Logo/Photo

[Gordon N]

Just picking up on something that Jason mentioned in another thread that has got me thinking...

I understand that a lot of businesses are now recognised by the persons face rather than a business/corporate logo, I just can't work out where I stand on it. After being taught the importance of building a brand to promote reputation and recognition does using a photo undo that or enhance it?

I was just going to open the floor for debate, but why miss the opportunity for a cheeky wee poll (been a while since we had one on here! )

So, where do you stand on the Photo vs Logo thing?

(I look forward to your input on this one Jason... )

 

[Scottish Business Owner]

That's actually quite a dilemma and i'll be sitting on the fence with my vote until I can get some other peoples opinions

For me though if you run a business where you effectively are the service or provide a service then I would say a photo would help. I dont think it's anywhere near as effective if you are selling a product to a market.

The web is certainly becoming much more social and I think people being upfront about who they are etc may thrive instead of maybe sitting behind a corporate logo.

It is a very interesting topic though and i'm looking forward to hearing other peoples views

 

[Gordon N]

I would want an option of 'depends on the forum' as I use logo on some and photo on others for different reasons. :001_rolleyes:

I kind of know what you mean, I have a generic avatar I use in some forums (including here) that uses the font for my new logo, and I have a photo for more personal ones. I have the photo on my profile page here, just be glad there is no sound as I was playing my guitar when it was taken!

 

[Brian McIntosh]

Being a Photographer I went for a logo. Well designed by Tom at Clear Blue I may add. I had a real problem with using a photo as whatever picture I chose I think I would have been pigeon holed into that style. Quite how it would work for you Gordon is another matter. For your kitchen business, I would definitely choose a photo and use a logo for your web design business.

 

[stugster]

Are we talking for the business in general, or your presence on forums (i.e. your avatar space) like here?

 

[Dizzydiza]

I said It depends on what industry your in.

For a computer forum I have a wee spinning cat that I love but I dont think it is appropriate for a business forum or craft forum....hence my wee tiara, it shows what I make. I also like my wee favicon for my website that I think is pretty clever because if you say it as it appears that is how you say my business name.
DZA (dee za)

oops just realised I dont have an avatar here.....lmso

my mission is to go off and add one now....keep watching this space

 

[dotsno]

I've got another question: if you were at a business networking event and may be primarily talking about your product or your business, would it be more appropriate to go as you are or to put a bag over your head that has your logo printed on it, and talk to people like that?

 

[GavinR]

I think A logo is allways best TBH. It can say more bout your business.

 

[dotsno]

Yes, you need a logo (and Gavin, I'd expect you to say that as you design logos! ) - to add some context to my original comment, it was about using your face on web forums in particular, not to replace a logo and not for all business.

As a point of interest, my business card has my face on it too.. it's a fairly common practice in the States and Canada and I think has many benefits. It's also got a brief sentence explaining what I do - if you go to a lot of networking events you'll probably ended up with hundreds of business cards pretty quickly and if you have that many then rummage through them all; for how many can you remember precisely who they're from and what that person does?

If you're talking to people then I think it's important, particularly in text-based communication like this, that people see your face. It personalises the experience and also makes people feel more connected to one another, it can help to engender trust in the person and what they are selling, whether products or services. It tends to make the forum overall seem more human, more friendly and more approachable.

I'm totally cool with people using logos on web forums instead, but my experience of creating web forums and watching how people use them is that you get on a lot better if you show your face... it "humanises" what you say, and this will become more and more important over time as the web becomes more 'human', I guarantee it.

My "logo" is a stylised snowflake and on my T-shirts (yes, I have t-shirts woo hoo!) I have my snowflake and not my face.. as my face is right there above the logo I also include my logo and some of my 'corporate imagery' on my face shots on forums, and use the same image on all websites, whether SBF, Twitter or others... so there's a "human image" which combines my face with my logo, and there's a regular image which is the snowflake on the blue background. That's just how I choose to represent myself, it's not because I love looking at my face or that I think others will, it's because it's me talking - someone else from my company may be talking on some other point somewhere on the web and they show their face too.

To me a logo is "third person" and similar (eg 'we do...', 'she feels that...', 'our firm believes that...'),a face is "first person" (eg 'I do...', 'I feel that...', 'In my opinion....')

 

[dotsno]

Sometimes at business networking meetings, I want to put bags over a lot of other people's heads (after taping up their mouths) as they are so full on, me me me (and did I mention me?) types.

That may be a great tactic actually - become known as the person who sticks paper bags over people's head when they're talking about themselves too much!

I still think it depends on the forum/medium and what you choose to use it for.

I agree completely. For business pages/listings I'd say use your logo, my original comment was only about web forum postings where you're posting in the first person. If it's a MySpace or Facebook Fan page and it's an enterprise, organisation, business, etc then I think it's important to go with the logo, yes.. but face for forums and stuff like Twitter (though again on Twitter I'd say only if you're posting as you and having conversations; if you're just linking to product information or press releases or providing interesting industry links then logo's fine).

Yep.

 

[stuarty]

using your face on web forums in particular, not to replace a logo and not for all business.

What if you have more than one employee using the forum - faces replacing the singular brand of the company logo? Two people can speak for the same company - this can confuses the brand. Equally - some people are not happy having photos on forums.

 

[dotsno]

What if you have more than one employee using the forum - faces replacing the singular brand of the company logo? Two people can speak for the same company - this can confuses the brand.

Can you explain that a bit more for me? I'm not sure I get what you mean exactly. Surely many other forms of communication that we use in business are 'individual' and 'personal' and have this same issue: I don't go to my bank and sit looking at the logo on the wall while I talk to an anonymous business manager. I've got a business manager and a deputy one, sometimes I see one, sometimes the other.

Equally - some people are not happy having photos on forums.

Totally true. It may well be that the web doesn't go more human, that business isn't, through online communications technology, becoming more human and personal.. but I think it is and definitely see the signs that it's going that way. Those companies that want to show a face and have individual named people accessible will need to find people who are happy to show a face: Dell use various Twitter accounts, for example, some of which are named people with a face and user IDs like "RichardAtDell" or "LionelAtDell"; and some of which are generic Dell-branded ones. The purpose of each is quite different.

All that said, if no-one's ever likely to meet the person or see them beyond the context of the forum, there's nothing to say it has to be their own face - it could be "the face of the company", but a human one.