Tips & Mistakes to Avoid while designing a great logo

by Sam Mathur Blogger and Marketing Head

A logo can make or break a company’s brand strategy and efforts. But logo designing is an arduous process which demands time and constant improvement. Since there is no perfect formula to create a great logo, industry experts recommend learning from some of the best artists and their works. There are certain tips that can ensure an effective logo design. However, these rules are merely guidelines that can help you avoid design fiascos while elevating a good design into a legendary logo.

The following pointers can help you navigate this gruelling process and make sure to keep you away from the mistakes of logo designing:

1. Keep the focus on recognizability

A logo is a brand’s identity and acts as the face of the business. The best logos are easily recognized and recalled by the masses. Once the logo becomes recognizable, the audience can relate certain messages and emotions for the brand. Therefore as you design your brand’s logo, consider your audience and the brand message you wish to convey to them. For instance, logos for Chanel, Mercedes express luxury, Cadbury logo is instantly associated with sweets and chocolates.

2. The logo design must be simple yet not a cliche

The logos that are easily remembered consist of a simple design. Overly complex designs are difficult for the audience to understand and hence recall. Hence, it is advised to keep the design simple and not add too many complicated details. Take some of the iconic logos such as Google, Nike, Facebook, Mcdonalds, the logos for these brands are simple and hence people are able to recognize them in an instant.

Also, while creating a great logo, try to stay away from clichés. Although clichés are one of the simplest ways to make the logo relevant, at the same time, they prevent a logo from standing out from the rest. You can use a good logo maker to create a simple and effective logo design.

3. Check if the design is versatile

A logo has to be displayed on numerous platforms both print and digital media. From websites, favicons to monograms and billboards, the logo must be clear and appealing in all size and media. Various screens such as a tablet, smartphone, laptops etc. It should be concise and work effectively in all orientations, horizontal and vertical. The best way to make sure that the logo design is versatile is by considering if it would look appealing on a small sticker as well as a full-size billboard. Many logo generators have the option for users to view projected uses of the logo, such as on t-shirts, visiting cards, merchandise etc.

4. The aim should be to create a timeless design

Some logos become iconic and even reach more fame than their brand itself. While designing a logo, aim towards creating a logo which can stand the test of time. Such logos are created without the influence of volatile market trends. Consider the scope of change and flexibility in the logo design. How can the design be modified in the next 10, 20 or 50 years? Brands such as BMW, Coca Cola created iconic logos which have gone through minor changes and yet remained recognizable. Certain luxury and beauty logo designs have remained the same as their first logos.

5. Build your logo using a grid to make it pleasing

Grids are crucial in creating a symmetric and appealing logo design. Even logo designs such as Apple have been designed using grids. This ensures that the logo design remains undistorted while scaling up or down. Make sure that the curves are not overlapping or pixelated. If there are any imperfections in the logo structure, they would get magnified when scaled up to be displayed on trucks or billboards.

Professional logo designers always use grid systems while designing a logo in order to make sure that the logo design is symmetrical. And if you are a beginner or business owner, you can use an AI-based logo creator which takes care of using the grid while creating a design.

6. Start with a black and white design

Most of the designers create a logo first and then create the same design in black and white format. But the best designs are created when by initially creating a design in black and white or sketches. It gives a more detailed view to the designer and insight into the scope for changes in the design.

7. Never begin with a monogram

Brands often aim at creating a monogram right at the start in order to make the logo suitable for various media. However, this approach has been found to be ineffective. A new brand is yet to become identifiable amongst the audience during the nascent stages. While this has worked for brands such as KFC, Gucci, Volkswagen, and even brands like Revlon, it took them years and a great investment to achieve that kind of brand exposure.

8. Avoid using more than three colours

Using simple and minimalistic colour combinations can result in timeless and great logo designs. A good designer must follow the colour psychology and choose the logo colours wisely and make sure that there is a maximum of three complimenting colours being used in the logo. In fact, many luxury brands such as Jaguar, Rolex etc and umbrella brands such as P&G, Unilever choose to use only one colour in their logo. Similarly, many brands from the same industry prefer a certain colour family over others. Cosmetic companies and luxury fashion houses like Sephora, Chanel prefer black to express elegance. Toy manufacturers such as Funskool, Lego opt for red and yellow combinations which are attractive to children.

9. Use no more than two fonts in the logo design

There are over thousands of logos available today ranging from curved, script and professional fonts. A great logo must have a unique and preferably a single font. In order to create a clear and relatable logo, make sure to use no more than two fonts in the design. Choose a font family carefully based on the nature of your business. For instance, brands dealing in children’s toys and products, quirky fonts can be a great choice, similarly, for a beauty logo design, the font should be something fun or professional, classic and yet elegant such as the one used by Fenty Beauty.

10. Don’t create an acronym for your brand just yet

You may be tempted to create an acronym for your brand such as that used by IBM, LG, BMW etc, after all these are the brands that are inspirations for new businesses across the globe. But for a new brand, creating an acronym in the initial stages such as a monogram may prove to be futile. Instead, you can consider creating a mascot as done by Michelin tires. This can prove to be a common anchor for the brand over the years and make your brand more recognizable for the audience.

You can create a great logo by using these tips and give your brand strategy a substantial boost. Along with the above tips, also make sure that you are creating vector-based images instead of the pixel images. This will ensure that the design does not get rasterized. Even though these pointers can give you a head start, it is vital to remember that these are just that, some starting points. These are not hard set rules, consider what works best for your logo and let the creativity do its magic.