Did you know that 95% of business logos don’t show off their brand in a good or memorable way? Most logos don’t add anything to a company’s image, even though logos are one of the most important marketing strategies for a business.
The good news is that there are many ways to polish your business logo until it shines.
Several elements of a logo often go neglected during the design phase. We’ve gathered all of those elements down below to help guide you through the designing process. With our help, you’ll create a logo that stands against the test of time.
Check out everything you need to know down below
Tells a Story
When it comes to a good logo design, you want to focus on telling the story of your brand. It’s a promise you’re making to your customers. What is it about your company that makes it unique and interesting? What can your customers expect when interacting with your company?
By focusing on these kinds of questions, you’ll have a solid foundation for brainstorming a design. Remember that, with one look, your customers should have a good idea of what you’re offering. A dental office logo that uses junk food symbols tells the wrong story about the brand. It’s confusing for customers, and they’re likely to look for a different option. Think of the story you want to tell people through your logo’s design.
Keeps Target Audience in Mind
Another thing you’ll want to consider is your target audience. By focusing on your main customer demographic, you’ll achieve better results with your logo. Your target audience also gives you great insight on how to proceed with designing the logo.
If you offer products or services aimed at children, a logo with dark colors or adult themes isn’t a good choice. If you want to target women, you’d want to consider a softer color palette and feminine-leaning design elements.
Take a look at your most common customer and then see what kind of colors, shapes, and hobbies interests them. Ask them about their favorite logos when they next interact with your company. Gathering this kind of information is an excellent way to give you ideas on making the perfect logo for your biggest customers.
Simplicity
One of the most important elements of a good logo is the idea of simplicity. If the logo has too many things going on, it’ll look busy and confusing. Most people only need a few seconds to look at a logo and make a judgment call. They’ll know whether or not they want to learn more or if they want to ignore it.
The best way to make a good logo is to make it simple. When coming up with your logo design elements, try to see if it’ll work when you remove one or two of those elements. Combine ideas or eliminate them until you develop a logo that’s both simple and interesting.
It’ll take some experimentation to find the right kind of balance. Less is often more with a logo, so don’t be afraid to focus on only one or two elements. This kind of focus will make them stronger in the end!
Choice of Style
Do you have an idea of what logo style you prefer for your company? A unique logo is always the goal, but many logotypes will help give you a starting point regarding design choices.
The types of logos include:
- Logos made from a company’s initials
- Logos made from a company’s full name
- Logos made with a brand’s symbol
- Logos made with both a brand’s symbol and name or initials
- Logos made inside an emblem or badge
The good news is that there’s no right or wrong answer when choosing a logo style. All of these logo styles work when combined with the right design elements.
It’s all about finding the best way to execute the logo, regardless of the type of style you want to use. You can even take one of these typical styles and mix it with another one to create something new.
By understanding the foundation of the most successful logo styles, you’ll have a better chance to create something that works. It also gives you a good starting point if you’re uncertain where, to begin with designing a whole new logo for your company.
Bursting With Personality
With every decision you make about your logo, you want to think about your brand’s personality. Brand personality is such an important part of every successful business. Without it, your logo gets lost among the crowd of other similar brands and logos.
Does your brand focus on silly and fun values, or do you want your brand to be more serious and sophisticated? Do you prefer the personality to be a centre of peace and tranquillity, or do you want something zany and quirky?
Once you know the type of personality you want for your brand, it’s easier to make logo decisions. For example, a fun-based brand personality works great with vibrant and colorful design elements. A brand personality that’s a little more serious would want to avoid neons in their design.
If you choose a design opposite of your intended brand personality, it sends a mixed message to your customers. Instead of enjoying the logo, they’ll turn their attention elsewhere.
If you haven’t settled on a personality for your brand, now’s the time to start figuring it out. A personality is a great marketing tool that every business needs to succeed.
Interesting Shapes
A plain square isn’t all that innovative, but a square with a fun wiggle draws attention to itself. It is why you always want to pick interesting and new shapes. Some of the most successful logos use shapes within other shapes. When you look at first, you’ll only see the first. As you keep looking, you’ll see the other.
