The uses for logos have changed over the decades from early newspaper advertising to modern day corporate portfolios.

However in the age of digital advertising, logos now brand your business across:

• Social media profile pics and banners on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn
• Your invoices and quotes
• Branded promotional products like pens
• Branded customer relation builders like digital newsletters
• Google business profile images
• And of course your website

But how well does your logo perform across all of these platforms? 

I know it looks amazing on your business card!

But does your logo fit in Facebook’s iddy biddy profile pic circle? 

Does your logo fit inside the restricted square box allocated by your invoicing software?

Is your logo website friendly?

Looking at where logos began and where they are now might help you understand how your logo needs to be website friendly…

There’s been some big shifts

Let’s start with three interesting facts…

One…

The first logos came about during the 1800’s as business grew out of the Industrial Revolution and were used to brand packaging; and to advertise in newspapers which were almost the only source of marketing at the time.

The original Coca-Cola logo was designed in 1885!

Two…

Over 100 years later, in 1993, the World Wide Web became available to everyone. The place where most of us now do business.

Print advertising went online starting with things like the Yellow Pages and a temporary surge in similar websites that provided business listings.

The amount of space available for a logo in these business listings was a lot more restricted than, say, a newspaper where you could pay more for a bigger display advertisement.

But business listings were a heck of a lot more affordable than a website during the 90’s, however it became more and more important for businesses to have their own websites; effectively a multi-page online advertisement.

Three…

Although building steadily over the past five years, it’s unreal how fast the trend to shop from mobile phones has skyrocketed over the past 2 years . While world events may have triggered the surge in Australia, online shopping is here to stay.

And it’s not just shopping. Most of us rely on our phones to search for businesses and services nearby as well.

Logos now have to be effective on a small screen.

So much so that companies that have been around for decades are now revamping their logos to maintain solid branding in the consumer move to online shopping.

Logo options

The modern small business needs options, particularly when you’re starting out, as options provide room for your business to grow.

Options come in the form of logo variations. Different versions of one logo that can represent your business brand anywhere it needs to show up, now or in the future.

Here is an example of a logo that shows one design and its variations and how each of them can be used not just on your website, but across much of your digital marketing.

The website-friendly logo

A primary logo design has plenty of real estate on a website for the details to stand out;
A simplified variation of this logo will be more readily identifiable on a phone screen;
And the simplest variation of all is used as your website’s favicon.

Not only does your website need to display your logo, it also needs a branded favicon, a simplified logo variation that identifies your business in an browser tab.

Variations are not just for your website

The modern business logo fills many roles. Understanding how and where you want to use your logo will be different for every business.

Consider all the different ways you might use your logo. Aside from digital places already discussed, I’ve seen some businesses use:

• removable tags on their products
• small thank you cards sent out with their orders
• logos on their packaging
• stickers on their products

However for your website you will need, at the very least, a clear primary logo and a favicon.

Where can I get logo variations?

There are unlimited places to find a logo designer but if you need something affordable, have a look at Fiverr. Fiverr designers often have a portfolio of work that give you an opportunity to check out their design style, as well as reviews on their work.

Fiverr designers can also design favicons based on an existing logo.

Consider putting together a short design brief to help your designer come up with logo ideas and of course your budget – Fiverr prices aren’t set in stone, nor is the service on their profile so don’t be afraid to ask for what you need.

Your brief should also include some things your website designer will need regarding your logo files.

The absolute basics you’ll need to pass onto your website designer are:

• A primary logo
• A favicon based on the primary logo
• Finished high resolution files in both .jpg and transparent .png
• The “hex codes” of your brand (logo) colours 

It’s incredibly easy to overthink your logo but at the end of the day it just needs to be recognisable and have the ability to show up where it needs to.