If you own a company, there is little doubt that you know the importance of marketing. Regardless of the size or industry, there are few aspects of running a business more vital than making sure that people know about your products or services and that they are unique.
In this day and age, the Internet has made it possible for anyone to start a company from scratch, publish a website, and begin offering their wares and skillsets to the world with the click of just a few buttons. But all that won’t amount to much without effective advertising and promotion to the people who could use your business, and there is one important puzzle piece that trumps just about all others in this regard: The logo.
You see them everywhere. They are completely unavoidable. And the best logos work on multiple levels all at once. Nike’s famous swoosh. The golden arches.
A corporate logo is a necessity. It's the cornerstone on which the rest of your identity is built, from business cards and billboards to packaging and everything in-between. The web presence of a company, of your company, requires such an emblem. It’s a symbol that is immediately associated with your organization and the services and products you provide.
However, there is more to this story. Logos were once flat and two-dimensional, and in many cases, they still are. For many situations, this is more than appropriate. The most innovative minds have discovered newer and bolder ways to stand out and create a name for themselves. An effective logo says to potential customers, “We are different, and we are better.”
One of the quickest and easiest ways to get this message across is to develop a three-dimensional version of your logo. Having a 3D rendering of your company’s logo (or a 3D logo as your primary identity) gives you and your marketing team far more versatility in advertising and brand awareness. Check out some other low-cost marketing strategies that will also increase brand awareness.
It strikes the viewer (your potential customer) as different and conveys a sense of purpose, elegance, and all the other qualities associated with your brand. It can help support the message and vision that you want to express online, in print, and everywhere else.
There is so much that a 3D logos can furnish in addition to its two-dimensional counterpart. For starters, the immediate visual impact is unmistakable. It communicates depth and a significance that only working in three dimensions can provide due to the creative versatility of having that elusive third angle from which to work.
Think of it as similar to the difference between how traditional Disney animations appear in such films as Snow White or The Jungle Book, and the 3D animations of Pixar’s films in the Toy Story and Cars franchises. Both create incredible stories that affect viewers and leave an indelible impact on them, but they each do so in their distinct ways. One type of animation is not inherently better than the other; we are certainly far better off having both of them at our disposal. Sometimes, the former is called for, and at other times, the latter. Knowing the difference takes a keen eye and a lifetime of experience in artistry and design.
In the same way that Toy Story changed animation forever, a 3D logo rendering of your company’s design can transform your business for the future. Consider the ability of three dimensions to arrest the eye and bring images into focus. There are aspects, shadows, and depth to 3D logos that 2D renderings simply cannot supply.
With a 3D logo, your marketing team can enhance your existing web strategies and engender a brand-new experience for your users and potential customer base. Lead generation is as important as nearly anything else in running a profitable enterprise, and a 3D logo could be the thing that gives your brand identity the help it needs to stand apart while actively attracting more customers.
The number of companies opting to use a 3D logo is growing all the time. You’ve undoubtedly seen them online and even in print versions in place of a company’s traditional 2D logo. While it may not be the right decision for every organization, it is likely to work and benefit a company far more often than not, based on the simple principles of fresh perspective and ability to communicate a vision.
Take Sony Ericsson, for instance. Their 3D logo is a multi-dimensional green orb ensconced in a soft, gray, swooping fold. It’s beautiful, elegant, and simple, yet it also perfectly conveys what the brand is all about. The three-dimensional look of the logo mimics the 3D nature of their product offerings. Apple has done the same at times since so many of its products are real, physical items.
Similarly, financial institutions like Barclaycard, telecom giants such as AT&T, other providers and developers like XBOX (from Microsoft), and the ubiquitous VOIP application Skype have worked with 3D imagery. These companies have developed three-dimensional logos to enhance their brand and furnish a deeper sense of what it is they do and are capable of providing to their customers and users. Car companies like Mini and BMW have done the same, which makes perfect sense, since they make real-world objects that transport people where they need to go.
Does your company need a 3D logo? It's an important decision to make because the negative impact of ignoring the current wave of utilizing three dimensions in design could be devastating for a business that decides to pass. At what point will it be too late?
Whether you decide to opt for the development of a 3D rendering for your current logo or a new 3D logo altogether, many options exist today. Even if you don’t create the design in-house, it is helpful to have a sense of how the process works. Talented designers often make use of a number of best practices when developing or augmenting a logo:
For starters, you want to have some preliminary images for a 3D logo in mind. If you already have a flat logo, this will be much easier, as the leg work has already been done. If your company is just starting and you don’t have a 2D logo yet, then this will be the beginning of the challenge, though it is incredibly fun.
For this phase, you will want to come up with images that you associate with your business and what services or products are in your wheelhouse. Consider looking at other logos to see what sparks your imagination.
Once you’ve got the imagery down, you’ll need to have a family or style of fonts in mind so that your graphic designer understands the look you’re trying to achieve. Again, researching the logos of other companies will help with this aspect. See what fonts align with your aesthetic and speak to your designer or marketing team about the practical particulars as well. In other words, if you will be printing your logo on a bottle or package, that could influence your decisions as opposed to a company that will mainly be displaying their logo on screens or flat print media. All of this matters when it comes to logo design, even more so in the case of 3D rendering.
Lastly, along with images and typography, you will want to know the color palette that works for your brand image. For example, a company working with water or nature, the colors blue or green would be natural options. If your organization is a tuxedo rental company, you might go with something like black, gray, and white. These are simple examples, but they elucidate the more general principle at play: Ensure that the colors you pick for your logo actually enhance your brand image and are recognizable in the broader sense of what you and your company aim to do.
Be certain with your choices, because branding redesign can be a lengthy and expensive process and doesn’t always work out (cross-reference GAP’s snafu a few years ago for a healthy dose of reality on that front—or should I say, on that font).
If you have these three design principles—images, fonts, and colors—in mind when you go to work with your designer or team, you will likely be in for a much smoother and less painful process from start to finish than if you went in blind, without any notion of what you wanted to achieve. Again, simply having other companies’ logos as your starting point can be a great place to find inspiration and begin the process of crafting a corporate identity that will generate leads, be a beacon of the character of your business, and last the lifetime of your company.
The previous section should help you get a glimpse of what works and what doesn't when it comes to 3D logo design. Along those same lines, it’s also worth taking a moment to discuss the major software application packages that graphic designers use to create three-dimensional renderings of logos. While there are many programs available, the four listed here are some of the heaviest hitters in the world of 3D logo rendering and design for artists old and new.
Letting Cad Crowd become a part of your extended team can free up time you can use to grow your business. You’ll have the peace of mind to know that the best designers and 3D logo rendering artists in the industry are hard at work crafting an identity that you can use for years to come.
Without a doubt, Cad Crowd is absolutely the best place to get your logo designed, created, or rendered in beautiful 3D for a new beginning. Contact us today to get started.
We work with only the finest freelancers in the world for everything we do, including 3D logo rendering. Our designers, artists, and engineers have an enormous amount of experience working hands-on with businesses and leaders in practically every field and industry. Whatever your logo needs may be, rest assured that Cad Crowd can help you get exactly where you want to be. We can find a design solution for anyone, no matter what field you work within.
Cad Crowd can assist you by making use of a wide range of designers and software programs. Our network consists of only the highest quality specialists utilizing the best and latest design software. If there’s a specific app or software program you need us to use, just let us know, and we’ll connect you to the ideal artist or designer for your project. Contact us today for a free quote!
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