Websites at "First Glance", Part 2
The Logo and Home Page Credibility Requirement
July 2007

How Does a Graphic Designer Create a Credibility-based Logo Designsm?

     Credibility-based logo design philosophy first requires a designer to symbolize the company business as mentioned in the previous section. This says the company is an expert in that business. For example let's use Joe's Shoe Repair. This would be a typical shoe repair shop with a sign hanging on the store front with a simple "shoe" symbol and the identifying text, "Joe's Shoe Repair."

     Next, credibility-based logo design philosophy requires a designer to give the "shoe" symbol a design character in a way that characterizes Joe's Shoe Repair ---- how Joe operates. This non-verbally communicates the business character in a trustworthy design motif. There are an infinite variety ways Joe's trust can be communicated, but the trust chosen must represent how Joe operates in reality. Joe could show that he has modern shoe repair equipment and a Gucci environment, which would require a contemporary and classy "shoe" design treatment.

     But this is not Joe. In reality Joe does shoe repair the old style hand crafted way, which would be a dated or retro period design with friendly and quality overtones. The objective is to make Joe look trustworthy with traits that define the most descriptive nature of Joe's shoe repair shop which in this example is "experienced,” "professional," "quality work," and "friendly."

     As credibility based logo for Joe's Shoe Repair, the "design brief" would require the logo to communicate: expertise = "shoe repair" + trustworthy = "experience", "professional", "quality" and "friendly". This credibility trait logo description would produce a logo design of a shoe with professional, dated, friendly and quality overtones. It must be simple and have high impact as a sign on Joe's shop. This is a credibility-based logo design. The same logo must appear on all areas of public contact. Joe's work apron is a good example.

     This approach also demonstrates that if a logo design can be described verbally after it is designed as so many graphic designers and company businesses do, it can also be described before it is designed.

A Credibility-Based Logo Design Case History

     My online logo design company, Powerlogos Design, designed a logo for Housen Painting. My client, Tom Housen, is a small business house painter outside of New York City.

We started with symbolizing Tom's basic business --- house painting --- which is his company’s area of expertise. Then, we added design forms which would express Tom's desired trustworthy traits of "highly efficient work" and "clean." This is also how Tom operates in reality.

The credibility traits then which make up our "design brief" are: expert = house painter + trustworthy = highly efficient work and clean = credibility-based logo design. Here are the early progressions incorporating the desired credibility traits leading to the final design:

Finally, the credibility traits come together. This is where the expertise symbol couples with trustworthy traits to become a great, credibility-based logo design as shown here in the final design solution. The logo is also strong, unique, communicates with simplicity and with high impact. This is basic to all logo design. But combined with a company's credibility traits, a great logo appears.

     The Housen Painting logo communicates specific credibility traits defined above. All companies have different credibility traits. An airline like Continental communicates expertise traits of "flying" and trustworthy traits of “highly tech”, "friendly" and “state-of-the-art.”

     In contrast, an antique shop might want to communicate expertise traits of being in the "antique business" and trustworthy traits of, “been around a long time” and “neighborly." Credibility traits are also true in substance for the company. Meaning that the company "walks the talk."

     The same credibility traits must be perceived in the overall design of the company's home page. The first page a visitor sees. This is easily done after the credibility-based logo design is adopted. The home page continues the design motifs define by the company's trustworthy traits. It would be incongruous to have a logo design communicating one image and the home page communicating another.

     Consistency in specific company credibility trait visual communication and perception is the key word here.

Powerlogos Design "First Glance" Niche

     Powerlogos Design creates credibility-based logo and matching home page design, and utilizes proprietary research methodology to determine the optimum success rate before a new logo or home page is launched. We are creative based with web analytics methodology for Landing Page Optimization or Online Business Optimization.

     We are at the beginning of the conversion optimization process. All others do work in content optimization using multi-variant algorithms testing best combinations of content.

     After "first glance", your company continues with a variety of credibility elements all working together to make the website credible, such as the company addresses and phone number. Other examples might be management staff bios, frequently up-dated content, avoiding too many ads, keeping self promotion at a minimum and avoiding errors of all types no matter how big or small.

     After "first glance", your visitor decides whether or not the material and the copy text are of interest. This is where visitors scan your website to evaluate non-design aspects to determine if the site itself is useful. Various technical aspects such as ease of navigation happen. Hopefully this phase after "first glance" will convert visitors to take action as customers.

     There are several website optimization companies the measure the way website users behave online. These companies measure the performance and efficiency of "marketing and sales initiatives and other business processes." Measurement is content or behavioral analytics.

     A new specialty is behavioral targeting. These companies build a profile for each site visitor and use this information in real-time to trigger relevant offers and promotions specific to a target market. Website traffic then is specifically directed to these visitors.

Continued in:

Websites At "First Glance", Part 3

© William L. Haig, Ph.D. or Bill Haig, Ph.D. 2007

This is an original work of the author. All rights reserved. Copyright registration will be applied for. No part of this article may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical photocopying, and recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of the author.