Dental Logo – The Importance Of A Good One For Your Practice

‘A dental logo is really important for your business!’

No doubt you’ve heard your web designer utter those words, but do you really know why?

Let’s face it, over the past few years, company branding has become a big buzz word in advertising circles and a dental logo design is simply part of that. It helps to enhance your brand identity.

Think about it this way…

When it comes to your brand, when all said and done, it’s merely a perception – an important perception nonetheless – but in essence, it’s a unique personal experience conjured up in the mind of an individual when they think about your business. Of course, the positiveness of an experience can be both enhanced and driven through carefully crafted wording, however, your dental logo is the key piece of the jigsaw that creates that all-important tangible connection between one of perception and one of reality.

In other words, a great logo is something that can quickly cement your company ‘brand’. It’s the identifiable factor that binds the visualisation of your practice with the reality. The idea being that when someone passes your signage, sees an advert, or visits your website, they’ll know straight away that they’re in the right place!

So, What Makes the Perfect Dental Logo?

The good news is that creating the ideal logo for your dental practice isn’t an exact science. There are no hard and fast rules and there are many different factors that you can utilise in order to come up with an impactful logo that represents your business well. That said, there are certain criteria that you may want to follow. With this in mind, let’s dive in and take a closer look!

Keep it representative

A good dental logo should be one that’s representative of your target audience. So, if for instance you’re a family dentist, then you might want to consider a child-friendly logo. It might be just what’s needed to set the child at ease and make them feel more relaxed. Alternatively, if your dental patients are primarily professionals, then you may sway towards a more corporate smart looking dental logo design. Whatever you decide, consider how you’re going to best appeal to your audience demographic.

Keep it memorable

While the most obvious design for a dental logo might well be a stylised tooth, the question is… how is yours going to stand out in a sea of other stylised tooth logos? Chances are it won’t! Instead try to think a little outside of the box. If you offer the latest conscious sedation techniques for example, you might want to include a crescent moon or some Zzz’s. Alternatively, if your unique selling proposition is that you pride yourselves on speedy ‘no wait’ appointments, then you might want to think about including a clock or watch.

Top tip – Draw a quick design and test it out on friends and family. If they can tell at a glance what you’re trying to get across, then that’s a really good start.

Keep it simple

Moving on from the ‘keeping it memorable’ factor, your dental logo should also be simple. Did you know that the type of logo that has the most impact is one with a clear and simple design? Think Nike, Apple or Coca-Cola. Their logos are all very simplistic in design, but unsurprisingly, they work. Some like Nike or Apple have no text at all, but because they’re simple, they can be transferred onto a variety of printing means without becoming ‘lost in translation’.

Top tip – If you do have a logo idea but it’s a bit busy – try getting rid of elements of your design that aren’t key to your core business. In doing so, a slimmed-down version might be sufficient enough to get your brand message across in one compact logo.

Keep it versatile

Talking of varieties of print, your dental logo could be used on any number of mediums from newsletters and pamphlets, through to polo shirts, pens key-chains and stationary. The question is, would your dental logo design look as good on a billboard as it would a postage stamp without losing quality? As such, the design should be one that can be used in any format or size. So, in reality – and this ties in with above – the simpler the better!

Keep it timeless

Of course, a good dental logo should be seen contemporary and modern in design but this shouldn’t be confused with trendy. The trouble with trendy, is that it doesn’t stay that way for long. Ask the fashion industry! Before you know it, you have a logo that’s out of date and that doesn’t bode well, especially if you’re trying to showcase a cutting-edge, modern dental practice. Instead, go for something that is likely to stand the test of time, something that isn’t going to need replacing a few years down the line, but something that also retains its impact.

Keep it relevant

How many times have you seen a flashy logo that has absolutely nothing to do with the market or industry they serve. While they may be memorable and stand out from the crowd, it’s unlikely that people are going to fully understand your brand, unless of course you’re already a household name. As a result, a good dental logo, needs to be relevant to the treatments and services you offer. If you’re a kids’ dentist for example, then a catchy, brightly coloured cartoon logo may do the trick. Remember the more relevant your dental logo design is, the easier your potential patients will get it.

So now you know about what makes a good industry specific logo design, the next question is…

What’s the best dental logo colour scheme?

Believe it or not, there’s a whole heap of proven psychology that lie behind colour choices. Sky blue for instance is a colour that inspires both safety and serenity, but it’s also a calming shade making people feel relaxed and at ease. Perhaps this is why many dental practices opt for this colour-type on their websites. Others will choose red, pink and white shades for their dental logo design, primarily because these colours represent the teeth, gums and the mouth. In addition, certain shades of green tend to symbolise tranquillity and health.

The key here is to pick one or two main colours and carry them through. What you don’t want is a splash of everything otherwise – aside from looking like a psychedelic mess – it’ll only serve to be totally confusing for potential patients and clearly, that’s not what you’re trying to do. In addition, choose a logo that will slot seamlessly into your website design but also be instantly recognisable and stand out for all he right reasons. This may be by matching contrasting colours, or through the use of bold colours on a light background.

Getting the most from your dental logo – Familiarity breeds acceptance

So far, we’ve talked about the importance of a dental logo and key parts that make the perfect dental logo design. But what we haven’t talked about is the visibility factor. The key for any dental logo design is exposure. Repetition is highly important to get any key message or branding across and is the main reason why we see the same TV ads repeated over the course of a TV program.

Here’s how it works…

Let’s say you were looking to buy a new car and you have a specific model in mind. Because that particular car type is in your thoughts, you now start to notice lots of similar cars or see a plethora of same car adverts every time you switch on the TV. This isn’t because of some strange spooky phenomenon, but it’s simply your brain subconsciously recognising what’s been seen and linking it with what’s been stored.

That’s great, but how does this work with your dental logo?

The principle is exactly the same. When people see a dental logo design for the first time, they see it, and file it away in the mind. Then subconsciously the brain – excited about learning something new – will start searching for it and each subsequent time the logo is seen, the brain instantly recognises it. The more times a logo is viewed, the more familiar it becomes and before long, you tend to notice it everywhere you go. When a person sees your dental logo many times over, it’ll convey the fact that the brand is now starting to become well known to you – just like a well-recognised friend. One you can trust and one that’s remembered in the community.

Well – that’s the theory anyway!

So, to create as many visible signs as possible your brand and dental logo should be everywhere. This includes:

On your signage as people walk by
Inside your dental practice on flyers, business cards and posters
As a logo on dental uniforms and T-shirts
On stationery and pens you can hand out to new patients
Any website social media and online endeavours
Newsletters, coupons and community magazines

Your dental logo – The key takeaway

A dental logo has the ability to cement your brand as it provides that tangible connection between brand perception and brand reality. So, it’s worth spending time on getting it right. A great dental logo design is one that looks professional, reflects the nature of your business and promotes an air of competence and respectability – all while showing you in a trusting and friendly light. It’s also vital that your dental logo stands out from the crowd and is both original and unique.

Some of the best logos are simple, so taking an uncomplicated approach to your design is the best course of action. Anything too complicated is likely to be lost in translation, but remember to keep it unique. Try to avoid the standardised tooth and toothbrush and get creative, with so many dental logos out there, yours needs to stand out.

Are you ready to talk about your dental logo design, or indeed any other aspect of your dental marketing? Contact MediBoost. We’re a full-service marketing company specifically for healthcare professionals. So, why not give us a call on 1300 163 058 today and let us help you to start generate 100’s of new patient calls today!