Make My Logo BIGGER!!!!!!!
Whenever we get started on a new website project here at Torx, we almost always focus first on the design – the look, the style, the feel, the personality – of the new site before any actual programming begins. This is a very similar process to an architect drawing floor plans before the builders come along to literally start building. During this design phase, it goes without saying that we will obviously find a place to display our client’s logo. More often than not, the logo will find its happy place at the top left of the design, or maybe smack dab in the center of the page – somewhere prominent and immediately noticeable. But regardless of the logo’s position and alignment, by far the most common feedback we receive from our clients is….
“Make My Logo BIGGER!!!!!!!”
We get it. It’s your logo. You’re proud of it, you’re proud of your business… so you want that logo to be loud and proud and the big star of your shiny new website. But at the risk of keepin’ it a little bit too real, the ugly truth is this: Most folks visiting your website don’t care about your logo. They aren’t visiting your site to gaze longingly at your logo. They are there to do something: learn about your company, make an online purchase, submit a “contact us” form, etc. The only reasons for your logo to exist on your website are (1) to let website visitors know they’re at the right place, and (2) to provide a bit of brand familiarity and recognition. Neither of those reasons requires your logo to be obnoxiously large.
Look For The Golden Arches
Let’s take a quick detour and talk about McDonald’s for a moment. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past 50+ years, you’re probably familiar with McDonald’s giant golden arches. Like a siren’s song, those often ginormous golden arches beckon the weary traveler to take a break and step inside to enjoy a tasty McMeal. Those giant golden arches are located outside the building – not inside. Sure, once inside, you’ll see the McDonald’s logo here and there, but there are no super-large logos to be found after stepping foot inside the restaurant.
The purpose of the big logo outside is to persuade the customer to come inside. Once the customer is inside, they have you, and there is no longer a need to flash a giant McDonald’s logo in your direction anymore. Websites work the same way. Go right ahead and use your logo (as big as you want!) throughout your digital marketing campaigns as well as traditional marketing campaigns. Use those tools to drive customers to your website. But once that customer visits your website, you already have their attention, and there is no longer a need to flaunt a Godzilla-sized logo.
At this point, it is now perfectly acceptable for the logo on your website to take a backseat. Your website visitors are almost certainly more interested in taking action that goes above and beyond simply recognizing your brand and your logo. It’s important for your website’s logo to hang back and not get in the way of the content that your customers desire.
Resist The Temptation
It’s an easy urge to give into, but resist the temptation to over-inflate the size of the logo on your website. A larger logo isn’t going to please your website visitors in any measurable way. Instead, focus on your website’s content and developing creative ways to use that content to encourage visitors to take action.
If you have questions about branding, website design, or digital marketing, we’d love to hear from you. Give us a call at 804-577-8679 or complete the short form below.
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About the author:
Christopher Rhines
Partner, Director of Development
Christopher is the Director of Development and one of the partners at Torx. In addition to keeping Torx's Richmond office firing on all cylinders, he can often be found deep in the trenches, building custom content management systems and WordPress-powered websites. He still remembers how to write Basic computer programs on Apple IIs and Commodore 64s.