Blame the Logo for multi-crore Satyam scam

Vastu Shastra consultant and numerologist Sunil Harlalkaa says Satyam logo's southwest portion is open-ended and hence the loss of wealth, assets and reputation. He tells iTalk how to pick the right logo, fit for your field of work as per Vastu tenets

If you were an art director at an advertising firm, a brief restricted by Vastu Shastra principles would be most dreaded. But, it can do wonders to boost business, believes Sunil Harlalkaa who provides consultation to start-ups and revives stumped businesses.

Along with advising firms on how important recall value and simplicity of a logo is a must, he specialises in a study that is a mix of Vastu Shastra and Numerology and has designed a unique method to derive an appropriate logo for a firm involving the right shape and colour as per the element of life the organisation's field of work falls under. He gives us a micro guide to designing the right logo and what to avoid through industry examples.

Why the Satyam empire collapsed
The Satyam logo has a square symbol and is divided into 9 mini squares. The square is not resting on a flat surface but on 3 parallel lines on either side and not at right angles. As per Vastu representation, it is not aligned to the North-South direction, but tilted at a 45 degree angle; such logos are not conducive to growth. The southwest portion of the logo is open, which indicates leakage of wealth, erosion of assets, loss of name, prestige and honour and also instability to the owners. The portion is also influenced by the blue-coloured brand "Satyam", which is why erosion of wealth took place and moved overseas. As per Vastu tenets, openings are permitted in the North and the East for growth. Plus, square-shaped logos must not be grey in colour, but only in red to bring stability.

Shapes and colours enhance and dilute energy
As per Vastu Shastra principles, every colour has been assigned a shape and vice versa. Particular shapes represent the 5 elements of life earth, water, fire, air and space and every business belongs to either one of these elements (except space). By choosing the right shape and colour, you enhance the energy of the logo and of your business. But, by picking a wrong combination you instantly dilute it.
How do you know under what element your company falls?
Dealing in matters of the Earth like construction, furniture, woodcarving, gemologist, architects, antique shop dealers, interior decorators fall under the element of Earth. Sectors where trade is not done using any tangible product like insurance agents, travel agents, news reporters, fishermen all fall under the element of Water. Those that use the medium of vacuum to communicate like lawyers, banks, financial institutions, stock-broking, science and research, police force belong to the element of Air.
Businesses that involve dealing with the fire in the belly of people, like the food business, public relations, advertising, filmmaking, fashion designing, fall under the Fire element. Businesses that have expanded, grown globally and have followed this tenet, are companies like Coca-Cola where the logo is square-shaped and red in colour. Whereas Citibank, which is currently embroiled in various financial disputes, has a logo with a red wave, which dilutes energy. Metallic, white, gold and silver are recommended for a wave-like shape.
You can reach Sunil Harlalkaa on sunilh@sunilhassociates.com

Quick guide to logo design

Using multiple colours invites legal problems:
"Even a five-year-old must be able to recall a logo design. It must be that simple," says Harlalkaa. Therefore to design a clean logo, pick a design with only one colour, or maximum two colours, citing the example of the red-and-blue USA flag. As per Vastu tenets, using a multiple colour scheme means the organisation will constantly be embroiled in legal battles. "Take Microsoft for example. It's a great organisation. Makes a lot of money. But, is constantly spending it on legal issues," he points out.

The logo mustn't include the punch line:
The logo, as per Vastu tenets, should be strong enough on its own. It doesn't need to support the design by incorporating the company's tag line. For instance, the Dell logo is strong enough to hold its own, and a sign of a strong, well-grounded company.

Name of the company or its acronym must have strong sound power as per its numerology sub-total:
As per the Chaldean System of Numerology, each alphabet has a designated value from 1 to 8. If the acronym's sub-total is either 5, 6, 2 and 7, it is considered a strong and fortunate choice of alphabets. Therefore, the acronym for the State Bank of India, SBI has a numerology value of 6, the number of Venus, a sign of why it has the largest number of customers in the country.

Maintain font style within these five types:
Tall, round, sharp-edged, italics and square are advisable font styles. Arial Narrow, Times New Roman, Comic Sans and Bank Gothic are the recommended font varieties.

Arrangement of colours and strokes must not be in a weakening sequence:
For instance, in the Enron logo the colour power keeps decreasing as you navigate left to right, which indicates diluting the energy of the logo and thus the company. A good logo's arrangement of colours and strokes will flourish from a dot into a bouquet. Even the Amway logo's stroke starts off with a bang but teeters down, which is possibly why the company hasn't expanded globally.u00a0u00a0u00a0
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Depict feature of work in logo:
This may sound old-fashioned but it does improve a company's positioning in the industry, believes Harlalkaa. For instance, if you are a marriage portal, depicting love, harmony and the likes in the logo itself can prove tangibly beneficial. Even the renowned Nike tick mark, shows movement and thus stands for what the company sells.

Logos mustn't have sharp ends:
No part of the logo should be shaped like an arrow, pointing inwards at the logo, which can lead to maximum internal problems within the company. For instance, HSBC Bank's logo is triangular and sharp-edged, which is why the company, though a forerunner in its field is continuously involved in internal battles, points out Harlalkaa.