– 09/07/2021
Effective logos for technology companies
Start your business with a well thought-out logo
Our clients from the technology sector often ask us for a logo at the early stage of company creation. After the company is created, the next step is usually to create a logo, as this is needed for embryonic strategic actions, such as introducing the company to potential investors, attending networking events, or adding it to a presentation. Once the company is consolidated, the logo is also needed on the company's website, social media, and business cards. Without a logo, a company has difficulty communicating and presenting itself to investors, for example.
What characterizes an effective logo for the science and technology sector? It is definitely not about being a pretty symbol. Much more than that, a logo should identify the company's sector and convey its core values and ideas to a specific audience. Sounds like a lot for a simple symbol? How can we achieve this?
To create an attractive logo it is essential to deeply understand the company's purpose and objectives, the needs of the market in which it operates, its competition and, most of all, to understand exactly how its target audience makes its choices. A logo must not only be visually appealing, it must also strategically communicate values in the right direction, to the right people.
A common mistake in startup logos
A common mistake made by tech startups is to choose logos that are too literal. For example, graphene-based companies use hexagons, quantum computing companies atoms, and biotechnology companies molecules as their symbols. These logos immediately identify the industry in which the company conducts its business, but they tend to place the company as simply one more player in the game. In fact, a logo can go far beyond direct representations. They can also express abstract concepts and values, such as trust, hope, flexibility, creativity, strength, or any other idea. And these are the ideas that captivate people.
A good example is the Nike logo. It does not depict a shoe or a person running. Instead, it is an abstract symbol that expresses the ideas of movement, action, or speed. Along with its "Just Do It" slogan, Nike engages with people who want not only to play sports, but more generally, people who would like to make, create, change things.
In our opinion, the best logos are those that manage to make clear the company's field of activity, but at the same time convey the company's core values that touch its customers. These logos help position the company, attract investors, and reach its ideal customer.
We should also mention that there are also technical details that a logo must fulfill: it must be able to adapt to different print or digital situations, different sizes, be displayed on different backgrounds, etc. In addition, the logo is part of a larger visual structure called visual identity (which involves the choice of colors, fonts and images), which in turn is part of a larger structure called brand strategy (which also involves brand positioning, voice, choosing the right channels for communication, etc.). But we will talk about this another time!
3 Examples
Let's show three examples of logos we created for early-stage technology companies (they were spin-offs looking for investors to expand their business).
Lumidian is a technology company exploring disruptive technology solutions in the dermo-cosmetic sector. They have developed a new method of hair removal (epilation) that is cheaper, more effective, and less painful than traditional methods. Our strategy was to focus on the concepts of technology and effectiveness in the beauty sector. The logo we created illustrates two capillary filaments forming a capital letter L (for Lumidian), referring to the result sought in hair removal. The thin shape and colors of the symbol convey Lumidian's core ideas of being a precise, painless and innovative process. While the bold all-cap font gives it the feeling of solidity and confidence.
Droplite is a start-up company developing new technologies to test and monitor health conditions in both humans and animals on the spot, quickly and accurately. Its flagship product is a device that can quickly detect and quantify the concentration of substances from a drop of capillary blood. The Droplite symbol illustrates the main mode of operation of its device (a drop of blood being placed in a compact device) within a compact and sharp shape, which conveys the concepts of reliability, accuracy and ease of use.
Luxquanta develops quantum cryptography solutions to protect digital data against the threat of quantum computers and increase computational capabilities. Its products make use of state-of-the-art photonic technology that can be integrated into optical networks and protect the data of companies and institutions. Their logo alludes to an electromagnetic wave hitting a mirror, which also creates the letter L. By placing it in a circle, we have created a symbol that expresses the company's core business: photonic manipulation in a secure environment.