How to Build a Fitness Brand – Part 1
YOUR FITNESS BRAND LOGO
With all due respect for fitness industry marketing experts… too many fitness professionals, clubs, studios and other health experts get this part of their business all wrong. And, we are not alone.
Believe it or not, many professional graphic designers get this wrong, too!
Listen, I don’t claim to be a design expert, but, for the last 30 years I’ve applied over 100,000 different logos on thousands of different health and fitness products — both physical and digital.
So, I know through “real world experience” (trial and error) what works... and what doesn’t work when it comes to logos and brand design. Especially as it pertains to the health and fitness industry.
YOUR LOGO DESIGN IS SUPER IMPORTANT
The very first step in building a successful fitness brand is the actual “brand” itself.
Yes, the logo.
Your brand logo is the very first thing a new prospect will notice.
It is the very first thing that “registers” in the brain.
This is the very first IMPRINT of your business.
It is absolutely amazing what happens in under one second.
Under One Second :01
In under one second the human brain will:
- Register the colors
- Read the text (or not)
- Establish an immediate “feel” (friendly, dark, aggressive, sad, happy, playful, etc.)
- Form an opinion (I like it. I don’t like it. I don’t get it, etc.)
- Compartmentalize the brand under a familiar category… like health.
Under ONE SECOND!
Most people don’t realize how much they use logos as a way to “register” and compartmentalize all the information in their brains.
But they do.
And, in today’s noisy world full of brands, logos, slogans and various messages — the more simple the brand, the more quickly it registers.
Two Golden Rules for Fitness Brands
So, it should go without saying that the WAY in which your Fitness Brand registers with a prospective client is of utmost importance.
Here are the two GOLDEN RULES for the design of your fitness brand.
1.) KEEP IT SIMPLE
Have you noticed how Nike just uses the “swoop” image. Target just uses the “target” graphic. And, then, there’s Apple…
These mega-brands have super simplified their brand marks because it allows for a quick “IMPRINT” in a consumer’s mind. In any language!
And, once the consumer has imprinted and mentally categorized a brand, he or she, upon visual contact will instantly recognize it – and will revisit all the feelings and messages associated with it. For Nike, it’s “Just Do It.”
Well established global brands can get away with just a symbol. But, a new fitness brand will undoubtedly require text with the graphic. At least in the beginning.
And, here again, the more simple — the better.
2.) HORIZONTAL DESIGNS
Over time, horizontal design are better for fitness brands. Here’s why…
A horizontal will lend itself better with website headers, stationary, business cards, etc.
It also will remain a larger size when wrapped around water bottles, supplement containers, coffee cups and almost all “imprinted” products including branded apparel.
Depending on the application, vertical and square logos always run the risk of having to be downsized in order to make them fit.
Take a look at some premier fitness industry logos below. Do you see how instantly “readable” the horizontal designs are?
Obviously, as Gold’s Gym moves forward with re-inventing itself, the first step would be a complete re-branding with a more horizontal design.
If your fitness brand has been active for more than 25 years, it may be time to rejuvenate your brand with a fresh new design.
If you’d like to discuss your logo or brand design, feel free to call me directly. LET’S TALK…
In PART 2, we’ll discuss colors, fonts and you!
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