LNCtips.com: Logo Branding

A gavel, a caduceus, the scales of justice, a stethoscope, law books, a  tracing from a monitor, a magnifying glass, medical records, a heart. What do all these things have in common? They're the most frequent symbols, alone or in combinations, used by legal nurse consultants for their logos.

The symbols make sense. After all, legal nurse consulting is a marriage of the nursing and legal fields. It's natural that LNCs would pick symbols of their combined interests.  And as a new legal nurse consultant, you're probably anxious to start marketing your services and want a logo that represents your skills.

But the problem with picking a common symbol to use as a logo is this: other LNCs have likely chosen the same symbol / logo too. That makes it difficult for your potential clients to make a distinction between you and your competitors.

Having a unique logo helps you to brand your business. Branding refers to creating a consistent marketing image that differentiates you from others with the same set of potential clients. Your logo helps brand your business when it's used on all your marketing materials - business cards, website, letterhead and the like.

What can you use as a logo if you don't use a medical or legal symbol? Your options are endless. Here are a few possibilities.

If you have a descriptive last name, such as Shield, you've got a great chance to brand your business with a logo that will help potential clients remember your name as well as your business. In the Shield example, your logo could be a graphic  interpretation of a shield or insignia .

Look out your windows. Your logo could be a palm tree, mountains, a cactus, a sailboat or anything else that represents the part of country that you live in.

The initials of your business name in a decorative font could serve as a logo.

But let's say that you really want to use a medical and/or legal symbol. If that's the case, avoid using clip art. Clip art refers to computer generated graphics that you can download from the internet or obtain at a print shop.   There are websites that offer free logo design but the logos created are based on clip art.

There are tons of graphic designers that would love to create a logo for you, for a fee of course.  Expect to pay $50 - $100 per hour for a custom logo.  If you want your logo to have movement, the cost is an additional $100-$200 for animation.

Browse through the websites of other legal nurse consultants (AALNC's LNC Locator is ideal for this) to see what others are using. Then identify ways that you can differentiate yourself from them.  A graphic designer will turn your concept into a logo that's unique for your business. Having a unique logo on all your marketing materials will brand your business so that it's memorable.

...Katy Jones