You must have seen famous brands such as Nike, KFC, and McDonald’s. Under their logos, you will notice a short, simple, memorable catchphrase. We know for a fact that you can remember them without even searching for them. These slogans define the brand’s purpose and send a message to their audience about what they are meant to serve.
If you remember the slogans for the three brands mentioned above, then that means they succeeded in creating catchy slogans. That, our readers, is the power of a perfect slogan.
So, if you are interested in learning more about the power of a slogan and want to create one of your own, you have come to the right place. This comprehensive guide lists all the do’s and don’ts, so you will get everything you need to know right here. Let’s get started with the basics and advance our way up.
What are Brand Slogans?
A slogan is a brief, precise catchphrase which captures a brand’s essence and sends the right message to the audience. It acts like a song. For example, there are specific lyrics from a song that gets to you. So similarly, this is the shortest song ever that describes the brand and its purpose it is supposed to serve its customers. Here are a couple of famous examples that everyone would certainly know.
While all these brands are memorable because of their simplified, attention-grabbing logos, a brand can also use a slogan to further back up their logo to communicate with their audience.
Take McDonald’s, for example. Whenever you see an ad for it on TV, you remember this little jingle: “Ba da da da da I’m Lovin’ It.” We know this little jingle and its tune came into your mind; don’t deny it!
The point is that this is an effective marketing strategy that resonates with the brand, evokes emotion, and adds a little human touch. In simpler terms, to define what are brand slogans, you can think of it as the shortest summary to ever exist that defines the brand purpose. This can be used as a song, just like McDonlad’s did, or for advertising, spreading a simple brand message and creating a strong identity. A brand slogan acts so powerful that no other brand can replicate or come close to even mimicking the original slogan. That would be caught in an instant because that brand owns those words that are put together in precision and harmony to make sense, defining that specific brand only.
Therefore, making your brand slogan unique, short, memorable, and, most importantly, fun is essential. If you are designing a logo for your brand and are figuring out a way to add a slogan to it, there are a couple of things that you must consider before you finalize it. However, making a brand slogan in the first go can be tricky. This is why we are writing an entire guide to create the perfect slogan.
Read more: Top 12 Best Logo Redesigns in 2024.
What to Do and Avoid to Create a Powerful Logo Slogan
Here, we will address what should be done and what to avoid while creating your logo slogan. While you may wonder, “How hard can it be?” In your mind, it can depend on several factors, and here, we will go over all of them with helpful examples.
The Do’s for a Powerful Logo Slogan
1. Make it Descriptive, Emotive, or Esoteric
Powerful slogans are meant to tell a little more about the product or the services they provide or to make you feel something. Depending on how you want to make your slogan to back up your logo and brand, you should ask yourself, ‘What would I want my customers to feel?’ or ‘I want to send a precise message to my audience.’
Your slogan should be unique, just as your logo is. Additionally, it should back up your logo and make sense to the audience. It cannot just be a bunch of words that you think fit together. No. It must make sense, and in the end, no matter what kind of slogan you come up with, it should define you.
To understand this better, your slogan can either be descriptive, esoteric, or emotive. Let’s get into these one by one with the perfect examples.
Descriptive Logo Slogans + Examples
Walt Disney created the perfect slogan for Disneyland back in 1955. The slogan was “The Happiest Place on Earth.” This slogan will come under the category of a descriptive logo slogan because it is comparatively more descriptive. In some other places, you would notice that other slogans are used, such as “Where Dreams Come True” or “The Most Magical Place on Earth.” are also commonly used.
Another example of a descriptive slogan is the slogan by the brand, The Goldfish. This brand slogan, “The Snack that Smiles Back”, can be seen as both emotive and descriptive since it adds the word smile, which is expressed when one feels happy. The message behind this slogan is a joyful snacking experience, where the snack is smiling right back at the snacker.
Interesting read: Tracing the Lines of The Netflix Logo Evolution and the Iconic.
M&M’s slogan is defined as descriptive, “Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hands.” This slogan was first introduced in 1954. It defines the purpose of the chocolate, and it does exactly that. If you were to keep one in your hand, it would not melt because of the coating.
Esoteric Logo Slogans + Examples
Not many brands opt for esoteric logo slogans. Still, recently, some have started including such slogans to further define their brand’s purpose and what their audience or customers should expect. Here is a good example that comes under this type.
The Old FedEx Slogan
The image above is a perfect example of an esoteric slogan because it is pretty descriptive but also stresses that your parcel will be delivered overnight as you will surely get it the next day. This expresses reassurance toward its delivery service and acts more as a vow to its customers.
