What Does It Take To Design A Great Logo?

So, you are all set out to design the latest logo. It seems like an easy enough task, right? Just draw a circle, type in the company name and you’re done (astonishingly many designers are working on this same very model today!). But think again. Another common misconception that we often see in the graphic designing world is that logo designing is all about creating a cool looking, chic logo for a company.

However, nothing can be farther from the truth! If you’re worth the money the client is paying you, there’s a lot more to it than that.

There’s a lot more to crafting a brand’s visual identity than just inserting a name in a square and calling it a day. Logo designers are in high demand, and it’s for good reason — a logo is often a company’s first impression, one that can impact a customer’s brand perception, purchase decisions, buying patterns and the overall attitude towards a product.

We live in a consumerist society visually ruled and painted with brand logos. Even toddlers who can’t pronounce their name yet, aptly recognize logos of their favorite brands or are able to infer what a company sells just by looking at its logo.

Great logo design requires a multifaceted mixture of design skills, creative theory and skillful application. Any designer worth their salt can create a fit-for-purpose logo, but truly becoming proficient at all aspects of the craft takes time.

Of course, logo design is just one component of branding – which has evolved since it’s early days to now integrate a dizzying number of activation points, from interior design right through to tone of voice on social media – but the logo, or brand mark, remains the centerpiece of most branding schemes since it’s the face of the brand. No matter what form of marketing a company opts for – whether its paid social media campaigns or google adverts, or electronic media marketing, in either of these cases it must stick to the same logo to create a stronger association with the brand by making it more familiar to the public.

Here is a million-dollar question for those who are about to embark on a brand design journey, or think it’s time for their company’s visual identity to undergo an overhaul: How do you as a serious professional stand out from the crowd and produce quality logos that don’t suck?

It’s crucial that extensive research is carried on pertaining to the intricacies of good logo creation – from the research phase, through the different stages of logo design craft, and finally the application of the mark, and what qualifies as a great logo before the mouse starts clicking on Photoshop for any new logo design project.

So here are 9 logo design tips to help you improve your branding work –Read on to find out.

1- Importance of color:

One of the most important considerations for logo design is the color palette simply because color is what carries meanings and communicates ideas.

It is common for a client to bound you to specific colors to be used, but other times you’ll have the freedom to explore.

Efficient use of colors grabs you and pull you in, bringing life to the illustration and giving further context to the shape of the landscape.

Bright and bold colors may grab someone’s attention, but may also seem to be brash; muted tones display sophistication, but could go unnoticed. Every color has a different implication and can bring nuance to your message — you shouldn’t end up conveying the wrong message because of a simple brush stroke.

Always consider what it is that the logo will be used for and when taking the brand’s personality into account, you must think about every aspect of the image especially the color – the most important one.

2- Avoid the Cliché:

Every few years or so, some new fads come along in logo design and we witness designers using the same idea over and over.

Why not use a design that you actually thought up yourself rather than ripping off what everyone else is doing?

3- Everybody Loves Custom Type:

There’s just about nothing that can give a logo a unique feel quite like some awesome custom lettering.

Custom type guarantees that your unique logo will stay that way. Amateur designers tend to copy your work in a heartbeat when they discover you are using a typeface.

4-  Simplicity is key:

Simple but powerful logos dominate the business world and always prove to be the best icons for standing the test of time.

A key example of such kinds of logos is, the Apple logo. The outline of an apple is nothing extraordinary or something that can be remembered for a long time.

It’s that missing bite that takes it to the next level, giving the logo character, making it unique, and driving the meaning deeper (computers and bytes, get it?). Without the bite, the apple is boring, with it, the apple is suddenly iconic.

Always think about how you can go that extra mile and turn any mediocre logo into an unmistakable brand mark.

5- Know What It Means:

Every great logo has a story behind it. Far beyond simply a pretty sketch, strong logos are filled with meaning, both obvious and hidden. For instance, the FedEx logo’s arrow indicates moving forward and making deliveries, the Apple logo has a “byte” missing, and the Twitter bird is flying in an upward trajectory.

You as a designer must be prepared to show a client how much thought and reasoning went into the logo that you produced for them.”

6- Studying the competition and making a unique logo:

It is best to research the target market and the competitors thoroughly – an area about which the client can provide ample information.

Perform a comparative analysis of all the logos in their competitive set. This research will determine the deep-rooted branding conventions in that market sector, and that can sometimes help your process by playing on familiar visual associations.

A logo is what helps distinguish a brand from its competitors, so it’s important that the image stands out from the rest — something many brands fail at, so bear in mind that many of the world’s most recognizable logo designs stand out specifically because they think out of the box. You must study the competition only to have an idea of the market standard, not to duplicate their work.

It is important is to create something you believe to be different from anything already out there. Though it is highly unlikely that what you create will be original, but that should be the goal instead of the opposite.

7- Developing a better understanding of the brand:

You must answer a few questions pertaining to the brand before moving on to the designing part.

Is the brand utility-driven or is it more focused on arousing emotion? Is it modern or quirky? What does the customer care about, and what does the brand aspire to be?

While it is helpful to stay up to date on design trends, it’s more vital to stay true to a brand’s overarching personality.

More than anything, a designer should know what the logo means. Every logo has a history, rife with meaning and purpose. Considering Apple, for instance — the fruit is missing a “byte.” Or Wikipedia, an unfinished globe of puzzle pieces covered with glyphs from different writing systems. Both logos are very simple, but have an added twist that circles back to their core ideology. The ideology which explains their vision and basically tells people what they are about!

8-   Compatibility with all platforms:

In the digital age, where logos appear on multiple devices and across social media, the design must be something that transcends paper. It must look great on different backgrounds, work for apps, icons, avatars and print, and it must be flexible in size. The visual can change slightly depending on where it is being viewed, but it should contain similar components always.

The design must be something that lasts through the ages and works with all upcoming technological advancements, but is open to small changes along the way.

9-  Don’t abruptly make changes when you don’t meet you’re the expectations of the desired reception:

History tells that even the most iconic logos took time to gain popularity. Logos don’t become instantly iconic, even if you’ve designed the most beautiful combination of vectors. The logo’s success also depends on the product’s success and the market in which it exists. Ultimately, iconic design status can only be achieved if the client fulfills their potential, too.

But what made the historically iconic logos look achieve their greatness? A look at how they originated makes us realize that they derived from a great understanding of brand principles. Nike designer Carolyn Davidson was told to create something that displayed motion and would look good on a shoe — hence, the swoosh while Audi represents the company’s four marques linked together.

The key is to be patient and not rush to make changes with your design just because you haven’t gotten the reception you expected.