The logo, being an integral part of a brand as a whole, should be created to last for a very long time, if not forever. That said, it’s important that one spend as much time as possible thinking and discerning its final appearance.
The basic things to consider during the process of making a logo are colours, fonts, and shapes. But due to the numerous possible combinations of shapes, fonts, and colours that one can make, the process can quickly become very challenging. To make things easier for business owners and graphic designers or artists, the process needs to be viewed in a different light.
Whoever is tasked to come up with the output needs to consider what the final output does not need.
The final output need not give its viewers an idea of the true nature of a certain business. While logos designed with that end in mind can work to a certain degree, they are completely able to give brands meaning and help ensure that they stay familiar to customers independent of a direct connection to the products and services of those brands. The lack of connection can add interest, engagement, and intrigue.
Here’s one good example of a company logo that’s not at all connected to a company’s products. Today, we know of one highly-renowned athletic products company that has a stylised curved line as their logo. At first glance, this simple symbol does not have any inherent meaning whatsoever. But as years passed, and as their products grew in popularity due to their effectiveness in the court and on the field, that one symbol eventually came to stand for movement and speed–terms synonymous with athleticism.
Not only that, the brand itself has become so popular that it’s no longer necessary to put the brand name down on every single product. One sees the stylised curved line on a shoe, and he recognises that the person is wearing a good pair of shoes.
Take note, however, that it’s not necessary that a symbol be used as part of a company’s logo. In some cases, a wordmark logo is much better. This leads to the next point.
The business owner or designer should then decide if a wordmark or symbol logo is better for the company. To help one decide which option can better help the business connect with the audience, one good suggestion is to take into consideration the appearance of the finished product on shirts, streamers, posters, billboards, banner pens, and other things. Doing the same can also ensure that the meaning and message of the output will be fully understood.
Bonus: AVOID CLIP ART. Remember that a logo, whether it is a symbol or wordmark, represents a lot of things: the business’s name, the products and services of that business, and the level of customer service offered. Because clip art is easy to find and looks generic, there is a chance that customers might perceive the business using one as one of those companies to avoid due to inferior services and products and horrendous customer service.
Also, the use of clip art won’t make the final output recognisable and memorable. So many people use that clip art or stock photo for different reasons ranging from blog writing to residential sign creation, and so it’s safe to say that potential customers have seen that picture already. Moreover, there are numerous other companies that have used those stock photos in the past, especially when they were still not commonplace.
But that’s not the worst that could happen to anyone who risks using clip art in the making of one’s logo.
That honour goes to the high likelihood of getting into serious legal trouble. There are a number of symbols and photos that should not be used unless express permission has been granted to a user by the owners of those symbols and pictures. Persisting with their use gets business owners dates in court and the need to pay steep fines.
Well-done logo design helps to establish a brand or company as a major player in the industry it belongs to. While using current typography and design trends as a guide to logo creation and design is a great way to get connected to the target market from the get-go, certain combinations might not be best for the brand. In lieu of looking to current trends for inspiration, entrepreneurs and designers should come up with something that 1. shows the values of their companies, and 2. ALSO looks good anywhere.
