(Sing it with me) "I couldn't if I tried".
How trustworthy is your logo? It may have been loyal to you since day one and stuck fat through thick and thin, but have you ever wondered what others really think of such an integral part of your brand identity?
1,000 adults across the United States were recently interviewed to find out how they responded to different logos and colour palettes across six different industries: jewellery, retail, financial services, law firms, news/media outlets and technology firms.
Participants were shown six logos from each industry and each were asked which they felt was most 'trustworthy'.
They were also asked which colour palette felt most 'trustworthy' for each of the nominated industries.
Which logo style and colour palette did the participants trust the most?
Jewellery: The horizontal style resonated strongest, while colour palettes featuring mauve and dove grey were most trusted. Participants believed that any logos that appeared fun, innovative and modern were considered most trustworthy.
I wonder if we'd get the same results if we were to conduct the same survey in Australia? And before I wrote this blog, I couldn't help but wonder if the results would be any different across affordable, mid-priced and luxury jewellery brands? A cursory search on the interwebs suggested that subtle pastel hues have been incorporated into the latest campaigns for Cartier (light and mid greys) and Georg Jensen (pale grey-blues). I happily stand corrected!
Education: Almost half of the participants believed the icon dominant style logo was the most trusted of the six presented, while deep blue (cornflour) and black colour palettes were considered suitably trustworthy. Logos appearing helpful, professional and knowledgeable were rated the highest.
Riddle me highly biased, but Monash University (an old stomping ground of mine) would have done very well, had a similar survey been conducted in Australia. Not to mention the highly esteemed (and no doubt, highly trusted) University of Melbourne, Sydney University and Victoria University. They punch above their weight on the world stage, plus their logos (crests) are en pointe. Not bad at all.
Financial Services: One in five participants were partial to the outline style. And if financial institutions featured a brand colour palette of mid green and pale green (verging on sage), they were golden. Participants felt that modern, yet boring and professional-looking logos pointed to a trustworthy organisation.
This flies in the face of the recently released results from the annual Reader's Digest 'Most trusted brands' in Australia survey. The most trusted banking institution was Bendigo Bank, whose logo is closer to the 'horizontal style' and presented in a suburban-primary-school-esque colour palette of burgundy and yellow. Meanwhile, the most trusted health insurance provider was Medibank; featuring a red and blue 'horizontal style' logo. When it comes to financial services institutions, it seems that we prefer bold, jewel tones over our American cousins' diet of greens.
Law Firms: One in two participants felt the 'filled style' logo looked most trustworthy, while navy blue and grey hues reigned supreme. As you'd expect, logos that looked professional, knowledgeable and traditional were considered highly trustworthy.
News/media outlets: One in four participants felt the 'filled style' logo was most trustworthy, as were the pairing of red and black (just like...ahem...the Essendon Football Club). Logos presented as helpful, modern and knowledgeable were considered top of the tree.
Here in Australia, ABC and SBS continue to be the most trusted news sources in the land. Both feature a 'filled style' logo, yet both present themselves in monochrome. A little more sophisticated than our American counterparts, in my view.
Technology: For the final category, the 'text dominant' logo dominated the results. Yellow and mid-slate-blue were picked as the most trustworthy colour palette and innovative, modern and professionally presented logos were preferred.
In Australia, we do trust technology brands featuring a blue or black 'text dominant' logo: Westinghouse (deep blue) and VICTA (also deep blue) were this year crowned the most trustworthy large household appliance and lawnmower brands respectively.
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