When you stared your business, you knew you needed a lot of things. You’ve probably heard the word “logo” before but perhaps it wasn’t the top priority on your to-do list. Now that your business has been around for a little bit, you may be wondering if you need a logo at all…. After all, you got this far without one, right?

That may be true for a smaller business but in order to build a large successful business you may need a logo.

You can probably name some of the logos that belong to the world’s most successful businesses. What comes to mind when you think of Apple computers? Do you see their apple logo in your head?

When you are driving in an unfamiliar town and see a set of golden arches in the distance, you know that you can stop there for lunch. You’ll practically be able to smell and taste the French fries from miles away.

If you were flipping through a magazine and stumbled upon an ad featuring an athletic woman and a familiar swoosh symbol, you would know instantly that the ad is for Nike.

These companies all have logos that are memorable, effective, and clearly communicate the company’s message. These are the signs of a great logo.

Some may say that a logo is just a graphic and that they aren’t that important at all. It’s true that a logo is a graphic, but it is also so much more than that. A logo is, according to dictionary.com, “a graphical representation of your business.”

Having a logo will help a business create brand recognition. Customers will instantly be able to identify a company as soon as they see their logo. Take the high-end designer brand Chanel, for instance.

That company’s logo is two Cs, which stand for the founder’s name (Coco Chanel). This is such a recognized logo and it has such a status symbol that many people will pay high prices for sunglasses, handbags, shirts and other items that bear the logo.

The people wearing these items are essentially walking around in advertisements for the company. Chanel earns money off of the sale of the merchandise, and the company becomes better known when people walk around in their logo-gear.

A logo can almost be identified as a company’s calling card or signature. Without one, they are just another company. But with one, they are a brand.