Five Elements of a Great Logo

This article covers the general principles of any effective logo.

Time and time again, logo design has proven prevalent in our society through brand association – the ability to, “…visually communicate the unique identity of [a] brand and what it represents.”

When designing a logo for your business or personal brand, consider the following guidelines…

1. Simple –– Great logos a simple, and simple logos are great.

What makes these six logos so recognizable?

• Your design should start off simple.
• Most Graphic Designers find it easier to create their logo first in black and white, then add color when ready.
• Color is an important element. Use it wisely.

2. Memorable — Can you draw logos from Microsoft, Adidas, and Walmart from memory?

As reported in Adweek, “…memorable logos are 13 percent more likely to get consumers’ attention, 7 percent more likely to make them want to learn more about the brand, and 6 percent more likely to suggest a company is more unique than others in its category.”

• Since the purpose of art is communication, your design should be easy to read.
• Use colors which are appropriate and visually appealing.

3. Timeless –– Never go out of style.

• In Vox’s video shown above, you will hear about the story behind the Nike Swoosh. While the founders originally saw the logo, they paid the design student, Carolyn Davidson, $35 for her work. This shows that consistent branding needs to be supported by intuitive advertising, remaining consistent across all platforms your business uses.

4. Versatile –– Logo Designs need to be flexible.

• Keep in mind that your wordmark/logo will be displayed as small as a Favicon (small icon on every browser tab) to as large as a billboard.
• Need to be effective in many settings, crossing myriad language and cultural barriers.
• Design for many variations–sizes, color schemes, textures, animations, dimensions, etc.

5. Appropriate — Sometimes not so obvious.

• Use contrast so it is visually striking and viewable by all audiences.
• Make sure that your design is appropriate for all ages. Unsure about this? Just Google logo design fails.

Thanks for reading! — TechSolomon