Here are 10 useful logo design tips you should consider before starting to brainstorm on your logo design. Also, take note of the mistakes to avoid in a logo design.
Keep it simple. Simple logo designs can help to build a brand image in the minds of your consumers easily. These logo designs are simple and it stays in your memory easily, making it easier for consumers to recall and recognize your brand, increasing brand awareness.
Pick a color scheme unique to your brand and stick with it throughout, from your logo to your product packaging. Colors play a huge part in logo branding as it helps to build your brand identity. A consistent color scheme can help your logo stand out as it expresses your brand personality and contributes to brand recognition. Tip: Avoid picking your competitors’ brand colors.
Make sure your logo is effective in just one color. There are many situations when your logo needs to be colorless or in just one color. For instance, on newspapers ads (mostly black & white), words and graphics are typically either in black or grayscale. During such situations, a beautiful colored logo that is not effective in colorless versions can hardly stand out at all. It is thus very important for your logo to be versatile.
Picking the right font type is important (you can use ready-made selections to choose something of high quality). Your font type would depend on the type of product/service and your brand goal. Toys R Us sells fun and cute products targeted at children. The use of a casual and child-like font reflects the brand persona perfectly.
Make it relevant. The shapes or images you choose should match the product/service that you are selling. Here is a bad example:
A confusing logo: why is the fireplace associated with sushi?
A better example would be Asian Fusion Cuisine’s logo. No confusion here as the logo clearly tells us that the main product on sale is noodles.
Make it scalable. Your logo design should be clearly visible on big and small surfaces. For instance, if your logo design looks disproportionate when enlarged on a billboard advertisement, or appears too blurry when shrunk for a smaller sized ad, revisit your design again. Your design could either be too intricate or has a disproportionate aspect ratio.
Make use of logo symbolism. A good logo design should symbolise a story/idea behind it. For example, it could represent your company’s values and mission or your product concept. Check out Hyundai and Pinterest’s take on logo symbolism.
Hyundai’s logo represents customer trust and satisfaction
The pin shaped P in its logo reflects the main concept of Pinterest: Users come to the platform and pin something to a board
Avoid cliche designs. They are typically used too many times and lack authenticity. Check out the latest logo design trends to avoid hopping onto the bandwagon. It is always more sustainable to be creating an authentic logo from your own creativity.
Make use of white spaces creatively. Many big companies are making use of white spaces in their logo to convey more about their product/service or to symbolise something unique to the company.
Take a look at some good examples below:
The shape of a peacock since 1956 is cleverly preserved by using white spaces
Understand your brand personality well. The colors, fonts and other elements of the logo you design should reflect the essence of your brand. If your brand has a soft tone to it, bold colors like red would not reflect your brand personality accurately. Make sure you have a good understanding of what kind of brand image you want your company to potray, ie. think about how you want your brand to be portrayed to your audience. This will shape your logo design.
The choice of uneven geometric shapes and bold fonts reflect Harley Davidson’s rugged brand personality
After confirming your logo design, you can take it to the next level by animating your logo with effects. Sometimes, there is only that much you can do to showcase your brand with a single logo design. This is where animations come in. Check out OFFEO's Logo Templates!