Logo Design mistakes to be avoided

It is not easy to design logos. Even the most respected designers in the industry encounter challenges when it comes to creating highly professional and effective logos for their clients. All logo designers know and value the importance of a professional logo to any business, large or small.

Jewellers often tend to overuse elements while deciding upon a logo. Though it represents the company, it tells their story and symbolizes their brand to the world. They often fall victim to mistakes done by a logo designer. A jeweller, like any other businesses, should focus more on corporate essence whilst designing the logo. This is because a good logo elevates the brand assets. Few of the mistakes that can be avoided in a jewellery brand’s logo are listed below:

Hollow Taglines:  We have observed that every jeweller has a fetish to use a tagline. It may seem like a good idea to add a creative content. However, it could prove to be less helpful if the tagline doesn’t relate to what you do or act as sub-title or if it’s too long. The focus should be more symbolic with minimal message. The tagline need not be a component of the logo. However, it can be used more effectively along with the logo as a brand marketing tool.

Typographic confusion: Typography is one of the most important components in logo design. We still see designers stumble upon this error, either by choosing inappropriate fonts or imbalance in font weights and spacing between them, and much more. Almost every page that you read on-line on logo design mistakes to be avoided, typographic issues is one of the core concerns upon which the authors and acclaimed graphic designers have raised their voice. I pick two important ones which can deteriorate the value of a jewellery brand’s logo.   

 Typefaces : From a jeweller’s point of view, they should avoid logos which contains too many varied fonts. Three, four or even more fonts in the same design are over-complicating and simply create confusion. Different fonts can take away attention from the logo and has a lesser retention value.

               Extremities of Weights : Fonts can be thin, fat, italicized, bold, super fat, etc. There is a certain fundamental which has been observed, that is, excessively thin fonts can look glamorous. Super fat fonts can be playful and bold. However, for the majority of logos, a better balance needs to be struck between message and legibility; which is what a jewellery brand needs - Look Glamorous and Corporate.

Complexity: We need to decide whether you want a logo or a graphic image. Clip arts, images, several colour combinations clutter the logo. They can be used creatively in advertisements. Further using effects such as gradient, shadowing and embossing can look pretty on the page, but they are difficult to reproduce on different materials (corporate identities). Complex logos can also come off to customers as confusing and too complex for them to decipher.

Lacking Adaptability and Scalability: Keep in mind that your logo will need to be transferable across a range of different mediums. Make sure that the colours, size and overall design work on printed materials such as corporate identities, packaging, advertisements and clothing. It must also work across various touch points technology such as websites and mobile sites. Don’t create a logo that relies solely on stylization or fancy effects to get the message across – it must work in the simplest of forms. 

Importance of Advertising in Jewellery Industry

Advertising is the best way to communicate to the customers. Advertising helps inform the customers about the brands availability in the market and the variety of products useful to them. Businesses use advertising to accomplish varied goals and companies place those ads in diverse media. Advertising in Jewellery Industry depends more on visibility and existence. It is mainly based on reputation and till date, it’s not considered as the value contributor in Brand Building. However, advertising has been recognized as a mandatory corporate asset and part of organization structure over a period of time.

“The main objective of advertising is to get the word out that you have something exciting to offer”, says George Felton, an author of "Advertising: Concept and Copy." Jewellers use advertisements to communicate a whole lot through different media platforms!!! It can be anything from an upcoming entertainment event you're promoting to a new product line you're selling, or a new store launch. Whether your promotion takes the form of print ads, commercials, billboards or handbills, the content adheres to the rules of journalism by identifying who, what, when, where and why.

Awareness: Advertising helps to raise awareness of issues of your target audience, with which they may be unfamiliar. It also educates them on the related benefits of your product. Institutional advertising is not really designed to increase sales, but is structured to promote a good image of the company or product. This perception hopefully translates into future sales. Even if the consumer doesn’t buy the product right now, the company gets the opportunity to successfully portray its brand identity to the consumers in the market. A popular example of this is Kalyan Jewellers. Post its IPO, Kalyan Jewellers launched an extensive campaign educating its consumer and build confidence in them. The campaign illustration emphasized on attributes of sound buying. Once only known in southern India, the campaign boosted visibility and footfalls of Kalyan Jewellers across India. 

Aids in promoting events and offers :  Jewellers float various discount offers during major festivals such as Akshay Tritiya, Deepavali, Gudi Padwa, Dhanteras, etc. The activity helps pull consumers to induce trial and strong business prospects for the advertisers.  

Launch of a new boutique/store/product : Advertising informs the consumers about new store launch or product.  Print ads, TV commercials, WhatsApp videos and social media marketing are a few of the fastest form of quick advertising. It is easier for the business to reach a vast number of audiences by advertising. PC Jewellers and TBZ-The original are the examples that resorted to new launch advertising campaign for retail chains across India. 

Retention: An ongoing advertising campaign is essential in reminding your existing customers that you're still around. In a troubled economy where so many jewellers are going out of business, maintaining a strong presence through regular ads, fliers, postcards, events and a dynamic website is invaluable for long-term relationships. This also serves to attract new customers who may not have been in need of your products or services when you first opened, but are now pleased to have their memories jogged.

