magic mantras for digital success, except for consistent interaction with your target audience. It is crucial to ensure that these interactions are engaging, enriching, valuable, and informative.
I intend to continue sharing these mantras and valuable content on my blog, covering topics such as digital marketing, social media marketing, communication management (both digital and traditional), and more.
Before concluding, I would like to express my gratitude to you for reading this far, and I hope you will continue to visit my blog. I would also like to acknowledge the graphic designer, Latika Dhingra, for giving the logo its final face, aligning it with my vision and the philosophy of Social Mantras.
The creation of the logo, blog, and website would not have been possible without the encouragement and guidance of Mr. Deepak Kanakraju during the ‘DDIP’ program, which provided a comprehensive learning experience covering various topics in digital marketing. Through implementation of my acquired knowledge, I have been able to design, develop, and generate content for my blog and website.
Remember, it may take time, but I hope you will not forget the social mantras of the digital world or life itself – consistent effort.
