“A hot dog at the ball park is better than a steak at the Ritz.“

– Humphrey Bogart

Let’s go with the baseball analogy.

It is summer, it the second half of the 2011 baseball season. And…our very own Phillies have THE best record in the major leagues. So, life is good!

What I love about baseball is the simplicity of watching the game. A player pitches the ball, a player hits the ball and a player tries to catch the ball. And, for this reason, baseball is America’s favorite pastime. And, yes, the simple pleasure of a hot dog at the ballpark beats a five star restaurant any day! Why…because it is not complicated nor pretentious.

Same thing with a logo. Simple logo designs beat complicated logo designs every time. A simple logo design is easily recognizable, it is memorable, it is practical; it is not pretentious.

Let’s go with the baseball analogy.

Baseball: A player pitches the ball.
Logo Design: Business sends ezine.

Baseball: A player hits the ball.
Logo Design: Consumer connects with website.

Baseball: A player catches the ball.
Logo Design: Consumer buys products and services.

Simple & easy.

Your business stands out with consumers when you send a message that is simple, consistent and distinctive. Your logo and brand should reflect who you are. You want to connect with your customers on an emotional level. Your customers need to understand you. If you have a complicated logo/and or brand, consumers will pass you by. They will not remember you or your business.

In baseball, a batter needs to “see” the pitch to get a hit. In business, a consumer needs to “see” your business to buy from your business. A clean, simple logo will help your potential customers remember who you are, what they can get from your business, and why they should come back to you.

I’m not going to use Nike, as a visual, but let’s face it – who doesn’t know the Nike logo.

Instead – think of a business that you trust – what is their logo? Does their logo represent their business in an uncomplicated way. Can you relate to their logo? When you see their logo – do you think of that business? Does the logo uniquely represent its owner ?

I’m gonna use my logo as an example. I am not famous, nor world-renowned, but I have been designing for awhile, and folks will say to me – yeah, Derrick , you have that flower thing going. So, what does that tell me? It tells me that the consumer remembers me, my name and my logo! What more could I ask? I say that is a “home run” in the field of logos!