by Debbie Robus

Created on: April 29, 2009

Never underestimate the power of a good logo! When I volunteered to handle PR for a local 5k charity race, a graphic artist volunteered to develop a logo for T-shirts, signage, and other advertising and promotional pieces. The race course meanders through a lakeside park, and the event is called "Take the Lake." The artist developed a very bold, block-style graphic of a fish with little "feet" (like he is running) with thick wavy lines above and underneath and the words "Take the Lake." The logo was a winner on several points: 1) it "played" well in any single color - all white, all black, all dark blue on a light blue background (symbolizing the water!), and more; 2) it was bold and definitive, and easily recognizable... it created "branding," and 3) the graphic was simple and uncomplicated - and it fit the theme.

Now here's the kicker... some people on the race committee suggested we create a new logo each year "because runners like to have a t-shirt with something new on it." I could not make these people understand that you do not change the logo. You can make the t-shirt a different color, but you KEEP a logo... even a not-so-great one. This one happened to be superb! Thankfully, new people were in charge this year, and I volunteered for PR again and campaigned to keep the "old" logo.

So what are the key ingredients to creating a unique and professional logo?

* Keep it simple and clean. Make sure that whatever you design prints equally as well in black and white as in full "four-color." Bold strong graphics and lettering work best and reproduce well in any size and a variety of media.

* Make a memorable impression. The "running" fish with the wavy lines for water told the story - the race was, after all, alongside a lake! When my husband and I created Workamper News, a magazine to help RVers find work while traveling across North America, we created a logo that incorporated a U.S. map and an RV. We carefully considered what RV would be most universal and settled on a "Class C" motorhome. We worked for hours to develop a design that was clean and classic - imparting the most information with as few lines and details as possible.

* Consider your branding - where will you use this logo? Will it "play" just as well on a ball cap as on a billboard? Can the logo be easily incorporated into such items as clothing?

* Develop a color scheme. For the Take the Lake Race, we chose to do the logo and lettering in white on colored t-shirts. For our blog and all press releases,

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