Picking your amazing logo can be one of the most frustrating parts of creating a business. It’s essentially the same concept as having a tattoo put across your forehead. I have listed my 7 most important logo tips for you to read and critique.
So let’s get started!
Logo Tips 1: Be Enticing
Your SEO logo must appeal to your target audience. The example that I have always used is the Red Bull logo. They have designed the perfect logo for their target audience; young males who like to live on the edge or aspire to do so.
The Red Bull logo reflects precisely this. Their amazing logo is masculine and powerful! I mean, what is more masculine than two bulls with large horns charging at each other in front of something that resembles the sun? There’s no other logo like it.
Logo Tips 2: Be Unique
Avoid obvious design choices and cliches. This is an easy trap to fall into; you’re a new business that renovates houses and you want a new logo. Most people would immediately put an image of a house front and centre of the logo, right? Well, this isn’t the way to go.
Make your logo memorable. Design your logo distinctively so that it catches prospects’ eyes even in a sea of other logos. This is probably one of the hardest parts of designing a logo as it involves a lot of trial and error. But I personally found that creating as many different logos as possible helped so then I could choose specific parts that I liked and disliked. I then refined and redesigned until I found one that I would have been happy to have slapped above the door.
You could even say that my business doesn’t have a memorable logo as it is just white writing in a blue box!
Logo Tips 3: Be Timeless
Make your logos eternally relevant. Great logos are timeless and age like a fine wine. Companies like Nike, Coca Cola, Apple and many more have really taken this to heart which is why their logos have changed minimally throughout their entire existence. This also doesn’t mean just taking a font like Coke or McDonalds and using that. It can backfire in this hilarious skit by SNL featuring Ryan Gosling which you can watch here.
Avoid trendy fonts and design elements. Trends die out fast. Brush script fonts and 3D designs now look tired and outdated.
Logo Tips 4: Be New
Strive for boldness with your design. People should be transfixed by your logo’s uniqueness.
I believe that new app companies these days have got this really nailed, they’re really pushing new logo designs to a new area every day. If older companies like Coca Cola were created today they would in no way be using the old school font of yesteryear. The new Coca Cola would be some sort of perfectly square, minimalist design like Tinder or Facebook.
This is why it’s important to really be ahead of the curve of logo design. Look at new app companies that have been purchased by larger corporations and see what sort of thing they are doing as they might be next Instagram or Tik Tok.
Logo Tips 5: Be Simple
Don’t be too busy. Remember less is more. This is one of the easier logo tips to remember. Different people have had different variations of this in design work for many many years. Some of my favourites are “Keep it simple, stupid” and “if a child cant draw it from memory, it’s too complicated”
Say one thing. Have one message. Focus on a single, clear concept, not multiple messages at once. A perfect example of this would be the I love NY logo that was everywhere at one point in time. It was a perfect logo that was on everything from t-shirts to hats. A big reason that it was everywhere was that it has one message. Everyone from New York wanted to rep their city and it made people who didn’t live in New York want to be from New York.
Be Consistent
Use your design to reinforce your brand.
I personally find this a little harder to get right as it can be limited to numerous different factors, but the main idea behind it is to push your brand further with the logo. For example, Burger King’s logo is also a burger. The yellow/orange top and bottom that is meant to represent the buns and the red “Burger King” lettering symbolises a beef patty. It’s very hard to unsee when you’ve seen it.
Another brand that has reinforced their brand with their logo is Apple. The story behind the apple logo is that it is meant to represent knowledge. And what item represents knowledge more than an Apple? it’s the fruit that is always seen on the desks of teachers in representations throughout media. There are many different versions of the story about how the Apple logo came about but unfortunately are untrue, according to apple that is. One of the stories is that the logo is meant to represent the apple that fell in front of Isaac Newton. Another story is that the apple is a tribute to Alan Turning. He is the father of modern computing and pioneering research that helped the allies win the war. But unfortunately, they are untrue. regardless, the apple is a sign of knowledge and reinforces the brands’ vision of knowledge.
Have the correct balance of white space.
This is a design sin that can be seen throughout logos everywhere! I challenge you to look around and take notice of the logos around you and I’m sure you will notice many businesses making this error. An unbalanced image can completely throw off your entire logo and make your brand look unfocused and messy even to the untrained eye.
Take advantage of shape psychology.
Different shapes give us all different subconscious feelings. With the right branding, the shape of your logo can direct the eye from one element to the next, create a sense of depth and connect with your audience on a deeper level.
Circles
Circles seem softer and more welcoming than harshly-angled shapes like triangles and squares so they envoke positive emotional messages. Circles are also consistent and sturdy — they don’t have any breaks or turns. This can make your business appear more reliable. Circles communicate an important bond when used in logo design.
Squares
Another inherently popular logo design shape is the square. Squares are used to depict ideas of professionalism, balance, and proportion. A square or even a rectangle can be enough to inspire trust in an audience searching for strength and safety. After all, some of the most “secure” things in the world are square, such as safes, houses, or vaults.
Triangles
Triangles are a much less popular shape in logo design – but that doesn’t make them any less appealing. When used for your logo shapes, triangles can inspire many different ideas, including dynamic power, a sense of hierarchy, and continuous motion or improvement. Think of the pyramids are they could possibly be the most famous “triangles” in history.
Use fonts to convey the right message.
Disney is one of the most recognisable brands in the world. Their amazing logo invokes all sorts of emotions relating to fun and has a cartoonish shape. But what if it didn’t?
It just doesn’t work! That’s not the Disney we know and love. If Disney changed their amazing logo to the above then people would instantly think that they have become too corporate and it would harm the company’s image.
Use colour to reinforce your message.
Colour can make or break your amazing logo. Think of Coca Cola in yellow or McDonalds in blue and green. It just doesn’t work. These brands identities are attached to these colours and are subconsciously burned into our brains. See below for what each colour represents.
Be Adaptable
Does the logo still look good whether it’s small or large? Out of all of these amazing logo tips, this one is vital. Imagine building a brand for years and you’re about to purchase an ad the size of a building in times square. Your ad goes up and your logo looks awful at that size, what do you do? Or think of the reverse, you send out an invoice to your first client and your logo doesn’t look right small at the top of the page, again, what do you do?
Does it still look good in black and white? This is another similar point that can also affect your logo design. It’s vital that your logo still looks like your logo in any colour especially in black.
End.
I hope that these logo tips have been as useful to you as they have to me. If you want more logo tips and design don’t hesitate to ask.
If you would like me to discuss something specific that I haven’t mentioned here give me an email at ben@runaway-digital.com.
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