As a designer I get crazy design idea request for logos, brochures, menus, websites etc. It’s understandable because the public is not necessarily aware of the best design practices which why I was hired in the first place. Most of my clients are great and understand that my job is to take their vision and bring it to life. In reality my real goal is to take their vision and bring it to life in a way that they couldn’t even imagine. Then there are the other clients that are so clear about an idea that they have in their head that will only settle for just that vision and only that vision. There is nothing wrong with having a vision of your business you are supposed to . You are supposed to have a clear and concise vision not based on a trend that is happening now or what the competition is doing . Every brand has its own personality even if they are in the same business the brand has to have its own personality. McDonald’s , Burger King and Wendy’s all have different personalities even tho they sell similar products.
That personality begins with your logo. Your logo is supposed to separate you from your competition and create a relationship that will last with you’re audience. That relationship obviously is based on various factors but in some cases your logo is the first line of defense. When coming up with a logo ask yourself a number of questions.
DOES YOUR LOGO COMMUNICATE WHAT YOU DO CLEARLY?
WOULD YOU REMEMBER YOUR LOGO IF IT WASN’T YOURS ?
AM I SIMPLY FOLLOWING A TREND?
DO MY COLORS WORK ON MOST BACKGROUNDS?
WILL MY LOGO LOOK GOOD BIG OR SMALL?
The previous questions are exactly what I ask before I present design ideas to a client so in this blog I am going specify what not to do and the reasons why and by the end you will know what to think of when coming up with Ideas for a logo or at least be able to communicate your design ideas and reasons for them to your designer.
DO NOT ADD TOO MANY COLORS
Color is a good thing, of course, but when it comes to logo design, its best to keep your colors to 2 or 3 at the most. The rule of thumb is KEEP IT SIMPLE . Understand your logo must look good whether small or large if you look at it shrunken and it becomes blurry or mucky then you may too many colors.
AVOID UNNECESSARY WORDS
Wordiness doesn’t work in marketing copy, and it doesn’t work in logo design either. Think back to the logos we mentioned in the beginning. They work in large part because they’re simple. In today’s social media world we have very short attention span as well as limited space so if you can convey what it you do in the quickest shortest way possible your ahead of the game.
AVOID TRENDS
A trend can be anything that may be hot at the time whether its a words or fonts or color or style. Just like all trends eventually they disappear and become un-trendy (NOT SURE IF THATS A WORD?) but you understand what I mean.
DO NOT USE YOUR FAVORITE COLOR
Your favorite color may not convey the feeling or work in theory with the industry you are in. Understanding what colors invoke what emotions is something that is important and just using your favorite will not always work.
AVOID IMAGES THAT HAVE NO RELATIONSHIP TO YOUR BUSINESS.
So this is a big one. I once worked on a design after consulting a client abut their ideas and eventually had to bow out gracefully because the client was so head strong about having various elements 4 to be exact, be part of logo. None of which conveyed what business they were in . Refrain from using or wanting images that are part of your social, religious, spiritual or personal environment that have nothing to do with your business. Having image of your 101 year old grandmother holding her cat in your logo when your business is selling computers and cellphones can be a bit confusing.
HERE ARE A COUPLE OF THINGS YOU SHOULD DO WHEN THINKING ABOUT A LOGO
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- Use imagery that relates to your business
- Use fonts that fit the industry and tone of your business.
- Be mindful of where your logo will be presented i.e. BUSINESS CARDS , APPAREL, MARKETING MATERIAL all of those things will have to be taken in consideration when designing a logo
- Research your audience and your competition I wrote a blog how to do it check it out
- Get Feedback from others
- KEEP IT SIMPLE
- HIRE A PROFESSIONAL… remember you get what you pay for if it’s cheap 9 times out of ten you will get a cheap logo . Don’t spend millions but dont spend $40 expecting get a million dollar logo.