However, they recently shortened it, making it more precise because the words “absolutely” and “positively” were too many. Although they aren’t wrong, this slogan is quite wordy and would be difficult to remember.
Here is their newer version.
Emotive Logo Slogan + Examples
Emotive slogans are created to make the audience feel something: joy, motivation, confidence, or worth. The words you use for this slogan type depend on the type, and when the audience reads it, it instantly provides that feeling to them. Emotive slogans express your brand toward your audience and should deliver that feeling to them. Here are a couple of perfect examples of this.
The L’Oreal slogan is: Because You’re Worth It. This tells its audience that they are “worth” this high-quality cosmetics and skincare brand. And that you should treat yourself well enough to use these. The emotive behind this is to validate its audience by telling them they are enough and worth this brand.
Here is a logo evolution
Next, we have Cheerios, the yummy cereal with its slogan: Bee Happy. Bee Healthy. Now, this expresses two things: an emotion, “to be happy,” and “to stay fit” with their cereal since it does not have added sugars, only honey made from “Bees”, which is why they replaced the word “Be” with “Bee.” This is a creative, unique, and delightful way of starting your morning with healthy cereal.
you should know about: The Evolution of Instagram Logo: From Camera to Icon.
For motivation, our best example is Nike and its slogan: Just Do It. This emotive slogan successfully delivers a sense of motivation and courage. In other words, the brand tells you to stay fit and exercise without the lingering thought of adding an excuse.
2. Place Your Slogan Right
Not all slogans look good under their logos. Sometimes, they just do not seem right. Another reason your slogan would not be under your logo is that it is a bit too descriptive or that your logo is not simplified, meaning that it has added details to it.
However, this does not mean that you shouldn’t make a slogan. There are many other places where you can keep your slogan, for example:
- Business Cards
- Website Footer
- Retail Storefront
- Digital Ads
- Company Jingle
- Voicemails
- Promotional Items
If your slogan is placed anywhere else but under your logo, it will resonate with your audience better and have a stronger impact on them. This all depends on your slogan type.
Learn more: Typography: An Important Element in the Field of Graphic Designing
3. Keep it Timeless
The same concept should be applied to your slogan as you would for your logo design. Keep your slogan timeless and classic to avoid frequently changing it after a few years. It should define your brand purpose in such a way that it does not misinform your audience or mislead them. That would be a messy blunder, and an SOS change would be called for immediately.
It is best if you stick to simple words and words that describe your brand and the purpose it serves to its customers well. What can help in this part is writing down the best simple yet descriptive words that define your brand and its purpose. Then, shortlist the most accurate ones. You can add little fillers once you have the main target words right.
Avoid using references from other brands or certain cultures, as this would narrow your brand down or make it look like it serves that specific culture only. While some companies do that, they do not mention it in their slogan or logo. Aim to communicate your brand personality and purpose or the services and products to evoke a feeling of need or to know what your brand is about and why it serves that emotion. Make your audience wonder so they are compelled to try it out.
4. Pair Your Slogan With the Right Font
Say you are going to keep your slogan below your logo. If you do or don’t, you should keep in mind that you should select the right font for your slogan. This is a critical step. You have to keep in mind what kind of font you are pairing with your logo.
If your slogan is going to be written in a fancy font and bright color, that will distract your audience from the company name, and you would not want that. To avoid this, here is what you should keep in mind:
- Keep your slogan simple.
- Either keep the font style in the same family as your logo or reduce the weight of the slogan.
- Stick with Sans Serif fonts or Serif fonts.
- Your slogan should back up your logo, not outshine it.
- Keep it all in balance.
A read for those who are interested in gaming: The PlayStation Logo and its Significance.
The Don’ts for a Powerful Logo Slogan
1. Have a Slogan as a Mere Filler
Unlike logos, your slogans don’t age unless you want to dramatically change your brand message and purpose. While the concept of a slogan seems fun, it should serve a purpose for your brand and communicate an accurate message. A solid reason for when a slogan becomes relevant for a brand is when the brand’s logo is minimalistic or simplified. So, a slogan can clarify the brand message, service, and purpose for the audience.
Learn more about simplified logo designs and why they are preferred with our blog, “Learn the Art of Logo Simplification for Powerful Logo Designs.”
