Localization of Your Company's Logo: How To

Going global with your company requires changes and adaptations within your business. One of the aspects that you will have to localize is the logo. Your logo is everything your company stands for and that is why it represents a key element of a comprehensive localization strategy.

Global marketing is more than just a simple translation of the given words. You need to understand different cultures and adapt to their languages. Here is some handy advice on how to properly localize your company’s logo.

Pay Attention to the Brand Name

In most cases, the logo contains the brand name and if that’s the case with your business you should think about localizing it.

Logo and the brand name are one of the main representatives of your business and you must be very tentative about them during the localization process.

For example, one of the detergents on the market is “Barf.” Its name is the result of omitting the localization and keeping the original name since in Farsi “barf” means “snow.” We can all agree that this is probably not the product that we would grab first.

An example of appropriate localization is provided by Coca-Cola. The direct translation of Coca-Cola in Chinese is “bite the wax tadpole.” Realizing that the literal translation wouldn’t be the right choice, they changed their iconic product name so that it stands for “delicious, able to enjoy.” They also decided to use Chinese characters in its logo and completely comply with their Chinese consumers.

Coca-Cola's logo localization for Chinese market

Before you launch the product or start with the promotion of your services, do your homework and find out what is the meaning of your company’s name in the countries you plan to enter.

This will help you to make informed decisions and localize the logo in such a way that it gains global effectiveness.

Think About the Images

Another important component of your logo is imagery. As a part of your localization strategy, you need to make sure that the images are interpreted in the desired manner in all of your different markets.

Your company needs to do the research and to determine whether the images you have in the logo will be accepted or you need to make some adjustments.

If it’s possible, try to use universal imagery and if it is not, take your time and localize it for every country that can misunderstand it.

As an example, there is the situation in which RJ Metrics, a US-based company, had with their British audience. Buyers in the UK thought that their logo (a geometric shape with 12 faces) resembles underwear. Because of that, the company reworked its logo. They changed the angle of the design and made the lines thinner so that there is less resemblance.

Regarding this experience, you should avoid such complications and do the research first.

Adapt the Colors and Numbers

In some countries, certain colors can be associated with religious beliefs, superstitions, or political leanings. You must be aware of possible implications if you want to keep your good name.

One interesting example is the brand color of European mobile phone company Orange. They had to change their campaign in Northern Ireland because their slogan was “The future’s bright, the future’s Orange” and it referenced allegiance to the Protestant and loyalist causes.

Ideally, you should keep the logo’s color, but just make sure that there aren’t any harmful associations to it in the targeted markets.

The same applies to numbers. While many people in the US and Europe find the number 13 to be unlucky, in some other cultures it has no meaning. Therefore, if your slogan contains such number which has an additional message in your source market, you need to reassure whether the same message will come across in the other countries.

Properly Convey the Message of the Slogan

If your logo is followed by a company’s slogan, that is another aspect that needs to be considered when localizing.

You want to avoid mistakes such as a well-known company “Got Milk?” made when they used the Spanish slogan in Mexico, which in translation meant “Are you lactating?”

Not thinking it through can leave you with mocking smiles of the buyers and lack of interest, damaging your brand reputation.

Don’t rely on machine translations for important parts such as this. You need a real translator or translation services companies which have experience with localization such as The Word Point. They will be able to understand the local culture and offer a translation that won’t offend anyone.

Conclusion

The first thing that a customer sees is your logo. Whether it is on your website, on the product, or as a part of the advertisement, the logo should represent your company in the right way.

Without the proper localization, you can instantly reject the consumers or be ignored, closing the doors for your global domination. However, as long as you follow the above-mentioned tips and do your research, your logo can be one of the best assets of your company.