You can’t take back a first impression! A logo is a huge part of your brand and usually the first thing potential customers will see. Well known brands need nothing more than a logo to become instantly recognisable and make them stand out from the competition. If you are considering using a logo on clothing for yourself, your staff, brand ambassadors or sponsored riders this is the guide for you. We have teamed up with graphic designer Louise Lamb to explain everything you should consider when designing a logo that will be printed or embroidered on to clothing.
A good starting point may be with a brand colour. Equestrian PR expert Rhea Freeman has this advice:
“A brand is more than your logo. Your brand should embody what you are about. The colour you use links to the kind of personality your brand is as well as your general style. Your logo is very much the centre of a brand and getting a cohesive look is important but don’t allow your business to become paralysed by a single colour shade”
Branding expert Louise Lamb agrees:
“A colour can be a great starting point and a good graphic designer will help you explore contrasting colours and shades that can be pulled together create a cohesive brand palette, giving you options to play with in the future whilst not straying too far from your identity. Your logo needs to make an impact from the get-go, featuring everywhere from the back of a jacket to a social media thumbnail, it has to be scaleable and recognisable. Whilst complicated and intricate may look fantastic on the drawing board, consider how it will present when only 1cm square. Again, also consider how you will turn a rectangular logo in to something that fits a square for online platforms and embroidering/printing on smaller areas such as breast pockets. You may need two or three variations of your logo to ensure that you cover all bases and keep a tight brand presence, whatever the display constraints.
And remember, your business is unique to you, so invest in your branding and ensure that your logo is unique to you too. There has been an explosion of self proclaimed graphic designers appear due to the ease of use of apps and stock imagery, but there is an art to branding that you cannot get from someone who simply picks a horse head silhouette and slaps some writing beneath it - chances are you will eventually bump in to someone who has the exact same imagery for their business and that can be very embarrassing! It is also vital that you have the correct vector files for your logo for future use on clothing and larger items, such as flags and banners - you won’t get that from an app.”
You are at the core of your brand and you should proudly show it on your clothing. It is a valuable advertising tool. With a wide range of garments available, Team Equestrian can match clothing with your brand colours and complete it with a professionally designed logo. When designing your logo, have an idea of how it will look on your branded clothing when it is finished. Is the background colour important and does it feature as part of the design? For example, if a Union Jack on a white background is part or your logo, has the white of the flag been filled or is it just part of the white background? If it is part of the background then it will look completely different on a dark colour and will no longer be a true Union Jack. You may also have to change the colour of the logo depending on whether it is going on to a white or dark background. You may want to consider a colour that works on both of select an opposite colour. Your graphic designer should be able to provide you with different colour versions of the logo. Most logos will go on the chest of a garment and will be approximately 10cm high so try not to make any text too small as it will become illegible.
When you send your logo to a printing and embroidered clothing supplier you may be asked for a PNG or Vector file. These computer files will give the best result when transferring your logo on to clothing and your graphic designer should be able to provide these for you. It is also important to ask your designer what font they have used for your logo. Not only will this help your embroiderer but is an equally important part of your brand and should be used across your marketing materials.
You can find out more about Graphic Designer Louise Lamb at www.weezylambdesign.co.uk
Find out more about marketing and PR from Rhea Freeman at www.rheafreemanpr.co.uk
For a full range of customisable clothing go to Team Equestrian www.teamequestrianshop.co.uk