What Makes a Great Logo Design?

Your logo is a visual symbol that identifies your brand. It clearly communicates who you are and what you do and tells the story of your brand’s values, personality, and purpose. It can help you stand out in a crowded market space and build brand recognition and loyalty over time. With so much on the line, you should pay a designer and get a good one. But before you do, there are a few things you should know.

KISS: Keep It Simple Silly

L,ess is more in this case. Keep your logo simple. It should be easy to recognize and read. A simple logo is often more memorable than a complex one. Avoid using too many colors, fonts, or graphic elements. Simple doesn’t necessarily mean minimalist either, but rather both the words and image focused on a clear, concise, and intentional message.

Think Different

It’s not just a tagline for Apple. A great logo design should be unique and different. It shouldn’t look similar to any other logos out there. It’s representative of your brand’s personality, values, and target audience.

Avoid using generic or clip-art images or Canva. Although good if you’re on shoestring budget and a prayer, your rights to your Canva logo are non-exclusive.  In other words, the shop around the corner could come up with very same design, plus you won’t be able to trademark it. Read the ins and outs of creating your logo in Canva here before you go this route.

Scalable

A great logo design should be scalable and look fabulous at different sizes, from a business card to a billboard it should look crisp, clear, and easy to read and recognizable. Ask your designer to provide you with a vector file such as an Adobe Illustrator (AI), EPS, or SVG file.

Timeless 

A great logo design is timeless and won’t be outdated after just a few years. It can withstand changes in design trends and still look relevant and modern. It’ll grow with your business and evolve over time. Plus, always chasing design trends can be costly, especially in the social media age where trends come and go in the blink of an eye.

Great examples of timeless logos are Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, and Apple. Other than the 1976 Apple logo their evolution has been minimal.

Relevant

Understand your brand before you start. Make sure you you have a vision of your brand’s personality, values, target audience, and overall goals. Your logo should reflect the essence of your brand and business. 

Flexible 

A great logo design should be versatile and adaptable to different situations. It should work in different color schemes, and backgrounds, and across various applications, from your business card to a billboard. It should also be easily reproduced in black and white. too

Before finalizing the design, test the logo on different backgrounds, sizes to ensure it works well no matter what situation you throw it in. Check out the examples below of McDonald’s logo from their favicon to the billboard off the highway those golden arches shine and are easy to recognize.

Make It Memorable 

Make your logo memorable and easily to identify. It should leave a lasting impression on viewers and help them remember your brand.

But what does this really mean? The most memorable logos communicate visually first and are simple in their design. Overcomplicating a logo makes it cluttered and busy.

See the example above for the Apple logo. The woodcut is pretty and relevant but your eyes bounce around not knowing where to focus. The simple apple with a bite out of it is an improvement because it says “Apple” right away.

Your logo isn’t the time or place to make people guess at what you’re trying to communicate. Like a bad vanity plate they shouldn’t have to guess at what the heck you’re trying to say. (This is a pet peeve of mine by the way, what is the point?!)

Choosing Colors for Your Logo

Try to stick with 1–3 colors maximum for your logo to avoid it becoming too busy.

Most brands use two colors in their logos. Starbucks is green and white. Barbie owns Pink. Lego uses three below. I like how the colors “stack” onto one another just like their bricks but the logo type is unique and playful.

Consider the following when choosing a your logo colors—

1. 1. 1. How do you want your audience to feel?
      2. What does the color you choose say about your brand?
      3. What colors are your competitors using?
      4. Are the colors you’re choosing too trendy?
      5. Do the colors work well together?

The key takeaway is before you get started think about your business needs and your brand’s personality so your logo will help you build a brand that will resonate with your audience and grow with your business over time. Wondering what to logo for in a logo designer? Click here.

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