5 crucial things to consider when designing a logo

When people think of a company, the first thing they usually associate with it is its logo. Logos carry a lot of meaning and can influence someone’s feelings towards your business before they’ve even had a chance to interact with you directly. A logo isn’t just an artistic representation of your business – It’s also a reflection of what you do as a business and how much effort you put into representing yourself to the public.

Why are logos so important?

To many people, it might seem like an unimportant element of design, but if you want to succeed as a business then it is very important that you have a good logo.  A good logo represents your company and all it stands for. It should instill trust in potential customers and make them believe in what they are getting from you instead of looking at their wallets and taking advantage of what they find there. You need to give them confidence that they are working with the right people who won’t rip them off just so they can make a profit.

Here are 5 crucial things to consider when designing a logo:

1. Make sure that it represents your company

A logo is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations, and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition. In simple words, it should be unique from others so that people can easily identify with the company through the logo itself.  For example think of all those brands like Nike, Adidas, Apple, etc they all have different logos but instantly you can tell who manufactured them just by looking at their logo designs. A good logo design will not only represent what your brand does but also help build trust between your customers and potential customers as well as show off the personality of your business to create an emotional connection with others.

When choosing a design for your logo, make sure that it represents all of the best things about your business because this is what potential customers will base their decision on before they commit to doing business with you or not. Whether you deliver excellent customer service or have an online presence people can easily purchase products, it is your logo that will seal the deal.  Your customers need to be excited to find out more about you, not put off by what they see at first glance.

2. Choose the right colors and typography options

Choosing a color scheme will also have an impact on how customers feel about your brand. Keep in mind that people tend to develop associations with certain colors just as they do with logos themselves – so choose carefully!

It is extremely important that you choose the right colors for your logo design. This is because of the reason that different colors have their own distinctive associations which people perceive quite differently. For example, green has a sign of nature, health while red suggests danger, passion, etc. So if you are in an internet marketing company keep in mind not to use vibrant bright green but more on the darker side.

Another thing you might want to consider is the font options that you use for your logo. Some fonts are more stylish than others and can make a big difference to people’s first impressions of your company. If you want your logo to be likable, consider using fonts that make your business appear friendly or professional depending on what impression you want to give off. While looking at the typography options make sure to use fonts that do not give off a hard impression but rather show creativity and uniqueness. Also, make sure to pick one font style only throughout the design so that it looks consistent rather than being full of text styles.

3. Test it across all platforms

Before your final logo just print some copies and see how it looks like in real life. It is recommended that you use a paper that has the same color as your logo is printed so that you can get an idea of what your logo will look like when used with different colors. This is extremely important because it also gives you an idea of how visible your logo will be when printed on things like business cards, letterheads, etc.

The last thing you want is for customers who come into contact with your business in multiple ways then form different opinions about it because they saw the image in different contexts.  It wouldn’t leave a good impression if they see your logo on printed material then visit your website and are greeted with something that is completely different. It would be like meeting someone who looks nothing like their picture; it might take you a while to trust them again.

4. Create the logo first in black and white

One common mistake that many designers make when thinking about what color or colors they should use for their logo is judging their preferences instead of looking at the big picture.  If you choose colors based on what you personally think looks best rather than choosing one that represents your company image well, it could backfire on you later down the line. Your opinion might change over time because of trends or personal preferences so doing research first can help against this happening.   Another thing you might want to consider when creating a logo is that it looks good in black and white. If you can’t see your logo clearly when it’s in monochrome then you will need to make some changes, otherwise, it won’t look right when printed on certain materials.

It is very common for designers to create logos in color only but I would suggest that before moving forward with printing or uploading colors into images make sure to create the design in black and white first, then add colors later. By doing this not only do you save time by avoiding having to recreate things in several colors, but you also get an idea of your logo design how it will look in a single color tone only. So rather than creating multiple logos for different colors just stick to black and white unless you have to use colors.

5. Adopt a minimalistic approach

When choosing a design for your logo, make sure that it represents all of the best things about your business because this is what potential customers will base their decision on before they commit to doing business with you or not. Whether you deliver excellent customer service or have an online presence people can easily purchase products, it is your logo that will seal the deal. Your customers need to be excited to find more about you, not put off by what they see at first glance. 

As a designer, the best way that I can describe this trip is by saying “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”. When designing a logo always remember that less is more, too much going on makes it hard for people to identify with the company. The main purpose behind having a logo is so that people can identify with your brand easily, now think what would make them want to buy from you or tell others about your product/service. If there are too many colors or elements in the logo it simply becomes too busy and confusing for them to take in. Remember logos are like snapshots of your brand so make sure to keep it simple yet creative.

Conclusion

Before you go ahead and choose a design, keep these 5 crucial tips in mind because they can make all the difference to the impression your logo leaves on customers. In order for people to develop a lasting relationship with your company as a whole, you need them to be excited about everything that you have going for yourself from the beginning so they will want to stick around and continue doing business with you.

Guest article written by: Khurshid Alam is the founder of Pixel Street, a web design company. He aspires to solve business problems by communicating effectively digitally. In his leisure, he reads, writes, and occasionally plays a game of table tennis.