Some logos use two shapes to create a homage to the brand’s name playfully. There’s never a limit to the type of things you can combine to make something that’s perfect for your brand. Make sure to experiment until you find the right fit.
Evocative Colors
What do you want your customers to feel when they look at your logo? Do you want them to feel excited or passionate? Do you want them to feel calm and at ease? Colors have a subconscious effect on our mental state. Looking at certain colors can evoke certain emotions.
Blues can make a person think of calm waters, while reds are great at bringing up emotions of passion. Purples have a long history of being seen as luxurious and royal.
It’s also good to keep in mind that the shade of a color can make a big difference in the emotion it emulates. A pastel yellow looks calmer than lemon yellow and might not be a good choice if you want to create the idea of sunshine and excitement.
While color emotions aren’t an exact science, it’s still vital to be aware of the ways our minds connect colors to other memories and sensations. This way, you’ll always pick the right colors for your logo.
Balanced Color Combinations
Some logos prefer to use a precise color, but many logos make beautiful use of colour combinations. The problem with this is that sometimes those combinations backfire if you’re not careful. You want to pick color combinations that make your logo look seamless from every angle.
A good rule of thumb is to use colors near each other on the color wheel. For example, blues and greens rarely clash. Reds, yellows, and oranges all look great together. If you want to add more interest to your logo, use a color palette full of similar colors and add a color on the opposite side of the color wheel. Different tones of purple with a little bit of yellow thrown in is a cool way to make your logo stand out for all the right reasons.
Using an accent color like this creates contrast within the color scheme. It also makes your logo’s colors pop and attract the eye. More people will find themselves drawn to your logo when the color combinations work well!
Legible Fonts
A logo is only as good as its font. If you choose to use a font in your logo, you have to make it readable. No one wants to spend a minute trying to decipher what a logo says. They’d rather move on and look at something else.
Thousands of fonts are available these days, but legibility is the key to making a logo work for your company. A looping font may look beautiful, but it does you no good if no one can read what it says. The worst case is when people read the message wrong, thinking that the pretty loops depict different letters.
An illegible font makes it impossible for people to remember your brand’s name. You’ll always want to test your font in various sizes and distances. Place it on the opposite wall and see if you can make out the words. Ask people to decipher the text and see how many get it correct.
Even if you want your logo to be text-less, it’s good to think about the type of font you want for your company’s name. Sometimes certain products require a written name to work, so put some thought into it now to make it easier in the long run.
Makes an Impression
The best logos stay in the minds of those who look at them, even after they’ve looked away. You want a logo that makes an impression that lasts. When you’ve finished designing your logo, test it with people who’ve never seen the logo before. Have them look at the logo for only a few seconds, then take the visual away.
Show them logos from other companies for a few minutes. Then, ask them to recall your specific logo. If they cannot remember anything about the logo, then it’s time to go back to the drawing board. If they can remember one element of the logo, you know that you’re on the right track. Keep altering the logo until it makes a lasting impression on all your potential customers.
Versatility and Flexibility
What do you plan to do with your logo once you’ve designed it? If you want to start marketing right away, you’ll need to create a logo that works well in various formats and products. You’ll need to test your logo in as many places as possible to make sure it doesn’t deteriorate in readability.
Mobile devices, webpages, t-shirts, hats, business cards, and billboard advertisements are only the beginning of the things you’ll want to test. If the logo doesn’t look good in all shapes and sizes, you’ll want to redesign it to have ultimate versatility.
It’s also crucial to test your logo in different styles and color schemes. It is good when you want to offer your logo on products in a color that clashes with your normal logo style. It needs to be flexible to use your logo for anything and everything you need.
Final Thoughts:
Now that you understand the most important logo elements, you’ll propel your brand miles ahead of your competitors. You know how to improve the overall look of your logo and extend its reach across the market.
Plus, a good logo builds a stronger relationship between your brand and your customers. Don’t forget to browse around the rest of our Business and Digital Marketing sections to help you achieve all your company’s goals.
