Creating a logo is the ultimate graphic design challenge. You have to express a company, a culture, a message and a philosophy and get it to look good in a space less than an inch across.
Designing logos is like writing poetry. And just as with poetry writing: a lot of people do it; very few do it well.
Here are a few elements that are important in a logo:
Distinct
A logo is the first impression people will get of a company and therefore it needs to be distinct. This means it needs to be recognizable at the smallest size and it should work without color. If a logo is no good at a small size in black then no amount of color or effects will make it work. When reviewing logo options, get the graphic designer to send them to you all in black – it will make the decision making process easier.
Memorable
Of course, we would all like a memorable logo. David Airey says: “if you can’t describe what a logo looks like then how will you be able to remember it?” Just think about the world’s most memorable logos. You could describe them to a 7 year old child in seconds. In fact, a 7 year old child probably already knows them.
Creates the right impression
A logo needs to be relevant to the business in question. The logo creator needs to research the client’s industry before offering options. The logo for a bank would look very different to a logo for a night club.
Longevity
Most businesses would like to use their logo for decades rather than months. So logo designers should not follow recent trends unless they are particularly briefed to do so. They should try to choose a typeface that is not going to look dated in a years’ time.
What type of logo
There are three types of logos: Iconic/Symbolic, Logotype/Woodmark and Combination Marks.
- Iconic/Symbolic. These are icons and symbols that are used to represent the company over the company’s name. Examples of these are Apple, Nike’s swoosh and Shell.
- Logotype/Woodmark. A logo that incorporates the company name, for example, IBM, Coca-Cola, Sony.
- Combination Marks. A combination of the above two.
It is important to choose the right type of logo for the job. As a general rule, the longer the name of the company, the harder it will be for the designer to create a memorable and distinct logo. One of the remedies for this is to create a symbol to take center stage to minimize the awkwardness of the long company name.
Conclusion
As if all this wasn’t enough, the designer above all needs to create a logo that the client is proud of and loves. Creating a logo for a blog or a new company is like naming someone’s baby. The designer will be quickly forgotten after a less than satisfactory result. But, if the logo is distinct, memorable, relevant, long-lasting and much-loved, the client will be forever indebted.
Article by Rob Cubbon. Rob is a seasoned designer who runs his company Rob Cubbon Web Design London. Take a look at his logo designs. Contact us if you want to guest post on this blog.
18 comments
Wow man, very long and in depth post. Thank you, great job!
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This is a great discourse on logo design, which I thoroughly enjoyed. On the subject of iconic brand marks, I’d like to point out that the Nike “Swoosh” was not really received with much applause from the management of the company, but they were tiny and for $35 they decided to go with it anyway. The rest is history….
I did nt know that the Nike logo was designed for $35, now worth billions
Wow, me neither! That’s amazing
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What doues the above logo represent? A combination of Cat and an Apple?
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The lady who first designed the Nike “Swoosh” was eventually given a diamond Swoosh ring by Phil Knight, the founder, presumably because he thought $35 wasn’t quite enough for a universally recognized icon.
Thanks for the comments and thanks for letting me guest post ZK!
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I believe that it is very important to ask first the opinion of trusted people before using a logo. People can always provide sensible comments regarding logos and similar graphics
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I think an important element in the design of the logo is telling the viewer what the company does. Sounds fundamental, but I’ve seen too many logos where ya wonder what the company does exactly.
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Logo should represent about the company or may be some have deep link with the business.
Windows logo is the perfect example of it.
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Very nice and creative logos. I will make a site soon, I can think of working with this company.
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Looking at that “Logo Design” I can definitely recognize some of the letters for the brand they represent. So definitely “Memorable” is applying for me.
It is important to choose the right type of logo for the job. As a general rule, the longer the name of the company, the harder it will be for the designer to create a memorable and distinct logo.
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Now to define a good logo design we first need to understand the purpose of having a logo. A corporate logo is one of the most essential branding elements for your company. It should be instrumental in building your corporate identity and should successfully exude the company’s attitude. Your logo should be able to build a positive, strong and long lasting impression on existing and prospective customers. The very moment a person views your logo, even a part of it, he should think of your company. At LogoDesignZone.com, we get a team of professional designers who work tirelessly to give you most professional and catchy designs.
With all the opportunity of this post we wish to add our comment regarding company logo. We notice lately a percentage of people having a automatic logotype creation solutions. A lot of them are software applications created because of this or just random suggestions to make this happen create a logo set automatically. Even every website/company owner is the foremost person to understand the exact needs of his business, we would want to encourage people to look for professional help through design agencies and logo designers. The values are extremely affordable and also the results stunning. The 1st look is essential and people should see it just as one investment but not as a quick step they must complete automatically.
I really enjoyed reading the post “Elements of a good Logo Design”.
I would rate the points “Memorable” and “Longevity” as the two important factors of logo design.
A logo is forever and should be crafted with care. Since you should take different opinions and concepts from different ppl so crowdsourcing is the best approach.
Nice post!
These is very useful blog.kreativekrayons offers a quality web service that includes Custom Logo Design, Product Packaging Design, Website Development Services for Start-Ups and Small Businesses.
great points, and i enjoy the graphic combination of famous logos that we all know. thanks for the post.
Great effort! I must say these are such a incredible logo designs..they go a long way in building a brand
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