A good logo design requires a combo of creativity, design skills and proper application of the two. If logo design sounded like an easy task when you first heard about it, think again. Creating the perfect logo is much more than drawing some shape and adding the company name in a nice font and color. If you want your logo to actually stick to the memory and be effective, there is much more to the process that meets the eye.
There are millions of logos you can look into, and you have probably seen hundreds of them until this point. However, if you want to stay away from those poor logos created by bad logo designers, here are some tips sourced from some of the best logo designs of all times.
1. Color is Important
One of the most important features of every good logo is its color. This is not a decision you should take lightly, because color is one of the best ways to communicate your idea and interest the audience.
Accorging to a research by the marketing and web design company WebPageFX, most people form a judgement about a product in a timeframe of 90 seconds of viewing. Interestingly, most of these people actually base this assessment on the colors used in the product. To be more specific, 80% of all people believe that it is color that invests most into brand recognition, while 85% think that color is the primary reason that convinces them to purchase a product.
Choosing the wrong color palette for your logo can completely ruin the design and the chances of your logo being recognized on a worldwide level. Of course, you should choose your logo design according to the thing you are trying to represent, but basically, this choice may be highly effective or detrimental to the final product.
Take for example the Zion Logo. Featuring an attractive combination of colors that bring life to the logo, this is definitely an example you should grasp inspiration from.
2. Be Unique
You should always strive to ‘own’ the logo you are creating. Of course, every design you have worked on will be your own creation, but make sure that your design is something recognizable, yet unique.
Take a look at the Evernote logo. The designer used somewhat of a common concept by placing an elephant in the design, but created a unique effect by drawing the elephant in a way that it is instantly recognizable. With its folded ear and the curled trunk, this popular logo is unforgettable.
Therefore, it is no shame if you use a generic idea. After all, you need to use something related to your business, and you are hardly the only person in that industry. However, make sure to give it a unique touch that will make your logo distinctive.
3. Use Custom Lettering
Lettering is equally important as color, sometimes even more. Do you know what happens to a logo that has the right colors, but is barely readable?
The answer is very simple – it is immediately forgotten.
If you want to achieve something with any kind of design, you must focus on both color and lettering. And when it comes to logo design, your best shot at creating a great logo is if you choose great custom lettering.
One of the most popular logos in the world has a great lettering. The Coca Cola Company did much more than the amazing drink and their popular commercials – they created a logo everyone tries to rip off.
Well, there you have it! Try to create lettering that everyone will try to copy.
4. Don’t Forget about Proportion
Don’t allow yourself to get carried away! Eric Smith from AussieWritings states that “Even if you do your best with your color and lettering choices, you cannot forget about proportion. If you want to create an unforgettable logo design, you need to make sure it is well balanced and have symmetrical arcs and curves”.
The new Twitter logo is a great example of properly proportioned logo designed. The circles in the photo provide designers with an idea on how to bring symmetry to a logo design.
5. Keep it Simple
No complex logo design can be a good logo design. Just because you are given the task of designing something doesn’t mean that you need to show your illustrational skills at their best. After all, you need to create simplicity that will remain in the mind of people and build recognition for the thing you are trying to present.
Our final tip is very simple – keep it simple! Some of the most recognized logos in the world like Nike and Apple’s logos are created by people who decided to go with the simple approach!
Now that you know the best tricks for designing good logos, start working on your popular logo design everyone will love. How you go about its creation is what will make you an awesome logo designer!