A logo is the first line of identity clients and customers have in identifying your brand, it is the cornerstone of any successful brand. A well-done logo design can go a long way in enabling you to reach the masses. Its core purpose is to help customers understand what you do, who you are and what you value. The aim of this article is to fill you in on what makes a great and effective logo. The gateway to achieving an iconic brand identity.
A great logo should be:
- Simple
- Memorable
- Timeless
- Versatile
- Appropriate
SIMPLE
It is possible to get fixated on the logo design while the purpose takes a back seat. In this digital era, logos need to work on a vast range of applications to fast track marketing and advertising campaigns. A great design should be simple and easy to understand.
You should strive to ensure that your logo is easily recognizable. It should be unique and relevant to the brand without being necessarily overdrawn. Your logo should be in a position to stand on its own, companies such as Apple, McDonalds and Nike for instance, have capitalized on the use of great logos to make their brand simple recognizable.
Their logos are simple and make a lasting impression. A logo that is complex or with too much going on will end up forgotten and difficult to recognize when a potential client interacts with it even on repeat occasions.
Complicated logos with too much color, gradients, shadows, and fine lines lose their appeal. Your logo design should ideally work on black and white as well as color. Additionally, it should work on small sizes without losing detail. As a test, try fitting it in a one-inch square to gauge its quality and detail.
Here are a few guidelines:
- Use 30 characters or less
- Limit your design to three colors max
- Do not mix designs or effects
- Do not use thin elements for type and artwork
MEMORABLE
Apple, McDonald, Google, and Nike for example have logos we can identify with in an instance! The use of simple representations that the masses can identify and relate to has played a key role. That is the essence of a memorable logo.
The font you use is yet another key aspect to consider when designing your logo. The font you choose should be appropriate for the brand. For instance, a frilly script will not be ideal for a mechanic and a distressed slab will not work for a cake decorator. Take your time to find the right fit.
Avoiding clip art cannot be emphasized enough. Clip arts make your business look small and unprofessional. It gives the notation that an amateur pieced a few images from the web, this will greatly harm your clients and consumers trust in your brand and products.
Picking an image that represents your field of operations is a great way to go. Something that will help the customer remember you days to come.
TIMELESS
In this era of fleeting attention spans and an immense need of creating worthy and lasting relationships between companies and customers, a timeless logo helps create a brand and new relations every time. Focus on creating a logo that will stay relevant to the cause for a long time to come.
It can be a logotype or logomark. LogoType logos are mainly text-based while LogoMark logos are icon based with or without text. The style and presentation should be ideal for the company and what it is trying to portray.
Companies like Coca-cola, Skype, Microsoft, and IBM among many others have had the same logos for decades. Strive to be among the greats.
VERSATILE
Your logo should work under a wide spectrum of media and applications. It is advised to have your logo in a vector format, to facilitate ease of scaling in size.
Here are a few questions to guide you. Is your logo effective?
- If it is in one color?
- If it is in reverse color i.e. light logo on a dark background?
- If it is billboard size?
- If it is small in size?
Creating your logo in black and white first gives you room to prioritize the shape and words as opposed to the color which is subjective. Notably, the use of multiple colors will affect your printing costs greatly in the short and long term. Keep it simple, memorable and versatile. Start with black and white then build from there.
APPROPRIATE
Be relevant. How you position your logo will play a key role in its success and that of your brand. For instance, a childlike font with multiple colors will work perfectly for a company dealing in kid’s apparels, furniture and toys as opposed say a car manufacturing company.
However, do not lose your uniqueness, if you run a restaurant, your logo need not be food, whereas, if you run a furniture store, furniture isn’t your only option for logos. Companies like Virgin Atlantic, Mercedes, and Apple do not have airplanes, cars, and computers on their logos. Think outside the box without losing the essence of what it is you are trying to achieve.
Choosing the right logo designer will greatly impact your success. In your decision-making process consider the following questions.
- Are they credible?
- Do they have positive feedback from past clients?
- Have they been awarded any noteworthy awards?
- How recognized are they in the industry?
- How long will the project take?
- What will it cost you?
- Do they take the time to understand your business and what you are trying to achieve? Their inquiries should be around company history, target market and goals.
Getting the right logo is a long process that will require you to be detail oriented and up to the task. The key features highlighted will be a good point to start on the process. With the right designer, this need not be tasking and stressful. Contact us for any queries you may have and let us help you achieve a simple, memorable, versatile, timeless and appropriate logo to skyrocket your brand and company.