Set in Style

In an earlier post, we made the distinction between logos (images) and logotypes (stylized text).

In this and subsequent posts, we focus on the latter.

If you want your firm’s logotype to look good to everyone — including those with iPhones and Blackberries and who-knows-what’s-next — then make sure it’s produced correctly.

The most recognizable logotype of all bears the name of Coke’s signature soft drink:

Most logotypes are not so highly stylized as Coke’s. Consider Google’s logotype:

Note: Notice the trademark symbol at the end of Google’s logotype. It’s small, but legible.

Like Google’s, most law firm logotypes are only mildly stylized. And some are registered trademarks.

__________
Now, the goal of this series is to help you set your firm’s logotype so it always looks its best, on line and in print. Before we get into the details, let’s take a closer look at on-line  type.

Go to Google’s home page and zoom in on the logotype.

To Zoom:

Macintosh — Command + (plus sign) to zoom in; Command – (minus sign) to zoom out
PC – press and hold the Control key, rather than the Command key

The logotype looks sharp at one size. If you zoom in or out, it gets fuzzy.

Zoom way in, and it looks like so:

Note: When we zoom in, the trademark symbol becomes less legible.

The logotype for Coca Cola has a similar appearance.

But why? Why don’t these logotypes act like regular type? Why do they look fuzzy close up?

It’s because they’re stored as images (like logos), rather than text.

And why are they stored as images rather than text?

Well . . . we’ll get into that in our next episode of Setting Logotype.

Test Your Logotype

Display your firm’s home page. The firm’s logotype is displayed at the top of it, right?

Look at the logotype as you zoom in and out of the page.

Zoom in and out of a PDF file with your firm’s logotype.

Does it look good at all sizes, just a few, or none at all?

If it looks anything like the Coke or Google logotypes, then it’s probably OK.

But, if it looks anything like the following when viewed at normal size, it’s not OK.

Note: Notice the registered trademark symbol at the end of Venable’s logotype. It’s not legible.

________
In upcoming episodes, we’ll review the steps you can take to make sure your firm’s logotype always looks sharp.

This entry was posted 23 January 2010 at 9:08 and is filed under Modern Marketing Materials, Setting Things Right. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.