Normally, slogans don’t change as often as a logo. Knowing this, you must keep in mind not to create a slogan in context with current trends because trends keep changing. You want to represent your brand with a timeless slogan that is true to your services and purpose, not on the basis of what is trending and what is in the now. While trends will change, your brand will continue to serve its purpose effectively and effortlessly.
A couple of brands made this mistake and regrettably had to make quick changes because they made their logo slogans based on the current trends. Take Verizon, the telecom company and its old slogan, “Can You Hear Me Now? Good.” It retired in 2010 when there were technological advancements, and making cell phone calls, text messaging, and video calls became popular and advanced. That is when the company decided to change its slogan from that to “Better Matters.”
To get the best inspiration, take these recognizable brands, such as Lululemon, Zara, and Starbucks, for their brands. They stayed clear when using logo slogans, and their logos still look amazing. This comes to show that not every brand or company needs a slogan.
Suppose you want to create a logo design that defines your brand and sends the right message to your target audience without the help of a slogan. In that case, LogoVent implements innovative and creative strategies that fit the competitive market trends. Additionally, you will be left with a simplified, timeless and meaningful logo. So, we would recommend that you do not necessarily need one when your logo is defined and perfect.
Something for the K-pop lovers: 35 Popular K-pop Logo Designs That Are Totally Daebak.
2. Make Your Slogan Too Long
The first image we shared above should show you something similar to all the brand slogans. They are all to the point. Studies have shown that viewers are likely to remember and recall a slogan that is 3.9 words long, and slogans that are 4.9 words long are often liked. This means that a short and simple slogan, just like a logo, would be effective toward the viewer and listener (if your slogan was to be part of a jingle)
Powerful and effective logo slogans are attention-grabbing and short and do not use complex words that are not used daily. They can spark humor like RedBull’s slogan: RedBull gives you wings. This brand created effective and attractive ads for a mature audience, and the illustration was all hand-done, making it more impactful and creative.
They didn’t mention its slogan here because it is pretty obvious.
Earlier, we mentioned how McDonald’s slogan: I’m lovin’ it,” turned out to be more of a catchy jingle, and they use it in all of their ads and voice delivery services, too. Another evident thing to notice here is the use of contraction words to make it even easier to recall.
These slogans are so memorable that you can ask almost anyone around you, and they will remember them without you having to look them up. As we mentioned in the “Do’s” for logo slogans, if your logo is minimal and includes one simplified design without any extra details, a slogan can help your audience understand the purpose of your services or your brand message.
Take Nike, for example. Its logo consists of a stylized tick or correction mark. With just the tick mark and without the slogan, those without any idea what Nike is about will stay clueless. The slogan, Just Do It, implies getting up and going, motivating yourself, doing it now, getting ready, and so on.
With a longer slogan, you will have to make your audience go through the struggle of reading too much. Yes, that will be an issue for those on the go. Say you have a long slogan with too many words, almost 3 lines long, and people are crossing by and would want to know about your brand, but they want to read instantly, with a long slogan that would make it harder to read and less impactful.
While we would say that you do not necessarily need a slogan to back up your logo, if you must, keep it short and simple and use easy words that the average audience will know unless you are trying to create a slogan for some spelling bee contest.
Gain more inspiration: Learning from 30 of the World’s Most Famous Logos.
You Make the Choice
Now that you know what a logo tagline is, what purpose it serves, and whether or not it is necessary to have one in the first place, you are free to make your own choice. While we have mentioned that a meaningful, timeless, and competitive logo that represents your brand’s purpose and acts as a shield for your brand would be enough, if you feel that you want that extraness to back up your business, you can do that as you wish.
LogoVent has been crafting award-winning logos for businesses in all sectors. With a seasoned team of logo designers, you are sure to gain a logo that represents your brand strongly and conveys the right message to your audience. Contact us to get the professional logo design of your dreams at reasonable rates!
FAQ’S
What makes a catchy slogan?
A catchy slogan is short, simple, memorable, and reflects the brand’s values, creating an emotive connection with customers or creating brand message clarity.
What is a simple slogan example?
The simplest slogan examples are McDonald’s “I’m Lovin’ it” and Nike’s “Just Do It.”
What is a slogan for a logo?
A slogan for a logo is usually created to support it; that is when it is necessary. Not all logos need slogans, but some logos that are oversimplified or minimalist would probably need a slogan to support the logo and deliver the brand message.
Does my brand need a slogan?
No, your brand does not need a slogan unless your logo design does not convey a precise message to your audience. However, if you must, it is up to personal preferences to create a slogan for your brand.
