Logo Design Tips

Logos can be described as visual icons that provide a unique identification element to a business or product. Logos provide quick visual recognition of a Company which in-turn builds branding. Business owners and overly enthusiastic artists can often go astray in their efforts to design the perfect logo. There are too many examples of logo designs that look uninspired, overtly abstract or seem to be nothing more than whimsical art. Many of these logos are designed without forethought into usage, application or even cost impact upon a business. So how do you create a logo that makes business sense? Consider following a few simple guidelines:

Remember that your logo is a business tool. Your design concept should begin with a commitment to portray your business as professional and competent. A logo is not an art piece! Avoid using elements that may give a "dated" look such as those 1970's flowers that were on so many Volkswagen Beetle cars. A logo design should take into consideration how, when and where the logo will be used. A logo has a cost impact upon your business from the day that it is introduced. There is more to designing a logo than simply hiring an artist or online art shop to assemble shapes and colors - it is a business decision.

Create your logo using vector graphics software. Simply put, images done in vector graphics can be resized and maintain design integrity. There is no loss in clarity, sharpness or definition and the file size remains constant. A common program for creating vector graphics is Adobe Illustrator. Software like Photoshop, which works in pixels, is better suite to working with photos and texture style areas. You can create your original image in any software but have it redone in a vector graphics format before you print or reproduce your logo. After all, a logo is all about sharp image.

Avoid complicated and intricate designs. A logo that is too intricate hinders rapid visual identification. The viewer is required to "study" the image in order to mentally process the image and relate its identification to a given company. Note the simplicity and high visual impact of the Nike "Swish", an excellent image. Another reason to avoid complicated designs is that they do not reduce well. A busy, intricate logo on the side of a company truck may look wonderful but when the same logo is reduced in size for use on a business card it may become a meaningless blob of ink. Keep it simple and clean.

Limit color selection to a maximum of three colors. Ideally use one or two colors but never more than three. There are three main reasons for this guideline. One, your printing costs for printing business cards, letterhead, envelops, labels, etc. are increased for every additional color that you require. Your "cheap" logo design could end up costing you a lot of money. Reason number two, your visual impact or even identification could be diminished or completely lost in some mediums. Consider a logo that has overlaid images of different colors - looks nice, right? What about when you fax your proposal or letter and your logo is now in a black and white realm? Does the black and white (grayscale) version still provide distinction? An example of lost-in-translation logo is a peacock used to promote color and via fax it ends up looking like a turkey. A final note on color selection is to carefully consider cultural and marketplace standards. For example, red may be lesser choice for a medical company due to the negative association of red to blood/danger whereas green might infer safety or a positive status.

Consistency and control in font usage. Do not use over two font styles, as it may be distracting and confusing. Try to use a standard font such as Times New Roman, Arial, etc. as it makes commercial reproduction of your image easier. Any font style should be sans serif and typically non-script to improve clarity in small format reproduction. An exception is a logo/name where the logo is the script font such as the trade name of a popular soft drink in a uniquely shaped bottle.

Check Trademark and Registration Rights. While a new logo runs a low statistical chance of violating any trademark or registration rights of any existing logo it is not a bad idea to make some effort to confirm this before you publish your new logo. And after you have settled on a final logo design you should take the effort to register or trademark your own logo. If you need an example of why then consider the yellow pages "Walking Fingers" logo. The design was never trademarked or registered and has no copyrights protection - it could have been, but wasn't - a huge loss of value for the original creators.

