Logo Image Association
Many companies carry the name of their founder or the region of
the company origin, but that doesn't necessarily mean a company
should design a logo around it. In fact, having a logo that has
an illustrative description of a company name can cause
confusion.
For example, a company named Crane Productions would not want an
icon of a heavy duty crane in their logo, because people might
think the company was involved in the construction or heavy duty
machinery industry instead of studio or film production.
Another company I know of has a diving board icon in their logo
because the name of her managerial consulting company has the
word "springboard" in it. People are constantly asking the owner
if she teaches diving lessons, so it is obvious that people
don't understand what the company is all about. Since people
can't tell much about the company by looking at the logo, the
owner is probably missing out on a lot of business.
When deciding on a logo, remember to ask others what message the
logo sends to them; then ask if the logo does a good job
representing the company. If not, make a change now because a
logo that sends the wrong message is hurting your company.