living in the heart of Cairns, Queensland I an front and centre to one of Australia’s most competitive tourism towns. A logo is arguably one of the most important piece of visual marketing that a brand can have. It identifies your brand and says a great deal about you instantly. In the tourism industry particularly, a great logo is an essential asset. What makes a great travel logo? For starters, it needs to stand out, represent your brand values and personality, as well as be extremely versatile and able to work in a range of formats. Here are six tips to create a great travel logo.
1. Think about what makes your brand unique In one sense, the tourism industry is incredibly lucky when it comes to the type of imagery at your disposal for logos. You can create an amazing sense of adventure and fun which will resonate with potential clients. On the other hand, this imagery can easily become stale and feel done-to-death if you don't take the time and care to create something unique. So before you get started on creating a logo, make sure you are clear on your brand, and what sets you apart from your competition. 2. Look at the logos in your industry Do some research on your industry, and become familiar with the logos of your competitors. Particularly those in your industry that have successful logos or logos that you've always felt more drawn to. What you'll probably notice is that successful brands have had very few logo redesigns over the years, because their logo has remained timeless and instantly recognisable. In the travel industry, you'll notice airlines have a great record of creating memorable and timeless logo designs that invoke the imagery of travel without relying on cliche. 3. Research the different types of logos You'll notice in the initial stage of research all different kinds of logos, and they can all be greatly effective when done right:
Symbols are instantly recognisable and often make the most iconic logos. They don't contain the business name.
Wordmark logos, by contrast, are just the company name in a unique and brand-specific font.
Lettermark logos are similar to wordmark logos, but only contain the initials or abbreviation of the company name.
Combination logos are logos where the text and the imagery make up the logo together, and cannot be separated.
4. Think through the scale One thing that beginner designers often overlook is scale. A logo needs to work at a huge number of scales, from a small icon on a phone app to a billboard, and everything in between. Your logo will be used everywhere and it needs to work at all sizes, which means anything that's too intricate is probably not the right option. Similarly, a lot of companies choose to have a logo that has separable imagery for use on various platforms. You'll see many examples of this in the travel industry if you look at companies' apps as compared with other media. They can create strong visual recognition at all scales because their image and their name can be separated or combined. 5. Engage a professional While there are services such as 99 Designs and Canva logo makers I recommend you invest in a professional graphic designer. While this step sets you on there right path it's the brief that will determine the success of your partnership. Be sure to be clear about your brand story, how its differentiates in the market space and what your brand personality is. Also take the time to find other logo's that resonate with you. Once you've finished creating a logo, use this checklist to review it: 1. Does it represent the uniqueness of your brand? 2. Will it work at all scales? 3. It is simple, memorable, timeless, versatile, and appropriate?