In the initial stages of shopping for a veterinary clinic, the first thing a prospective client may know about you is what your logo looks like. Ideally, you will choose a logo that best conveys just what it is about your practice that makes you the best choice for the kind of clients you most want to attract.
If your leading strength is in supporting the human-animal bond and the clients you enjoy most are those who regard their pets as children, I recommend one of the logos featuring animal art.
If you run the best-equipped, highest-tech practice in town and offer the most advanced procedures, one of the veterinary medical emblem logos might be more appropriate.
A veterinary medical emblem logo would also be a good choice for specialty clinics marketing their services primarily to referring veterinarians.
As a precaution, visit direct competitors’ websites and print out their logos to make sure you avoid similar designs and color choices. You want your new logo to differentiate your practice—not confuse clients and prospective clients and have your competitor label you a copycat!
While it’s tempting to choose your logo according to your personal taste alone, and it’s important that you like your logo, you may want to consider letting your clients direct you toward the final choice. Here’s how:
Pick out three or four logos that you feel convey the most important aspects of your practice image.
Visit the product page for each of the logos under consideration and click the zoom tool to the upper right of the logo image on the product page to see a full-sized image.
Print each of the images and post the print-outs at your front desk where clients can easily see them when they’re checking out. (You may need to switch the paper orientation from portrait to landscape and adjust the scale of the print-out to fit the logo to letter-sized paper.)
Have staff members ask your clients which logo they feel best captures the personality of the practice. Emphasize they’re not asking clients which logo they like most. They’re asking which one best represents the practice as they know it.
Have the staff track clients’ votes for each of the logos.
After a day or two, check the totals. If there’s a clear winner and you like it yourself, place your order and watch your email inbox the next business day to see your new logo design draft.
If the results are less clear-cut, remove all but the top two choices and continue surveying clients for a few days more.
After the client votes are in, announce the results to the hospital staff. If a clear-cut winner did not emerge from the front-desk client survey, ask the staff for their input and make the final choice based on their suggestions and your own preference.
If you’d like help with making your selection, feel free to contact me to discuss which designs will best convey the quality and character of your practice.
A Word of Warning
When you’re selecting logos for consideration by your clients and staff, include only logos you’d be happy to see as a winner. If you find yourself thinking, “I hope they don’t pick that one,” don’t offer that particular logo as an option because in my experience as a designer, that’s the very one your clients and staff will pick, every time!