Best Logo Design Practices

A major part of any branding or marketing strategy is the creation of a new logo.

Logo's draw loyalty, bring out emotions, and help customers connect with brands. There's no question that huge brands like McDonald's and Nike wouldn't be where they are without their iconic logo's. Everyone is trying to find that secret formula to creating something that is appealing, delivers a message, and invokes feelings from everyone who views it.

That being said, too many businesses are missing the mark. Too often do brands put out a logo design that is difficult to process, confusing, or just plain ugly.

When rebranding or designing a new logo, there are some key things to remember if you want your logo to hold its own with the big players.

Keep the Design Simple but Clear

Lindon Leader, the American designer behind the FedEx logo says that "Great design is born of simplicity and clarity".

The fewer the visual elements in a logo design, the greater the impact. You want your logo to be recognizable, even if it is shrunk down to a thumbnail sized image. Too many visual elements or complexities in your design will get lost throughout different formats. A logo can't be effective if it loses all of its detail when it is scaled down.

Also, consider your audience. The more visual elements a logo has, the more information a viewer needs to process. You're not designing for your brand, you're designing for the people who will experience the brand.

Pay Attention to Colour

It's scientifically proven that colours evoke mood and feelings. Consider the feelings you want viewers to feel, then choose colours and shades that will help bring those feelings out. Beaches Resorts uses turquoise to reflect the colour of the ocean and evoke trust, Apple chooses black and white to reflect simplicity in their products, and UPS chooses shades of pale orange to inspire optimism towards their service.

When choosing colours for your logo design, try and use colours that are close together on a colour wheel, and don't go overboard with having too many colours. One or two is fine, and will avoid confusing viewers.

But don't rely on colour to complete your design. Just like your logo needs to look good both big and small, your logo is going to need to look good both in colour and in black and grey. As often as your logo will be viewed in colour, it will be viewed just as often without colour. Avoid your message getting lost half the time by making sure it is just as effective no matter how it is viewed.

Think Like a Minimalist

The goal of minimalism is visibility and economy – the ability to do more with less.

Many people confuse minimalism with the process of taking things away for the sake of taking things away. This couldn't be further from the truth. The goal isn't to strip everything away and create a logo that is so simple that the idea gets lost. The goal is to design a logo that conveys a highly targeted brand message, and not having to rely on lots of bells and whistles.

Start by sketching or writing down everything you want or think you need in your logo. Now, omit needless things from your design until it is leaned out, but still effective. Because in the end, your logo still needs to accomplish what you set out for.

Steve Jobs says it best, " Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works."

A well designed logo can do more than catch the eyes of new customers, but help brands connect with their customers on an emotional level. Working with a professional to consider all of the simple, yet complex elements that go into designing a new logo can end up being one of the best investments for your company.

To update your brand Contact us today for a free design quote! info@902advertisinggroup.com

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