The 6 Key Features Of A Strong Brand Logo
What do the world’s strongest and most successful brand logos have in common? I analyzed hundreds of logos to find the pattern.
What should a good logo look like? Which colors should it have? Should it be vertical or horizontal? Does it even matter?
Well, actually, a logo can look (almost) however you like, as long as it is consistently filled with positive associations. Even outright unattractive logos can end up being valued at astronomical numbers due to their strong association with well liked products and services.
This doesn’t mean you should be careless with your logo. A well-conceived and designed logo will give you a good head start as you begin to build your brand. Conversely, a poor logo can present you with a significant uphill battle.
Even though there are no simple answers to exactly what constitutes a strong logo; by examining hundreds of logos, I found that most of them actually meet six criteria.
1. It’s Clear And Simple
Most iconic logos are strikingly simple in their form: Nike, Apple, Adidas, FedEx, Ikea. A logo should ideally be so simple that anyone can easily draw it, and you should be able to scale it down to the size of a thumbnail without losing critical details and characteristics.
There are, of course examples of more complex logos that still work well, such as Starbucks, Ferrari and Ferrari, but as a rule of thumb; the simpler, the better
2. It Evokes Positive Associations
A good brand logo should create positive associations. This rarely happens by itself; it requires charging the logo with positive associations over a long time. However, it’s not wrong to try to incorporate positive signals in the logo itself if you can do it in a subtle and elegant way, and at least you should avoid designing a logo that evokes outright negative feelings.
Consider the arrow in the negative space between the “E” and “X” in FedEx, subtly indicating forward movement. Airbnb also tries to evoke positive associations with its upside-down heart symbol (combined with other more convoluted symbols).
Speaking of associations: It’s said that McDonald’s once considered dropping the Golden Arches, but marketing innovator Louis Cheskin advised against it. He believed the arches subconsciously made people think of a mother’s breasts; signaling warmth and security.
3. It’s Relevant
Whether abstract like Nike’s swoosh or concrete like Apple’s apple, the logo should be relevant to the product or brand. A grocery store shouldn’t have a logo reminiscent of an auto repair shop, and an accountant shouldn’t have a logo that suggests a death metal label. This doesn’t mean the logo must have a literal connection to the brand.
Apple doesn’t sell apples, but they offer you to take a bite out of the fruit of knowledge.
Similarly, it’s less important to understand that Nike’s swoosh symbolizes the wing of a Greek goddess than to feel the sense of speed, movement, and power it conveys.
4. It Has Good Pairing Of Typeface and Symbol
If the logo consists of a combination of text and symbol, it’s important that the typeface matches the symbol. A futuristic font and a medieval shield will likely send very mixed signals. A romantic font and a military symbol would be even stranger.
5. It’s Distinct And Unique
For a logo to work, it must stand out from all other logos. Often, small details are enough to create this distinction. Consider the letter E in Dell, the letter A in Samsung, the subtle arrowheads in Skoda’s S and A, or the little wing on Visa.
6. It Has Balanced Proportions
A logo that is too tall or too wide looks odd and is difficult to use in different contexts. A good shortcut to a balanced logo is to follow the golden ratio. This is a proportion between shapes and numbers found everywhere in nature and art. Unsurprisingly, you’ll also find it in many of the world’s most recognizable logos.
Just like in art, the golden ratio is sometimes used deliberately (like in Nvidia’s logo), and sometimes it just happens, simply because it is a form we are subconsciously drawn to and find harmonious and beautiful.
Another common proportion in logos is about 4:1. This ratio makes the logo feel balanced and makes it easy to use regardless if it’s on a website header, a business card, clothing or the side of a truck.
Bonus knowledge
I’m not the first to nerd out over logos. When the people at LogoFactory analyzed what the world’s top brand logos had in common over a decade ago, they also found that:
- 95% use one or two colors.
- Colors are evenly distributed between blue, red, and black.
- 41% consist only of text.
- 67% are horizontal.
- 93% are simple in form.
- Sans serif typefaces are the most commonly used.
Summary
Most of the world’s strongest brand logos share six key features.
- They are simple
- They evoke positive associations
- They are relevant
- They have a good pairing of text and symbol
- They are distinct and unique
- They have balanced proportions
- They consist of one or two colors
Keep reading
» How I used these six key features when creating a logo
