Logo designing for your company requires a lot of thought and a variety of different factors, such as color, typeface, font, image, and overall design or meaning. While it’s possible to get a crowdsourced logo for five dollars, you should remember that you get what you pay for.
Below are some tips to discuss with a professional graphic designer before commissioning him or her for your logo design project. Once you cover the basics, such as color and typeface, delve deeper into the design process to unleash the perfect logo for your business.
Logo Design Tip # One: Use Color Wisely
Color is an important consideration in logo design. Not only must it match as a palette, but it must not clash with current marketing design colors, such as those on your website, brochure, or physical signage. Additionally, color carries a message and portrays ideas.
Take the time to fully explore color options if you are able to step outside of the brand requirements. And be certain that the logo works well in grayscale, also. Some individuals also prefer a single color version using solid black and white only, depending on the different ways the logo will be used.
Logo Design Tip # Two: Have a Custom Typeface
One tried and true way to allow your logo to have a unique look and feel is to request original, custom lettering. While there are many available typefaces that are unidentifiable, there are also quite a few that are recognizable by sight. You do not, for instance, want to use Comic Sans or Papyrus typefaces for your business logo. These are highly recognizable and will certainly take away from the originality that you are attempting to achieve.
Too often designers simply browse the font menu to find something that represents the company, but custom-made lettering adds a touch of originality to a logo design. Additionally, a hand-drawn type is more difficult to mimic, making knock-offs difficult, if not impossible.
Logo Design Tip # Three: Keep It Simple
While an intricate logo design certainly looks beautiful, sometimes a simple, yet powerful, design works better. Think of the Nike swoosh or BBC’s black box letters. They are highly recognizable, yet simple to create.
Don’t mistake a simple logo for a boring one. You still want to think outside the box and find a creative spin on the ordinary to make your logo stand out.
Logo Design Tip # Four: Create a Double Meaning
One way to make your logo stand out is to create a double meaning inside a simple design. Consider the Amazon logo, for instance. Beneath the lettering is an arrow, starting at the A in Amazon and pointing to the Z. It represents that the company sells everything from A to Z. But also, it is significant in that it is used to depict the smile on their customer’s face after using Amazon’s service.
Consumers enjoy the clever interpretation of a concept that melds two ideas into one design, so consider this option while designing your logo.
Logo Design Tip # Five: Use Negative Space
Along the same lines as creating a double meaning with your logo is the idea of utilizing the negative, or white, space. The most obvious example of this concept is the FedEx logo. At first glance, the logo looks simply like the name of the company. However, upon closer inspection, you can see that in the white space between the E and the X, there is an arrow, signifying the delivery aspect of the company. This way to offer a subtle message is an excellent option in logo design.
Logo Design Tip # Six: Understand the Meaning
A good logo goes far beyond a pretty picture. It should represent the company and the brand in both obvious and hidden ways. Owners and designers both should put a lot of thought and logic into the creation of a logo. It can not only be fresh and fun but could also tie into the company’s core values and mission. After all, this logo will represent your company for years to come.