A logo should be thought of as a visual representation of your company’s brand identity. It is the single most important part of brand development and as such, requires a delicate mixture of creative theory, descend design skills and a skillful application of said skills and theory into practice. A well-designed logo should be able to clearly communicate your company’s brand values and hopefully leave a lasting impression on any potential customer.
Table of Contents
1. What does a logo represent?
Your logo should never be used as a means of selling a specific product or a service, but rather as an identifier whose meaning is derived from the actual quality it represents. It should be effective with or without color and be suitable for printing in a variety of different sizes. A perfect logo needs to be appropriate, distinctive, practical, visually appealing and simple and its meaning should always be in the message it tries to convey.
2. Do your research
Whether you’re working with a freelance graphic designer or a professional agency, the first thing you should do is to let them get to know you a little better. Tell them all about your business, convey the vision you have for the company and tell them any detail that might help them create a unique representation of your company’s core beliefs and values. This includes any preferences regarding the size, shape and the color scheme, but may also include fonts, symbols, and pictures of logos that you find aesthetically appealing.
3. Chose an industry-appropriate design
No matter how gorgeous and jaw-dropping your logo might be, the design should always be appropriate for the company and your field of business. Besides reflecting the brand values, a good logo should also reflect your particular industry. Cartoonish logos are ideal for the food industry and sharp lines are often seen in the tech industry. That said, there is a very fine line between utilizing a specific set of industry-relevant design elements and having an industry-generic logo. Again, make sure you research your competition, that way you can at least get a general sense of what you’re up against.
4. Simplicity over everything
Simplicity is one of the core traits of an ideal logo. A clean and straightforward design is very important, as it allows potential customers to easily identify what your logo is trying to communicate. Chaotic and otherwise cluttered design can only harm your brand image and diminish your brand authority. Whether you choose a square, box or a circle is completely up to you and your design team. Some companies shape their logos to match the physical look of their products, while others rely on negative space to make the design pop out, while still remaining simple and easy on the eyes.
5. Timelessness and versatility
Trends may play a big role in determining which products are most likely to sell and when they’re going to sell. However, you should never allow trends to dictate what type of design you should use for your logo. Trends may come and go, but your company logo needs to be timeless. Versatility refers to the practice of applying your logo to different mediums as a form of advertisement. It doesn’t matter whether your logo will be featured on a single pen or used in bulk t-shirt printing, your logo should look exactly the same regardless of its shape, size or the type of materials it’s being printed on.
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Creating a perfect brand logo takes a lot of work and dedication. There are numerous factors that need to be considered, including the design itself, choosing the right color and contrast and picking the just the right industry-appropriate motif. If you know very little or nothing at all in regards to designing a logo, then you might want to consider hiring a decent freelance designer or a professional graphic design company.
