While every dental practice has a name, not every practice has a logo. Even then, however, there are a lot of dental logos that leave a lot to be desired. When it comes down to it, logos are an essential element of your dental marketing mix. They can help show not only who you are but what you’re all about as a dental office. A good logo should create a lasting impression in three seconds or less. It should draw your patients into wanting to learn more about what makes your practice different from the rest.
So what makes a good dental logo? Here are three elements consider:
Your Logo Should Be Unique
This may be the most obvious element of any good logo, but in the dental industry especially, it’s easy to settle with one of the most generic logos that just includes a clip art snippet of a molar next to the practice name. Incorporating molar images or shapes into your dental logo is a great thing to do, but the best logos do it in a way that most people haven’t seen before. A great dental logo makes people think, “Oh, that’s clever,” or, “Wow, that looks nice.” Because having a unique logo is so important for your brand identity, it’s a good idea to seek out professional design assistance rather than relying on clip art files. With the resources available online today, you can find great logo design services for nearly every budget.
When designing your logo it’s important to consider the type of patients or potential patients you want it to connect with. Does your practice want to attract families with patients of all ages? Or does your practice want to attract mostly affluent adult patients for high-end cosmetic cases? In either instance, a logo designed without your target audience in mind could alienate potential patients solely based on their first impression of it.
Define Your Brand First So Your Logo Can Reflect It
Before you create a logo that reflects your brand, you first need to have a clear definition of what exactly your brand essence is. In this case, it’s not necessarily what you provide (because dentistry is the obvious answer), but rather how you provide it. Do you offer family-oriented dental care in a warm, welcoming, home-like environment? Perhaps you focus on aesthetic dentistry in a modern, sleek environment with cutting edge technology. Whatever it is that sets your practice style apart from others, make sure that your logo portrays that in terms of font, colors, lines, white space, and more.
A good logo creates instant brand recognition for those who are familiar with it and reinforces brand awareness each time they see it. It creates branding consistency when incorporated into all marketing materials like a website, direct mail postcards, advertisements, and emails, and continues to strengthen the brand when used in other places like scrubs worn by office staff, sponsorship materials, giveaway items, and more. If you don’t already have a unique logo that reflects your brand and connects with your target audience, we hope these few tips help get you started with creating a great logo for your practice.