I designed my first logo when I was 16. At that time I was a trainee printer and wanted to become a “Designer”. At that point started my life-long love affair with logos. Since then, I have designed over 500 logos. I have lost count.

In all objectivity, I am a logo junkie.

The first thing I will say about logos is that they are important. They are meant to capture the essence of your brand and can also become instantly recognizable, whether on a local, national or international level.

Another conclusion I have reached after 40 years of designing brands, is that sometimes you are super lucky and a logo emerges within minutes. Other times, it’s a process that is painful. There definitely is an element of luck in any logo search.

Another thought that comes to mind is that logos for consumer goods perform a fundamentally different function that logos used by service companies. I could also add that many times, a logo is as much about the entrepreneur’s need to establish an identity to the company that he or she feels represents his or her personality. Therefore a logo is a very personal thing, hence the difficulty in creating the “ultimate” logo.

For consumers, a logo is often a sign of belonging, a guarantee of quality, an expression of their own personalities.

I could go on for many paragraphs listing all that a logo can be and what it means for the business owner or its client. However, this would miss the point.

A logo is simultaneously everything and nothing. So important and potentially, completely irrelevant.

Any logo is only as good as its delivery. What I mean by this, is that any logo, and by extension brand, is totally dependent on the resources allocated and invested into getting it known, and respected.

This is a key consideration when designing your logo. Focus on its delivery as much, or even more, than on its design qualities. And this is coming from a genuine logo aficionado.

Let’s imagine the Tommy Hilfiger logo without hundreds of millions of dollars, even billions, over the years invested in its promotion. Without wanting to offend anybody, because taste is subjective, but would this logo be such a big deal? Or even Louis Vuitton. LV printed on everything, but all truth be said, nothing special there. Again, sorry to those who love these logos.

On the other hand, Coca-Cola is a timeless work of genius with billions invested into its promotion every year. Rather famous I would say. Apple the same. Great design, simple concept, timeless message and super powerful.

Having dealt with hundreds of clients over the years, many times I have either experienced or witnessed how the search for the perfect logo can be time consuming and painful. The truth is that if you are lucky enough to start with the great logo, all the better. But, all things considered getting your logo out there is more important than its design.

You can always redesign or upgrade your logo, even regularly à la Starbucks, and create a buzz around it every time you do so. Obviously, in terms of logo design, there is the objectively unattractive, or simply wrong, whether colors, balance, choice of font or other such key considerations.  But putting aside fat tail considerations of über-ugly or über-amazing, most logos will do the trick.

Always worry primarily about how you get your logo out there first. You can always tweak the design after.