There are 3 main types of logos that a consultant can choose to use for their business. Each has advantages and disadvantages for the consultant. Here are explanations and samples of each type, to help you choose the best match for your consultancy.

Combination logo: The most effective option for creating a consultant’s logo is to make a logo that contains both a graphic and your company name. This approach is called a combination logo. This type of logo contains both a memorable logo graphic that tells the story of who you are, what you do, and what makes you different as well as spelling out your business name for easy identification. One big advantage of this type of logo is that it combines an image and text – and having both combined will make the logo more memorable for viewers.

Text logo: A logo can be as simple as having your company name typeset in a unique font. The company name can have a small graphic embellishment – like an underline, or it can appear on a colored background. This is a simple approach that can work for many consultants. If you do go this route, you’ll miss out on some of the benefits that you can get by including a graphic in your company name – namely, that your logo won’t have an image in it to help clients remember it. However, if your company name is long, this approach will help you to keep the logo as clean and simple as possible. And, if your consultancy’s services or goals may change over time, there is no danger of your icon becoming inappropriate – since you don’t have one.

Symbol-only logo: You can design a logo that’s a symbol only (think Apple Computers or Nike). This approach is not recommended for consultants, though, because this type of logo takes a big investment in brand education to build up the association of your business name with the logo. Without that association, the logo will not have any meaning to the viewer, and will not help to build your brand.

A logo is an important tool for a consultant because it gives your business an identity and a face of its’ own. This gives you four major benefits:

1.   Makes your business look established, stable and successful. People want to do business with businesses that have experience, who will be there for them in the future (and in some consulting areas, this translates to just being around and available to complete the project!), and who are good at what they do. Investing in creating a logo can show your prospects that you fill these qualifications.

2. Makes your business look bigger and more official. This is the difference between positioning yourself as a freelancer and a consultant. Without a logo, you’re just a person, working by themselves, in a spare bedroom in your house. With a logo, you suddenly become a business –- and you’ll carry the increased credibility that brings with it. This credibility will help to assure your potential clients that you can handle their project.

3.   Gives you an image to place on your marketing materials. Having an image on your marketing materials instead of just text will make your materials look more visually interesting. More visual interest makes it more likely that your materials will be picked up, read and retained by potential clients. This isn’t to say you should stop at the logo when adding graphics to your materials, but it’s an excellent start.

4.   Contributes to your marketing’s consistency. Starting all of your marketing pieces with your logo will help you to create a consistent set of marketing pieces. Making sure your marketing pieces are consistent will help your clients to recognize each of your pieces as yours. And, as they receive or see more of your marketing, they will see your marketing message repeated again and again. This repetition will help them to remember you when they have a need for your consulting services.