Tips for Designing Logos

Whether you’re thinking about updating your current logo or are in the midst of developing a startup that requires a logo, it’s essential that the design for your logo is captivating and memorable. Everyone knows what the logos for Nike, Apple, and Google are, which is a small part of why these brands are able to retain their immense popularity.

The following provides 10 tips and guidelines that should help you design an effective logo for your business or brand.

#1. Focus On Simplicity

Among the most important elements of modern design is simplicity, which is particularly true when taking logo design into account. While you want your logo to stand out, it should never be too complex. The key to a simple logo is to never use more than two different fonts and colors for your logo. A complex shape or a confusing color scheme will cause the person looking at the logo to spend too long doing so. The viewer should understand what the logo is trying to say after just one glance. A simple design also makes it easier for the logo to be remembered and recalled later on by your customers.

#2. Avoid Adding Creative Flourishes

While creativity is an important aspect of logo design, it’s recommended that you don’t overwork the logo, which occurs when you have too many creative flourishes. These flourishes include glow, shadow, bevel, and many other finishing touches that are simply unnecessary. Any added flourish takes away from the base message of the logo and can lessen the effectiveness of the design.

#3. Know Your Brand

Before even beginning to design a logo, you should understand your brand and what it’s about, which includes the personality of your brand. For instance, brands like Ford have a tough personality to go along with the popular trucks that they sell. On the other hand, some brands will have a softer tone to them. Your brand personality should be reflected in the logo that you design.

#4. Use Colors to Evoke Emotions

Colors invariably evoke different emotions, which is something that you need to understand in order to create a logo that will be effective for your brand. Since your logo should only include 1-2 colors, the colors that you choose will need to match your brand. For instance, red is typically seen as an energetic and aggressive color. If your business sells bedding and other housewares, you likely wouldn’t want to use red for your logo. Purple, pink, and even black may be better suited to your business, all of which evoke elegance and sophistication.

#5. Be Careful with Fonts

You’ll want to select your fonts carefully for your logo. While many logo designers choose to select a font at random, the typeface that you choose for your logo is important to get your brand personality across to customers. If you’re developing a logo that’s going to be paired with a rock band, the logo should have a striking and bold font to it that immediately stands out. It’s also important that you stay away from logos that are too showy. If the logo has a gimmick, it will likely be too confusing for your customers.

#6. Consider Using Online Resources

If you find that you’re stuck and unsure of how to design a logo that matches your brand, you should heavily consider using online resources. For instance, you could use a logo generator to obtain the perfect logo for your business. The best aspect of using a logo generator is that you should be able to find a logo in next to no time.

#7. Make Sure It Scales Well

The logo that you design for your business should immediately scale well. If your marketing campaign is going to extend to large billboards and movie screens, it’s essential that the logo is able to scale properly. If the design elements for the logo become less notable when blown up to a larger size, the logo will lose its effectiveness. It’s also important that the logo can easily be seen when placed on smaller promotional products like pens or water bottles.

#8. Analyze Competitor Logos

If your main competitor has been around for longer than you and is currently successful, it’s likely that they’ve already designed an effective logo. While it’s important that you don’t copy their logo, you should analyze the design and make note of the fonts and colors that they’re using. If your primary competition has a simple and sleek logo with only one color, you likely shouldn’t stray too far from this type of design.

#9. Match Logo With Target Audience

For a logo to be effective, it needs to match your company’s target audience. You shouldn’t try to make a logo that will appeal to everyone. Doing so risks alienating your core audience. If the message and tone of the logo design is based on what the primary demographic wants, you’ll be able to increase customer loyalty with your target audience.

#10. Avoid Being Too Generic

While simplicity is key if you want to create an effective logo design for your business or brand, it’s also very important that you avoid being too generic with your design. The logo will be the most visible component of your brand, which means that it should be memorable. A boring logo can quickly fade from mind, which will make it much more difficult for you to stay on top of the market.

With these tips and guidelines in mind, it should be easier for you to design a logo that matches your brand and meets the needs of your main audience.