Whether you're just starting your business or your business is well underway, this question has more than likely popped into your head:

Should I have a logo?

The answer to this is really internal. You know your market, your customers and your plans for your business better than anyone. So before deciding whether or not to get a logo created, ask yourself these questions:

• Would the addition of a logo benefit my brand? In other words, would a logo amplify, enhance or highlight my overall purpose?
  

• Does it make sense for me to have a logo? For example, if you have a clothing line, a logo could make brand recognition that much easier and thereby customers could recognize you just on your image alone. The reverse would be, for instance, if you ran a small accounting company out of your home & and are not interested in recruiting new clients...well, investing in a logo might not make a whole lot of sense.
  

• What do my competitors do? Now, of course, you want to set yourself apart from your competitors but you also want to be consistent within your industry.
  

If after answering these questions, you're still not sure, consider these three benefits a logo offers to your business:

1. Helps make a generic name unique: If your name is merely descriptive and/or geographic, the addition of a logo could add to the uniqueness factor of your entire brand. That uniqueness factor is what most every business should strive for - setting yourself apart from others in your industry.
   

1. Gives your product or service a "personality": How can a product line or service have "personality?" Think of virtually any famous name and what it would lose if their logo did not exist. Imagine if McDonald's didn't have the 'golden arches' or Nike's ubiquitous 'swoosh' never existed? Would their brands be as strong today if that image wasn't imprinted on the minds of most consumers? Would those brands have the same "personality" based on name alone?
   

1. Establishes brand identity: One of the goals of establishing brand identity is to get customers to remember who you are and to come back to you time and time again. Hopefully, customers will remember you by name alone. But, without a doubt, images stick in people's minds a lot easier than mere words. By integrating a name and logo together, you're that much closer to getting that customer to remember you and to call you again.
   

Consider all of the above when it comes time to make a decision about a logo. If you do decide to use a logo, you'll want to ensure that no other party already owns rights to the same or similar logo. Then if research proves clear, you can decide if filing for a trademark is the next step.

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