Your logo is often the first thing prospective clients notice about your business, whether they spot it on the high street or on Instagram – which is why it’s crucial that yours makes an impact. We chatted to a range of industry figures – from PR managers, marketing directors and salon owners themselves – to find out what they think makes a great logo.
Chloe Monina, Marketing Director at the Professional Beauty Group, shares her perspective on what makes a great logo, explaining: “It needs to be unique to your business, represent your identity and be easily recognisable across a range of advertising mediums. Sometimes less complicated is more effective and impactful. Visibility of your branding in everything you do is key.”
Laura Glazebrook, Managing Director at LWPR, says: “When you are thinking about a logo, there are several factors to consider. Firstly, I would always recommend prioritising simplicity; a logo should serve as a quick representation of your business or brand. Avoid making it unnecessarily complex, go for straightforward fonts and clear colours that are easy to read. Equally important is testing your logo across various platforms and environments. Consider how it appears outside your salon, is it suitable as an Instagram profile picture, its effectiveness on printed materials, and how well it integrates with your website. Flexibility is key here so bear in mind that you might need different versions for different contexts, so make sure you have all eventualities covered before you commit!”
Zoe Richards, CEO at Gorgeous PR, shares: “A lot of brands, salons included, get fixated on a logo and actually, while this is an important element, you want to make sure your brand is visually cohesive and standing out at every touchpoint – from social to your shopfront to every bit of marketing material you produce. Your logo is almost the last thing you settle on once your true brand identity has been completely sharpened.” Discussing how salons and home stylists can strengthen their identity, Zoe continues: “To make your brand stand out, focus on differentiation. Consider unique colour schemes, bold design choices, or unexpected elements that reflect your personality. A strong logo and brand identity should capture your character and it will become what makes you memorable and instantly recognisable to a potential customer.”
Two salon owners share how they created their logos...
Richard Phillipart, owner of The Boutique Atelier, explains: “I wanted our logo to reflect the brand ethos, with a recognisable hairdressing element. The placement of the scissors incorporated into the letter Q was our designer’s idea – and we have also been able to use the same scissor design in the smaller version of our logo, which fits perfectly into the profile picture space on social media. Our logo was the product of a collaboration between myself and a graphic designer, who I found by putting a call out on the salon’s social media.”
Kaye Sotomi, founder and CEO, Chop Chop London, shared: “Everything about the Chop Chop name and logo was carefully thought out. The name has a dual meaning: chopping hair and doing it quickly. This is because we are known for our speedy and accessible haircuts. In fact, when we first opened in 2018, all of our services were delivered within 30-40 minutes, at Chop Chop speed. We wanted both the name and logo to be simple yet detailed, memorable but not confined to hair only – meaning we can create cool merch, products or even open a production company if we wanted, using the same name. We decided to use no more than two words and keep each word no longer than 6 characters, as data shows brand names that are within this character count are a lot more memorable – think Nike, Apple, Coke, Google and Amazon.”
Discussing the logo in more depth, Kaye explains: “You will notice that part of the O and the dash are broken up, which was to create continuity with the concept of cutting. When it came to the colour, green was a no-brainer, as we pride ourselves on being a sustainable business. This specific shade of green was selected because it is a luxury green. As a company, we believe luxury is not dictated by pricing but by authenticity. As a concept and a brand, we strive to be sustainable and authentic in all our core decisions.”
