There are a number of important things to remember when designing a logo, or having a logo designed for you. These are the types of things we take into consideration whenever we design a logo for our clients.
- It has to work big or small: One of the biggest mistakes when designing a logo is that all of its uses are not taken into consideration. A design that has a lot of small details might not read well at a small size. Most logos need to be used on anything as small as a business card or sticker and anything as large as an HD Television screen or a Billboard.
- Don’t clutter it: A logo should be simple and clean. A cluttered logo is hard to remember and it’s hard to understand. This where it fits, a cluttered logo limits where it can be used and how much space is needed to fit the logo on business cards and websites.
- It has to work black & white as well as in color: A lot of people want to skip to the last step and see their logo in color with a ton of effects on it. A logo should look good in black and white alone, over embellishing it to cover up its flaws is bad design. Get a good design in black and white before going in color.
- It should be memorable: It is important that your logo is memorable. If it’s not, it fails. To do this, your logo should stand out as being unique in some way.
Most companies use one, two or a combination of all three of the following types of logos. Many logos will include text with a graphic logo while also occasionally using an illustrative logo. This can be good for many reasons. Perhaps early on in the companies history they will use the illustrative logo more because it says more about what the business does, then in later years, they switch to a graphic or font-based logo to build brand recognition further with a simpler more straight forward design.
- Illustrative Logo: describes what you do with imagery. Sometimes this is literal, sometimes it is figurative. Either way, it illustrates what you do. A good example would be a running show company whose logo is a silhouette of a person running.
- Graphic Logo: abstract graphic that represents your company. This is usually very simple and while it might not always be a recognizable shape, it should evoke the feeling of your company. A good example would be a running shoe company who uses a slashing or swooping shape as a logo. Another good example could be an investment company who uses a bull for their logo. The bull is strong and stable, as are their investments.
- Font-Based Logo: uses text to create the logo. This type of logo can also include imagery, although the majority of the logo would be made up of text. Often subtle changes to the shapes of letters can say more about the company. For example a running shoe company would have a font that is bold or italic to show strength or speed.
Thanks for reading, we hope you found this information to be helpful. If you are in need of a logo design company please feel free to give us a call to talk about your options. To view some of our work visit our Portfolio.
Tags: Graphic Design, Logo Design, Oregon, Portland, Web Design