Your logo matters. Get it right!

Your site logo is the first thing that people see; it's the look of your community site, and it is supposed to reflect what you do.

And still, all too often we see Dolphin sites with either poorly integrated or poorly designed logos. I am not even talking about the choice of style or meaning. I am talking about image quality, integration with the site and clarity. And it's a shame! Some sites have so much potential and so much community drive that less-than-perfect logo is heartbreaking.

Let's fix it. Spend some time on it and get it right. I'll give you some clues and if you need help - ask in comments. If you're on a monthly Boonex subscriptions plan, you're welcome to send us your logo to team@boonex.com. We will try to improve the image and will help to integrate it with your site properly.

Now, let's go through some common mistakes and ideas on how to overcome them. 

No logo at all.

Dolphin allows you to use plain text as a site logo, but this is meant to be a temporary plug. Something you may use on pre-launch stages, but not in the production site. Logo image is your company identity, forming the association with name and value proposition. For some people, text without a picture is nearly invisible. For most people plan-text logo will never sing down into long-term memory.

So, don't wait! Go ahead and spend some time on your logo. It's a fun, creative and meaningful thing to do. Do it! Use a simple logo-making app like Logoist or order it from Fiverr (or some pro-designer like Logoholik, if you can afford it).

Pixel art.

Perhaps Minecraft and Pacman communities may be excused for using MS-Paint-chopped logos with pixelated borders, but your site just shouldn't. Eighties are well and truly over, and it's time to produce something with smooth edges.

Again, you can do this with just about any modern editing app, like Sketch or Photoshop. If moving vector paths around is too tedious for you, ask someone from Fiverr to help you out. It won't break the bank. 

100% is not enough.

HDPI logo is a must. DolphinPro 7.3 (Scooter) supports @2/retina logo resolutions, so it is important to upload the double-sized image. If you fail to do so, your site will reveal the shortcoming to (almost) all iPhone/iPad/Android users as well as owners of latest Mac laptops and many new PC laptops. Some higher-end desktop owners will see it too.

The catch is that all Dolphin elements are already HiDPI or vector. So, all the site elements look sharp on retina-screens. A standard-resolution logo will look blurry in contrast and will reveal the lack of oversight from the webmaster.

Let it breathe and don't cut limbs.

When cropping your image, allow some space around the logo, and make sure to keep all elements intact. Zoom it back if needed, but don't cut away that beautiful curve.

Experiment. Experiment. Experiment.

The whole process of creating, uploading and adjusting your logo for Dolphin is a great first step in taking control over your site customization. Nobody can do everything perfectly from the first go. You'll learn how to do some preparation on your computer, how to login to admin panel, change settings, review changes on your site, go back and fix errors, review again and then perhaps announce it to your community to gain some feedback.

To upload logo in DolphinPro, go to your site Admin panel and then to Settings > Basic Settings. 

Remember, a sleek and meaningful logo will make you feel good about your site. It will help your visitors remember your brand, and it will set the standard for further improvements. Get it right!

NOTE: If you're on a monthly Boonex subscriptions plan, you're welcome to send us your logo to team@boonex.com. We will try to improve the image and will help to integrate it with your site properly.