Brand Image: Advertising creates goodwill and helps in building a brand's image in the market. Repeated advertisements make branded products and services very popular. People tend to show a more trustworthy attitude towards advertised brands over non-advertised ones. Well-known branded products are usually made from quality raw materials and hence, they are preferred by most consumers. As a result, the demand for branded products increases.

Moonstruck is an Advertising Agency in India with expertise in branding for various gems & jewellery industries, i. e., Palak Jewellers, Nexus Jewellers, Bombay Jewelers, Maa Gold, Shiv Kumar Soni, Nakoda Jewelers & many more.

The rise in popularity and building of trust gradually helps to increase the value of the brand name. Eventually, this boosts sales of branded products and services. It also popularizes the reputation of the entity, who owns these brands.

Brochure : An Artistic Divulgement

“Excellence is not a skill, it is an Attitude,” is replicated in every facet of jewellery business. All the components of branding for a jeweller spell opulence and are an autograph of true brilliance in one of the most creative businesses.

A brochure is an identity design for integrated branding. It is a powerful communication tool sharing your vision, philosophy, product or any other information with visual elements and strong-short content/copy. Brochures are advertising pieces mainly used to introduce a company or organization and inform about products and services to a target audience. It helps to build your brand and can make one inquisitive about the company. It creates a push effect and becomes important collateral for B-2-B industries. 

Jewellers see them as a visual poetry/story composition about their works or businesses. Elegance and poise are personified be it jewellery or communication props, jewellers take utmost care to be a distinguished one.

Type of Brochure selection depends on what you want to communicate and how much you want to communicate. A twofold/ bi-fold brochure, for jeweller is constrained up to information notes about the company. Whereas a three-fold brochure is more elaborated and narrative with respect to copy on company, expertise and collection launches. A tri-fold is more popular with jewelers as it contains enough space with three panels on each side to show a spread of who they are and what they do. Popping out from Alphabet Box themes, there are innovative styles coming up in The Z- style and the C-style. 

 Booklet Brochures are yet another candy pops type branding tool. Look-books are an example of booklet brochure which is popular among jeweller. The Tiffany’s Blue Book is one such popular look-book which has won accolades for its story telling composition depicting the history, exquisite crafts and the very blue and suave packaging style. Booklet brochures are Compelling brand identities to be built. Technically, these brochure books are made of multiple sheets most often saddle-stitched, stapled on the creased edge, or perfect bound like a paperback book, and result in eight or more panels.

A brochures design should be defining the brand ethos in a much understated style and effective minimalistic copy. Corporate ethics and craftsmanship both are vital essentials to present the grandeur of a jeweler in a brochure design.

“Next to excellence comes the appreciation of it.” Leave an impression by sharing a professionally designed and printed brochure which can be a vital lead-nurturing tool.

Communication in External Environment : Effective Branding Tips

Truth Triumphs!!! Customer is a KING!!! Work is Worship!!! These messages often float in most organizations. However, jewellery business is more based on trust and designs. Often customer at Jewellery stores are given royal treatment because of:

 a) High value attached to jewellery

b) Legacy of business spread across generations.

Etiquettes such as customer service, consumer experience and corporate culture are reflected in the operation of the business. These intangible assets add value and earn a reputation which we called as Goodwill. However, it is also important for the industry to become a wholesome brand by focusing efforts on building tangible assets. With so much competition and every jeweller driving business on faith, it has become crucial to build add-on experience. Effective positioning of tangible brand assets can aid in brand building. 

Tangible Brand Assets:

Logo and tagline: We truly believe in Karl Lagerfield’s saying “Logos and branding are so important. In a big part of the world, people cannot read French and English – but are great in remembering signs” jewellery logo designs have to look modestly prestigious that brings value to their products. Logo designs, which justify the feeling of wealth and aristocracy, appeal their inner personality. A well-crafted logo and tagline starts the baseline perception of your brand. It drives home your brand promise and uniqueness. It is targeted at two simple fundamentals of human psychology, Attention and Retention. 

Marketing Collateral: From business cards to billboards, your marketing and sales collateral reflect your brand. Key visual components, such as color, typography, style of photography and logos on collateral, should always be consistent. Keep in mind; branding is all about repetition, the more consistent your brand is represented, the more likely it will be “branded” in the minds of the audience. As so rightly said in Management Rule, every thing has a place and should be in its place.

Website: Today, a well designed website is worth its weight in gold. Data shows that if a user doesn’t like your website, it’s an indication to them that the company doesn’t care. Responsiveness, user-friendly, easy navigation, swift page- loading are certain essentials of a good website. The placement rule of logos, typography, brand-colors play functional role on websites and thereby supplements branding.

Packaging: Your packaging boxes, jewellery pouches, carry bags, information literature; look-book, guarantee certificates are brand assets which consumers take along with the purchases made. A jeweler has to invest in packaging which prompts indirect advertising and branding. 

Messaging while Rebranding: While undergoing a rebrand, you should be revisiting mission and vision statements. This messaging should trickle down into everything your business uses to communicate with clients, from brochures to daily emails.

Everything your business does and says reflects on your brand—so it’s important to maximize its potential.