This new business opened up near me recently. Since it’s in the same complex as the gym where I go for yoga, I’d seen the signage going up and even peeked in to try to figure out what they were about.

Here’s an example of a logo that doesn’t communicate. My daughter saw it and wondered if it was one of those 24-hour emergency health care facilities. I asked my assistant what the signage suggested to her. She looked at it quizzically and said, “Is it some kind of a salon?”

I walk at Compo Beach regularly, especially in the summertime. Every Sunday there’s a standing meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous, the granddaddy of recovery programs. I made up that some members of that fellowship got together to sell coffee and chat about recovery issues.

We’re all wrong. Without going to their website, what’s your guess?

The point of this posting is what a missed opportunity this fledgling business has created with its vague signage. My best suggestion (if they were to ask) is to get feedback before you decide on your logo.

I experienced this in my egg decorating days. My graphic designer had come up with 4 choices for me to select from. I asked my Mastermind Group for feedback, knowing full well that I was in love with the design on the right.

I loved that the suggestion of the egg was subliminal. I loved the elegance of the design. I loved the use of negative space in the graphic. Unfortunately, I was alone in my love of this image. Sandy said, “I hate to tell you this, Jane, but when I see this, I think it looks like a boob.”

“But it’s an egg!” I protested. I was picturing myself distributing my business cards at networking events running after prospects and yelling, “It’s an egg! It’s an egg!”

Marcie, in our group, giggled after Sandy gave her feedback. “I thought it was a pregnant belly.”

I ultimately went to my mother for her thoughts. She dismissed the idea that it looked like a boob or a pregnant belly. Her definitive appraisal moved me into further action. “It looks like a tush.”

I had the designer re-work the image and used this logo for the next several years in my business: