What Makes a Great Logo?
As the face of your business, your logo should make a killer first impression. Your logo design is the first thing to establish your business’ identity. Like the old saying goes: “A picture is worth a thousand words.” A logo will say more about your company than a thousand words ever can. It will quietly and effectively reflect your company’s unique identity, message, service, product, and even where you’re going. Logos have a big job ahead of them. So, what makes them stand out?
There are 5 principles that make an effective logo:
MEMORABLE
If you look at a logo for 10 seconds and can’t re-draw it – or describe it with accuracy – then it’s too complex to be remembered. So, when creating a logo it’s very important that it remain simple, distinctive, and clear.
TIMELESS
When was the last time you heard, “I love your perm,”or “Oh man, those Skidz are rad”? Do yourself a favor and skip design bandwagons. A well-designed logo should endure the test of time by being relevant 5, 10 – even 50 years from now. We’ve all looked at our high-school photos and cringed; don’t put your logo through that torture!
ADAPTABLE
Your logo is the centerpiece of your brand. As such, it needs to be successful across a variety of applications. Ask yourself what your logo would look like, in color, in black and white, on a large billboard, or as an app icon. If you can confidently say that your logo will look incredible in all of these applications, then you, my friend, have a successful logo.
RELEVANT
A great logo needs to represent the company and easily be identified within the industry. Each industry has inherent clues that consumers naturally pick up on. For example, it would be appropriate to use bright colors and funky font for a daycare; those choices, however, would look strange in the real-estate market. A challenge of logo design is to make sure it fits into the industry yet stands out among competitors.
Your logo is a hard worker. It’s up late attracting new clients 24/7, grabbing their attention and supporting your business. So, invest the time and money developing a GREAT logo.
