Graphic Artist, Kayo-Sanya Kayode, Shares Tips On Choosing A Logo Design And Brand Colours For Fashion Brands

Black and white fashion logo with woman model silhouette. Hand drawn vector illustration background

When you think of popular fashion brands around the world, some of the first few things that come to mind are the brand names, logos, and colours. This goes to show how important the logo design and brand colours of a fashion brand are.

Similarly, some of the first few things customers come in contact with when associating with your fashion brand are your brand name, logo, and colours. This is why picking the right logo design and brand colours to reflect what you stand for as a brand are imperative.

This week, we spoke with Graphic Artist, Kayo-Sanya Kayode on all fashion entrepreneurs need to know about choosing the right logo design and brand colours for their fashion brands.

Mr Kayo-Sanya Kayode is a Graphic Artist with almost 20 years of experience. He is the Founder of KXK Studios which is a Lagos based creative agency. KXK Studios deals in the creation of graphics designs applicable on every media, that is, graphics for print, web, TV, and digital.

What is a Logo and What are Brand Colours?

According to him, “A Logo and Brand Colours are part of a broad body referred to as brand elements.” To be able to define what they are, we have to first look at what a brand is.

A brand is a product, service, person, company, or concept which has characteristics like a name, symbol, etc. that differentiates it from others in the market. It is what makes the product identifiable and differentiable. A brand is broadly divided into 2 parts;

Brand Identity.
Brand Image.

Brand Identity

The brand identity combines one or more brand elements, like symbol, logo, colour, name, and tagline or slogan, to distinguish that brand’s products from others. When legal protection is given to a brand element, it is called a trademark.

A logo is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It never goes alone. It goes hand in hand with one or more other brand elements. Brand colours are also a part of these brand elements.

Branding is the sole aim of brand elements. All these elements work together to give the brand a brand identity.

A logo is more often than not made up of a symbol or icon and a typeface, that is, text or font.

Things to Look Out for In Choosing a Logo Design for Your Fashion Brand

Brand Identity is a project that companies embark upon, and broadly speaking, there are 5 major things to look out for in choosing a logo;

1. Simplicity

When choosing or creating a logo for your fashion brand, you have to always remember that simplicity is key. Your logo does not need to have too many elements in it. Taking a look at iconic logo designs like Nike, Adidas, Chanel, and so on, shows that simple is always better.

Your logo must be easily identifiable at a glance. That’s the whole essence of brand identity. It must be unique without being complicated.

2. Memorable

People should be able to link your brand’s logo to what you do without stress. In choosing your brand colours, which work closely with your logo, you must be very intentional. They have to be consistent with your brand identity and brand image

Some of the elements that make a brand logo memorable are;

Unique yet Simple: It must stand out uniquely from others.
Brand Experience: The experience your customers have with your fashion brand can make your logo memorable. What emotions, feelings, thoughts, actions, or inactions provoked your brand? How happy or satisfied is the audience you are serving?

3. Timelessness

In choosing your logo design, make sure to avoid trends and make the logo as timeless as possible. Trends fade, so if you make your logo based on them, once they are gone your brand logo will be out of style. Consider long-standing fashion brands like LEWIS and others.

Your logo should stand the test of time, meaning, how will your logo look in 10 years time?

4. Versatility

A good logo must be useable in a variety of sizes and colours. Your logo should have the versatility to appear on a pen or a plane. Whatever logo you choose, if it is a good one, it must look good on paper, fabric, the internet, metal, and any other thing you can think of.

5. Appropriateness

A logo must serve its purpose. It must be appropriate for the intended audience. It must uniquely stand out in passing across your brand’s message and story to your customers and prospective customers.

The elements you out in it are dependent on the audience your fashion brand wishes to serve. Be it children, women, men, business class or students, you intend to serve, your logo must appeal to them.

Things to Look Out for In Choosing Brand Colours for Your Fashion Brand

1. Colour Psychology

By this, we mean, what does the colour represent? What emotions does it trigger? How does it communicate with your target market? As a fashion entrepreneur trying to choose brand colours, you need to be well informed about this.

For example, during valentine white and red are the colours, Christmas uses red and green, and funerals are characterised by the colour black. Do as much research as you can on colours what they represent so you know if they are in line with your brand story or not.

2. Your Target Audience

Before you choose a colour for your fashion brand, you have to consider your target audience. Children, women, and men all have colours that suit them and appeal to them. If your target audience is the young and trendy, you have to also look for what will sit right with them.

Your target audience plays a huge role in choosing your brand colours.

Whatever colour you decide on, just remember that colours pass across a message to customers.

Importance of Good Logo Design

To say you do not want to pay close attention to your logo design and brand colours is like saying you do not want to pay attention to branding. The importance of logo design includes;

1. It Gives your Brand an Identity

No Logo. No identity.

Your logo gives your brand identity. When your logo is good, it makes it easily identifiable by your target market. When they look for you, they will find you much easier than if your brand logo was poor.

If on the other hand, your logo design is poor, your customers will not recognise you in the market and this automatically means you will make no sales.

2. It Sends Across the Right Message To Clients

A good logo not only gives your brand identity, but it also ensures you are not sending the wrong message across to your clientele. A good logo sends a message that is consistent with your brand image and story to all that see it so no one is confused about what your brand specialises in.

Disadvantages of Poor Logo Design

1. It Confuses your Audience

When your logo design is poor, your audience will not know what to expect from your brand. They will not be sure of what you do.

2. It Sends Across the Wrong Message

I have seen some logos that made me feel like the brand who owned the logos do one thing only to find out later that they specialise in something else. When your logo design is poor, it might lead prospective customers to think you are into a different line of business than what your true line is.

3. It Places the Brand in the Wrong League

If you are a luxury fashion brand and your logo does not speak luxury to those that see it, they will not associate your brand with luxury and immediately, in their minds, they place your brand on the wrong pedestal.

4. It Provokes the Wrong Brand Experience

Part of the brand experience customers get from your brand is emotional. If your customers look at your logo and it speaks to them in the wrong way, your brand is already on its way to provoking the wrong brand experience in them. Pay attention to your brand’s logo design.

5. It Leads to a Decline in Sales

No matter how much effort you put into your brand marketing campaign, if your logo design is poor, no one will want to patronise you because your logo does not appeal to them. This will eventually lead to you making fewer sales than you would ordinarily have made.

In closing, Mr Kayode said, “For branding – be intentional. Be intentional about the identity or image you give your brand. Embark on a branding project. Do not just do anything. Remember that your brand identity is physical but your brand image is emotional. The combination of both gives birth to the brand experience. This means, how happy or satisfied are your clients? Are they always willing to refer your brand to others? This is key to sustain your brand.”