Your logo is a key piece of your brand’s marketing puzzle. It needs to be simple, recognizable and memorable. That may seem like a tall order, but the world’s most recognizable brands do it with ease. Consider the Starbucks or Nike logos. At a glance you can name the brand. You don’t even need to see the company name. How do you go about creating a logo that will do that for your brand? Here are 10 logo design tips for you:
1. Hire a professional logo designer.
It may seem like just another expense, but hiring a designer to create your logo will result in a professional image that holds up to the test of time. Even if you think you can design a logo on your own, you probably don’t have the same eye for detail that a professional designer does. Attempting to create your own logo, while appealing to your budget, can actually hurt your brand if it doesn’t look professional. Hiring a designer to create a logo doesn’t mean you don’t have a say in the process, though! A professional logo designer will work with you to develop logo options that fit your vision.
2. Consider your brand personality.
When developing a logo, the first and most important thing to consider is your brand. What values do you want to represent, as a company and brand? What are your business goals? Who is your target customer? What is your brand culture and personality? All these little things factor into your company logo design, and shape your overall brand image.
3. Choose colours that convey meaning.
One of the most important decisions you’ll make when designing a logo is selecting a colour palette. Before selecting your favourite colours, consider what they say about your brand and how they’ll make people feel. Is your brand passionate and forward thinking? Give red a try. Conservative and business-minded? Try blue. Upbeat and accessible? Yellow may be your colour. Whatever colours you decide to go with, think about why you’re choosing them.For more information on how the colours you choose for your logo reflect on your brand, check out this helpful article on social media blog site, Buffer.
Here’s a chart with examples of some of the most commonly used colours:
4. Understand how your target thinks.
As much as your business is central to creating an effective logo, think about how your customers will feel about it. Do some research on your target demographic and ensure you’re creating a logo that appeals to that preferred target market. Ultimately you’d like your customers to have a positive brand impression when they see your logo.
5. Make your logo unique.
Don’t attempt to imitate, parody or riff another logo when creating yours. A logo is your brand summed up in one image. You don’t want your customers to be thinking of other brands, or worse, how your logo is a rip-off of another brand’s when they see it. Focus on creating a logo that your customers can freely associate with your brand, without other associations. (In addition, you may incur legal expenses and trademark infringements when mimicking another company’s brand). Make your brand logo different! People are more likely to remember something that’s visually interesting and unlike anything they’ve seen before.
6. Be open to new ideas and concepts.
Having a clear vision for your logo is great. However, becoming focused on a single concept can result in a subpar logo. Keep an open mind and pick a logo based on its merits, rather than because it was the original. Remember: designing a logo is a process and the first option is rarely the best! A professional logo designer will provide you with several logo concepts to choose from. If the first batch isn’t quite perfect, your logo designer can tweak them to better represent your vision. Be sure to voice your opinion – your input ensures a better finished product!
7. Don’t try to be too trendy.
While having a logo that is fresh and modern is great, try not to veer into trendy territory. What’s cool today might be out of vogue tomorrow. You don’t want your logo to be dated in a matter of months or years. Build your company logo to be timeless and classic in any era.
8. Choose your typeface carefully.
Most businesses’ logos incorporate their brand name in some way. Some even opt for text-only logos; think Google or Coca-Cola. Believe it or not, the font you select can drastically change the look and feel of your logo. What typeface reflects your brand most accurately? Serif? Script? Bubble? Choosing the appropriate font establishes a tone for your brand.Whether you opt for a standard font or a custom one, ensure your company name is easily legible.
9. Consider all the places your logo appears.
When designing a logo it’s easy to pick a logo that looks great on a computer screen. But will it look good when you shrink it down for stationery and letterhead? How about when it appears in a newspaper in greyscale? Does it look good on both light and dark backgrounds? Can you embroider it easily for apparel? These are factors you should consider when creating your logo. Ensuring your logo looks great in any situation can save you a lot of headache down the road.
10. Test your logo, and get feedback!
As great as your logo might seem to you, not everyone is going to feel exactly the same. Once you’ve designed your brand logo be sure to get feedback and test how others feel about it. You might be surprised by some of the useful insights others have to offer!
Did you find our logo design tips helpful? Do you have tips of your own to share? Share your thoughts in the comments.
If you need help designing a professional logo for your business, contact the nearest Print Three centre to discuss your brand with a local marketing expert. During your marketing checkup, a Print Three expert will help you complete our brand identity workbook and guide you through designing a logo for your company.