Get Real Services of Marietta, Georgia, specializes in small business consulting, marketing services, advertising, logo and website design for small to mid-sized businesses in the United States. For more information on this or related topics please contact their offices at 770.654.3223, send an e-mail to GetRealServices@bellsouth.net or visit http://www.GetRealServices.com

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Branding Information:

Related Articles

Franchising is Virtually Fraud Free
The number of complaints to the Federal Trade Commission on Franchising do not indicate ramped fraud in the franchising sector. The FTC before Congress gave a report showing that the number of complaints was fewer than one tenth of one percent, lower than any other industry.
Brilliant Branding Builds Business
Branding is more than product recognition or a simple logo. It is the overall intellectual and emotional impression people have when they think of your company and its product.
Build Customer Loyalty by Promoting Your Customers
Do you want to attract new customers while building greater loyalty among your current customers? Include your customers in your marketing and promotions. By creating greater awareness of your customers (and their businesses) you may help to build their businesses and increase their demand for your products and services.
What About Me? What You Need To Know About Me-Marketing
What about me? Are you asking yourself this question? If not you should be. Don't wait until you are in crisis mode when you are losing your job or your business before you think "what about me?"Here are a few points to consider.
Branding Strategy - Brand Identity
Today, in many organizations around the world, branding is treated as a cosmetic exercise only, and regarded merely as a new name, logo, stationary and possibly a new advertising campaign. But, to associate your "brand" with such superficial cosmetics is like saying that people are really only the sum of their name, face and sometimes their clothingBut branding is a thoughtful discipline that strongly belongs to the long-term strategy of an organization; brand strategy is, or should be, business strategy, and vice versa.
A Successful Failure
A successfully positioned business sometimes doesn't win a new client. And that, my friend, is the point.
All About Branding
In this article i will explain how you can make your brand an succes.Corporate branding.
Its Time For Some Steak
Recently, I was reviewing our website statistics. One of the sites that had a link to mine caught me by surprise.
Brand Components
Your brand is the culmination of everything about you and your business. It is how people come to know you.
Into The Limelight
To stand out in a cluttered world, become a recognized expertThere are millions of small businesses vying for our attention. Yet, because the marketplace is more discriminating and skeptical, it's hard to get noticed.
Im Just Starting, Why Do I Need a Logo Design?
Businesses eager to open often give little thought to their identity.With so much to get done, designing an appropriate logo hardly seemslike a top priority.
Differentiate and Dominate
Quite often small business owners will ask me to reveal the most powerful marketing strategy I have seen. I can say without hesitation that the most powerful marketing strategy has little to do with advertising, direct mail, web sites, referrals or blogs.
Branding 101: Why Its Critical to Business Success and How to Do It Right
What's Your Brand?A brand is a product/company personality that helps distinguish it from the competition. It evolves out of the product essence.
Brand Love, Part 2
Last issue, I talked about increasing your Brand Love-- meaning to increase the affection that prospects and customers feel toward your business.Why?Because increasing "affection" will build relationships.
Co-Branding in Automotive Service Businesses
In a world of co-branding, point of destination strategies and co-op marketing; all industries are evolving and diversifying to capture greater profits within a single brick and mortar location. The same strategies are used on the Internet only you can see it happen faster in real time on Internet web sites.
Pressure Washing Companies and Co-Branding
Pressure washing companies often miss what we call 'super niche' markets, those industries which very much need pressure washing services and are willing to pay top dollar for them. One such industry is the signage business.
Why Branding?
Having a concise, clear image that you project to your clients and customers is important in today's market. More and more people are leaving the job market and creating their own business, whether by choice or necessity, so the competition continues to expand.
Personal Branding: Characteristics of a Strong Personal Brand
How many times have you been at a networking function and been lost for words when asked "what do you do"?We all have. But do you see this as a threat or an opportunity?Developing a Personal Branding Statement or PBS can be a powerful way to help market yourself to prospects, clients or potential employers.
Mascots - The Killer Promotional Concept
Mascots are the unique dolls or puppets that help identify a sports team or a company. These carry the unique property of "Stickiness".
Eye On The Pie: Branding From an Investors P.O.V.
When building a business as a brand it's important to avoid a myopic view and consider another important aspect of the business game as well-- investing. After any amount of toil and hard work to create a valuable product, service or company the big game is when you go public-- when money-minded people want more, they want a piece of your brand pie.