What Makes a Great Logo Design?

A logo is the visual identification for your business. Think McDonalds, Twitter and Apple…..See what I mean? I bet it didn’t take long for you to recall their logos. These are all huge businesses and they have huge marketing machines behind them. Maybe your company has the same marketing budget (lucky you) but if you don’t, there is no reason why your logo should not have the same visual impact as any of these ‘big guys’.

What to look for in good logo design:

1) Simplicity:

Keep your logo clean, simple and clear. Avoid fussiness and remember not every computer company needs to have a picture of a computer in their logo. The Amazon logo, with seemingly simple use of a symbol and type, denotes a speedy, excellent delivery from a to z.

2) Memorability:

Once again strong, simple imagery will achieve a distinctive logo. A memorable logo is the one that stands out from the crowd. In 124 years, Coca-cola has never changed from the original logo except for some minor alterations.

3) Longevity:

Avoid trends to achieve a timelessness. Trends are great on the catwalk but will quickly date a logo. Avoid trendy typefaces, colours and imagery. If your business is in it for the long haul, ensure your logo will last. Your business needs to build trust and loyalty. It’s hard to do that if you constantly need to update your logo. Anyone for a pint?

4) Versatility:

Does your logo look as good on a business card as it does on a billboard? To achieve this, your logo should be drawn up in a vector format. This will ensure that in enlarging or reducing your logo, there will be no loss of detail or impact. Also it is a good idea to have a reversible version of your logo for printing on light or dark backgrounds.

5) Relevance:

A good logo design should be relevant to the business, the client and the target market. When designing a logo for a children’s charity, it shouldn’t look like it was designed for a bank and that works the other way around also. So think of your business – and what you want to say about it. Think about your existing clients and think about your target market. What will appeal to them?

If your logo design follows these five basic steps, then your business is already well on it’s way to creating a strong and memorable brand.