Have you seen a brand without a logo? Of course not! A logo casts a significant impact on how people recognize your brand. So, it’s natural that you want your brand mark to be outstanding. But designing a logo can be challenging. There are many things to decide from doing competitive research thoroughly to choosing fonts, colors, and icons. To help you out with your logo design, we have created a list of top expert tips. Scroll down to know more.
Understand the need & lay the groundwork
Your logo is the first thing that people will notice when they come in contact with your brand. For designers, every project is a new opportunity to learn new things. Not two clients are the same. Even in the same profession, people implement different thought processes and do their work differently.
One of the most exciting parts of being a designer is learning new things with each new project. Every client is different, and even in the same profession, people do their jobs in different ways.
To ease the process of design, you need to ask the client the right questions from the start — what is your brand all about? What do you do? And, how do you do it? Who your target audience is? What makes you different and more.
These questions are generic, but they pave the way for a meaningful logo design. Remember, what you question in the initial phase will determine the design of your logo.
Stick to sketchpad
Using a sketchpad gives rest to your eyes. It means the sketchpad gives you a break from the bright glare of the computer. Although a digital device may seem handy to use when you wake up in the night with an idea of the design, sketching it on paper using a pen is the right way to memorize it.
Sketching also makes it easier for you to place things where you exactly want them to. Later, you can digitize them according to your needs.
You can also share a sketch or two to describe the brand mark design to your client. It makes them visualize the result without any distraction. Instead of sharing too many details, share only the best ideas.
Keep it simple, recognizable
Simplicity is the foundation of easy recognition. In this cut-throat competitive world, when every brand tries to win customer attention, having a complex logo design will lower the chances. As a business owner, you want to allow the audience to memorize a brand mark after a glance. But that’s not possible if your logo design is packed with too many elements.
A logo has to be focused, share a brand story, and be simple in design. Why simple? It is because the logo needs to work in a range of applications and different sizes.
Consider Apple’s logo. It’s just an apple shape with a bite, and people recognize its product in just one glance. The same goes for McDonald’s golden arches.
Be unique
You can spot many companies using a specific typographic style, exact color palette, or symbol placed along with the brand name in the market. But, if you want to be memorable, don’t follow the same pattern. Instead, do something different. With it, you can set your brand apart from others.
Even if you try to blend in, it doesn’t mean your task has become more accessible. Only brave brands can break the monotony. By differentiating your portfolio from other brands, you improve your chances of attracting more customers.
It must spark a conversation
Your logo should reveal who you are as a brand in just a single glance. So it has to have something for people who look at it. Explaining the simple idea related to the product or business a logo represents; adds to recognizability. Apart from that, a good logo sparks conversation and tells a brand story.
Think of the broader brand identity
A logo is a mark that will be placed at many places, right from a business card to a brochure, app icon, website, and more. Your client presentation needs to have various touch points to show how the brand mark appears when the target audience looks at it. In terms of branding, it can appear on many potential items/products. But when you don’t want to show the logo, always consider how brand identity works. One way to achieve a cohesive look is to use a symbol in the logo. Another way is to create a custom typeface that is used in the logo and marketing headlines too.
Be distinct & timeless
A brand isn’t just about a logo but the emotional space a brand holds within its customer’s mind. It acts as a catalyst to a big brand story and a rich brand experience. A good logo has four qualities that are:
- Simplicity — Great logos are timeless, iconic, and the center from which other brand elements spring from.
- Relevancy — It’s not only the logo that does all the branding work but also the image, colors, ideas, and expression that get stuck in your customer’s mind.
- Memorability — Great logos are easy to recognize and are memorable.
- Scalability — The best logos are the ones that can easily be resized. They look great in every size.
Consider your target audience
The best branding practices focus on or connect with the most specific audience, not everyone. A highly focused logo directed at your target audience will connect easily. In fact, the message, tone, and medium should all be aligned accordingly for that business logo to succeed.
Forget about your personal preference or style and focus on who you are attracting. It means, bring in your audience and get yourself out of the logo design.
Get others’ opinion
When you’re creating a logo using a logo maker or other tools, it is possible that you may overlook some important details. So, it’s always better to get a second opinion to identify the things that you’ve missed. Once your logo concept is ready, always take time to check if there are any hidden meanings, words, or cultural misunderstandings.
Create an affirmative perception
A good logo gives a strong impression of who you really are. The brand mark needs to create a positive perception of your business purpose. It should also be flexible to apply it across all your touch points like social media, content, website, label, etc.
Conclusion
We hope the earlier-said logo design tips will help you create a meaningful logo. If you have any tips, don’t hesitate to share them with us in the comment section below. Also, check logo designs at Designhill for further inspiration and ideas.
