Question: Web Design Differentiation - Unique Branding

Developing a unique company logo

[Bradley]

Call this unchartered territory, but I am brainstorming and trying to come up with a unique approach to branding our site. Upon visiting our industry competition, and visting other general sites (such as WebmasterWorld, CNN, Excite, Amazon, etc. etc. etc.) I noticed that, for the most part, companies seem to have the same size logo placed in the left hand corner of the screen.. I realize that might be considered "standard" - but would it do any good to buck the norm and try something different?

Well, I'm trying to think outside the box and wondering if I would reap any reward by trying to be a little different. What about placing the company logo on the RIGHT hand side? What about making the logo fairly large (600 x 150 pixels)? Are there any companies out there that do this? I'm trying to be different, yet I want to be effective...............Bradley

[korkus2000]

You really need to look at why sites use a small graphic in the upper left hand corner. First any thing on the top left hand side should be seen at any monitor size. You don't have to scroll to see branding. The reason for it being small is to not push the page and content down. They don't want it to be overwhelming.

I have seen many sites that put branding elements on the right top or even right bottom. Does it work, I don't know. It really depends on your audience. It also depends on if it will be seen without the need to scroll. If your branding is off screen then that can be a problem. Iff you set it up to work without scroll it could be effective.

[gibbon]

dont forget too that most people read from right to left automatically. therefore the "brand" is the first thing people will see.

this has obvious benefits for recognition.

[Jello]

If you want your branding to be different from the norm, great, but this is not the area you'll want to experiment with. The position of the logo has become a standard for a number of reasons, but the key here is that it now IS a standard. Most people will instinctively use the logo in the upper-left corner for the navigational purpose of clicking to the homepage, so from an interaction design perspective, tempering with that principle would be a definite 'no-no'.