How to Design an Effective Logo
Designing a logo is an important step in creating the branding for your company. It is often the first insight into your company that a potential client will see, and therefore it must be a good reflection of your company and the values you hold. Many businesses underestimate the power a logo can have, and many more fail to realise the time and work that goes into creating a successful logo.
This article will give you some tips and tricks in designing logos to perfectly represent your company.
Be unique
When designing your own logo, it’s common sense to look at other logos for inspiration. Whilst this is a great way to start your research, it is important to draw the line between getting ideas and simply copying aspects of another brand. When designing your logo, make sure it is unique. You don’t want someone to look at your logo and be reminded of another company!
Immerse yourself in the brand
In order to ensure that you’ve created the right logo for your brand, you need to fully know the company. If you are hiring a designer, explain what you want as clearly as you can. Giving a detailed brief will ensure that you’re satisfied with the design that you receive, and it will be less time-consuming than having to have the logo redesigned several times.
Consider your target market
Considering who your logo is designed to attract is vital to its success. A well-established lawyer wants to portray a professional and academic look to attract potential clients so would not use a colourful font or quirky motifs. A bar might use that style motif, but would avoid a formal look – unless, of course, the bar is aiming to attract a particularly high market clientele. Getting to know your audience is key to attracting their custom through your logo design.
Logotype & kerning
An effective and simple logo can be a logotype, which is the name of your business in a typeface that reflects your company. You can either choose an existing font – many companies use Helvetica – or create your own. You can connect, extend, or space your letters to create a unique logo, and even play with the typeface to create a simple image. When using writing in logos, it is important to remember kerning – error in spacing your letters can making your otherwise perfect logo a bit of a disaster.
Choose a colour palette
When designing a logo, consider the colour palette you will use. Colours have the ability to raise certain emotions – for example, red signifies anger or passion whilst white is associated with cleanliness and neatness. Make sure the colours you choose are reflective of the brand’s qualities. It is a good idea to do your initial designing in black and white to get a true reaction to the design rather than the feelings the colours raise. Another tip is to try your design in many different colours, all in one colour, or even reversed so that the dark colours are light and the light colours are dark. This enables you to fully explore the way your logo can look if changes were to made to the company’s colour scheme. Is your logo still effective?
An effective logo:
- follows Kelly Johnson’s famous K.I.S.S principle of design ‘Keep It Simple, Stupid’
- is memorable
- is enduring and classic
- is versatile
- is appropriate
Now that you’ve got your perfect logo penned and ready to go, Midway Clothing & Promotions are here to help you get it seen! We specialise in creating promotional items, including mugs, bags, pens, umbrellas and much, much more to ensure that your logo gets the exposure it needs. For more information on our services, contact us here today.