FSP 1.1

logos go home

Is a logo on a web page a link to 'home' ?

1) Do users expect logos to be linked to the home page rather than just
being a graphical logo?

2) Can a linked logo replace another link labeled "home"?

3) Does placement of the logo matter (e.g. is top-left better)?

4) If a logo is a link, where would users expect it to go?

Here are my assumptions when designing or reviewing sites:

a) A purely graphical logo is great, but a linked logo provides some
additional functionality at little cost.

b) *I think* most users, *when seeing that a logo is a link*, will
expect it to go to the site's home page - there are few other logical
places for it to go. (related to question 4)

c) I've seen some users click on logos, but most will choose a "home"
link first when looking to go "home." (related to questions 1 & 2)

Therefore...

d) You need to have an explicit "home" link - a logo isn't explicit
enough. (related to question 2)

e) Placement always matters - but if you think of the logo-link as a
supplementary link to the "home" link, then it's not that critical from
a navigation point of view - it's likely more important from a branding
and context point of view. (related to question 3)

Research into this would be great, but frankly I don't *need* research
on this issue. In my opinion, there's almost no risk in making a logo
a link - risk enters the equation when people try to eliminate a "home"
link (in main navigation) which I think is patently a Bad Idea. Logos
don't look like main/global navigation -- they look like branding. Use
them for navigation too as a "bonus" -- Good Idea.

Some related research:

Wichita (If you agree that most site's put their logo top-left, then you can
draw the conclusion that most users expect logos to be links home.)

More discussion at ASIA's sigia-l.