20 May What to Consider When Designing a Company Logo
There are many ways to continually keep customers engaged with your brand and stay ahead of the competition. One of the most important ways to clearly define your brand identity in the marketplace is with an effective company logo. There are many elements that make an effective logo, but it should always be simple, easy to identify, unique and long-lasting. Creating an effective logo is a process that requires experience, expertise and creativity. Before examining the logo creation process, though, some steps that need to be taken.
Before Designing a Logo
The first step to take before designing a logo is to do some thorough research, gathering information about the company’s niche, core values and principles. These elements should be represented in the brand’s logo.
When researching, be sure to ask yourself or your client:
Why is a logo needed? — A business will need a logo if it is a completely new business or when looking for a redesign. Businesses that are just starting up may or may not have a strong idea for what they want out of their logo. If there is no clear idea, the business should provide as much input as possible to the designer. With a redesign, inspiration can be taken from older logo designs, as well as the reason for rebranding.
Who is the target audience? — The company’s target audience will ultimately determine the logo’s success – which is why it’s important to know the audience well. What is the audience’s average age, gender, location, income, lifestyle, etc.? All of these elements will affect the design choices – including style, font type, color choice and more.
What are the long-term business goals? — Brands develop and change over time. Because of this, it’s important to understand the long-term goals of a business in order to design a logo that continues to reflect these goals over time, particularly when it comes to industry standards.
Who are the competitors? — Competition knowledge is useful for identifying brand and industry standards for design. At the same time, researching the competition will also help prevent unintentionally copying another logo design.
What to Consider When Designing a Logo
Once you have completed preliminary research, the logo design process can really begin. When designing a logo, it’s important to consider the following:
- Avoid trends — Design trends might seem attractive, but will quickly become dated. When redesigning an existing logo, no more than a few alterations are necessary, and new logos should follow timeless, simple designs.
- Develop in black and white first — While color is important, a logo is likely to appear in black and white more frequently than in color, such as in photocopies, stationery, and many other print forms. An effective design should stand out both in color and in black and white.
- Implement a scalable design — An effective logo should keep its proportions no matter its size. Logos need to be able to appear in a wide range of formats, from signs to business cards.
- Think outside the box — We best remember what stands out from the crowd, and it’s no different when it comes to a logo design. Don’t be afraid to try something unique that allows customers to immediately identify your brand before they even read your company name.
- Keep it simple — There’s no need to complicate your logo design. Focus only on the most basic elements, and keep them to a minimum. Choose only a few colors, lines, shapes and fonts that best represent your brand. Excessive design elements can be a distraction and make the logo difficult to quickly identify.
- Test multiple mediums — It’s important to try out your logo design on different mediums before making the final selection. Your logo will appear in many places, both digital and physical. A logo design should look just as good on a building as on a website and anywhere in between. Mockups are an easy way to test your designs.
- Use multiple tones — The key to a successful logo is one that is flexible in color options. Not every backdrop or medium will bring out your logo in the same way. Because of this, a two-tone logo in particular allows a logo design to retain brand image while still being adaptable to where it is being presented.
- Convey a message — The most effective logo designs display more than just a company name. Your logo should visually represent the purpose and vision of your business through a simple, yet symbolic design.
- Seek inspiration — Inspiration can sometimes come in the most unlikely places, so make sure to always be open to it when it comes (and remember to capture it). The best logo designs combine inspiration with the most creativity.
If you’re in need of a new logo or a logo redesign, Virtual Stacks Systems UK can help. Our experienced graphic designers provide logo design services based on the principles of design that are sure to make your brand logo stand apart from the rest. Contact us to learn more.