One of the most important elements of any brand image is the logo. The most well known businesses in the world have the most recognisable logos, some so recognisable that even with elements missing we can still establish what the brand is – hence the ‘guess the logo’ games.
Know your brand and its image
The first step in designing a logo is to understand the brand. Is the brand trying to give off a high-end feel to its customers? What type of industry is the brand in? Who is the target audience? These are just some of the questions you need to ask yourself in order to build the foundation of your logo. Researching other brands that emit a similar feel to your brand can help to build a better understanding of the potential styles or colours that would be best suited to your logo.
Simplicity
When it comes to logos, simplicity goes a long way. Over complicating your logo will do you no favours in making your brand recognisable. It will also affect the general mood or ‘feeling’ your clients get when they see your logo. Busy logos look cluttered and messy, and this is obviously not what you want your brand to represent, so keep simplicity in mind. A good logo should consist of 1-2 colours and a clear, legible font.
Colouring
Colour choice for the logo is one of the most vital features when it comes to design. You first need to understand Colour Theory. Each different colour emanates its own emotions and feelings.
Yellow: Gives the feeling of optimism, clarity, creativity and warmth.
Orange: Tends to emit a friendly, cheerful and confident energy.
Red: A bold, exciting and passionate colour.
Blue: Trust, strength and security.
Green: Emits a healthy, natural and fresh feeling.
Purple: Royalty, Luxurious and wise emotions.
Grey: Gives off feelings of authority, stability and stability.
Black: Power, sophistication and death.
White: Is a hopeful, simple and clean colour.
Sizing and Scale
Your logo will need to be scalable and look good both large scale and small scale. It needs to be clear when small enough to fit on a business card, and just as clear and impressive when as large as a TV screen or a poster. You will need to consider where the logo is going to be placed. If it is going to be found on smaller surfaces such as a key ring, a pen, or a letterhead. Getting a logo to appear presentable is much harder on a smaller scale, so it is best to start here and then you can work your way up the sizes with any necessary changes.
Typography
If you are planning to use a wordmark logo style, it is essential to find the right font and sizing to use. Your font needs to be unique without being to obscure. There are thousands of different fonts online that are free to use, and the best way to approach it is to look at other successful wordmark logos that you can draw inspiration from and then search for similar styles. This will help you to narrow your options down and save you valuable time.
Another useful tip to improve your design is to use more than one font. By using two fonts you can break up the text in the logo, further improving the aesthetic appeal. This technique paired with a change in colour creates a nice contrast, for example in the Tompkins Knight and Son Logo, we used Serif Font in Black and contrasted it with San Serif in Teal. Another useful font combination that we have used is Roboto and Merriweather.
Variations
Throughout the process of making the logo, you should be making constant changes and different takes on the logo. Even if they are extremely similar, the smallest of changes could make a huge improvement. Tools such as Photoshop and Illustrator are extremely powerful tools, and the possibilities are endless, so don’t be afraid to take risks and be unique.
As long as you keep these points in mind, you should find that your logo design experience will be a lot smoother and you will find yourself with a better final result. It is also important to remember that logo recognition is never instantaneous, and that practice makes perfect. It will take time to get the final variation, so never settle until you or the client is 100% happy with the results. You can view some of our very own logo design work by visiting our work page.
If you are looking for assistance in creating a new brand image or logo, contact the experts in web and logo design, Third Avenue Creative.