Designing a logo is not as difficult as some think. There’s much to creating a visual identity of a brand than just placing a name in a circle and calling it a day. Logos are in important reminder of a product or a company to the general public. To the client, they are the recognition point on which their branding virtually hangs. This is why logo designers are in great demand these days. A logo is the first impression of a company which can have a pronounced effect on a customer’s purchase decision, brand perception and the attitude towards a company or product.
This post elaborately gives you some tips on creating a logo which doesn’t suck. Also, get to know the best practices and principles on creating an exemplary brand identity, lets start with the basic logo design tips.
1. Know your brand well
A logo may just be an image but remember that it introduces your brand. Through your logo, you target a particular audience. Pen down your thoughts on your brand. Look here for some logo inspiration. However, don’t be inspired only by aesthetics. Instead, focus your attention on the deeper meaning of your brand and its ideology.
2. Bring uniqueness to your design
A logo can distinguish your brand from your competitors. Hence it’s crucial that your image is unique and stands out from the rest. This is an issue many brands have struggled with in the past. Create something which according to you is unique and different from something which is already there. Learn to think out-of-the box and come up with something rare which people will love to remember.
3. Give importance to colour
Image Credit: Mashable
Some may love loud colours but they may be a deterrent to many. Muted colours on the other hand display sophistication. Never convey the wrong message because of the choice of colours. Studying the psychology of colours and the impact it can have on people with respect to logo design can help you in this regard.
3. Keep your design flexible and easy
Make your design flexible and easy so that it appears interesting. Never have someone start at your logo and analyse it. For instance, FedEx and Amazon use just their name but tells a lot with the arrow and connotes direction, accuracy and speed.
4. Give a meaning to your logo
A meaning or concept does appear behind all good logos. This makes it easier for the general public to connect with your company or product.
5. Carry out extensive research
Carry out an elaborate research on the industry-its competitors and history. Study logo designs that have gained fame. Also, examine the latest style and trends related to your industry. This will give longevity to the logo you design.
6. Sketch and conceptualize
Create a concept of your design based on your research. This is a crucial part of the process. It doesn’t take time and is the best way to put your thoughts on paper. Following this, it gets easy to design the logo on your computer.
7. Take breaks
Taking short breaks while designing can renew your enthusiasm, mature your ideas and solicit feedback. Your work also gains a fresh perspective by doing this.
8. Keep your design simple
Keeping your logo design simple makes it versatile, easily recognizable and memorable. For instance, it’s tough to forget Nike’s simple yet effective logo.
9. Memorable
This is closely related to simplicity. A great logo has to be memorable which can be achieved by keeping it ordinary yet appropriate.
10. Longevity
Give longevity to your logo design. Will it be effective even after a decade or more? This is something which you need to brood over while designing.
11. Don’t imitate
You may be having your design idol and would love to imitate them. However, this can be a poor way to design your logo. At the most, you can get inspired by these works but create your own design.
12. Create vectors
Image courtesy: Ben Powell at http://www.gogetcreative.co.uk
Produce your logo design using vectors. This is the best way to save frustration and pain. Illustrator CC can be your best bet since you can rescale your design without degrading the quality.
13. Use smart objects
Copy and paste your design into Photoshop by using the option “smart object” if you want to include other elements into it.
14. Be cautious while choosing typeface
Use functional and clear typographyp to stand out-something which Microsoft has done.
15. Don’t use gimmicky fonts
Avoid gimmicky fonts at all cost. Instead keep it simple and classic.
16. Match the font with the brand
Designing a logo is not only about making it attractive. You need to match the design/font with the brand.
17. Think of a type-only approach
Hone up your typography skills and check out some of the best logo designers who have considered a type-only approach which can be seen in this design.
18. Give importance to the space around the logo design
The space around the logo can be put to good use. For instance, the British Council has included an exclusion zone which is part of the design.
19. Let your design be active
Try to add a sense of movement to your design-something which Twitter has done.
20. Experiment with your design
Don’t be constricted with your design and stick to formal logo design notion. Instead, experiment around and stick to the one which you think is the best.
21. Use visual double entendre
Some great logo designs use a technique known as visual double entendre. This includes two images wrapped into one gracefully, such as the WinePlace logo.
22. Stay away from the cliche
Some logo designs are repeated over and over again and are thus overdone. A common example is the logo above. Don’t use the same idea again and again.
23. Use custom lettering
While being unique, great custom lettering can give your logo a unique feel.
24. Ensure that the logo works on all backgrounds
Your logo design should work on all backgrounds. This is to ensure that you don’t run into trouble with your client as he may change his taste later.
25. Get rid of unwanted things
Logo design by Luke Prowse for Tempestra Underwear
Subtraction is a great method for getting rid of redundancy. Ask yourself if your logo can do without a certain thing.
26. Leave it out if in doubt
If you are unable to rationalize a certain element which is part of your design, you need to remove it and keep it simple.
27. Don’t overdo
Never do too much on your logo design. You don’t have to reflect your company’s history or a demonstration of your product on the logo.
28. Create a lock up
A lock up version is when a logo design is attached to a tagline, similar to Nike’s “Just do it”. This can be highly effective.
29. Make it responsive
Make your logo design responsive if you want it to use on apps and websites. To know more check out this demonstration by Anthony Calzadilla.
30. Don’t hope for instant success
Iconic logos like Audi, Puma and Nike did not turn out to be successful overnight. Logos cannot gain instant fame even if you have designed the best one. It depends on many factors like the product’s success, its reach and impact on customers. Work on all these points in addition to designing your logo.