“Well designed” simply means that it looks good and functions well.
This especially applies to logo design.
So, when designing a logo, what are some crucial things your logo should do? And equally important, should not do?
Your logo SHOULD: Identify Your Brand
This is really the main function of your logo. To let anyone who interacts with your materials know this is your brand. The logo proclaims ownership of your work. It says “Yeah, this is me.” And it says that however softly or loudly as you would like.
Your logo should NOT: Explain Your Brand
A logo doesn’t need to, nor should it, describe what your product or company is or does. This is why you have presentations, brochures, videos, or websites to tell your story. If your logo tries to explain, it can become very abstruse and unnecessarily complex. Therefore, it is limited in its application.
(Nike¹ doesn’t include every potential sport represented in their logo. Apple² doesn’t incorporate computer or phone graphics as a part of its logo design.)
If you have subtle characteristics that metaphorically reference attributes of your company―great! However, the main purpose is marking your brand. Like a signature on a piece of art.
Your logo is NOT: A Tagline:
Leave the tagline out of your logo. Taglines can be placed next to your logo…sometimes…when appropriate. But a tagline is a separate thing. Incorporating too much text into your design can inhibit sizing and flexibility when trying to use your logo on various mediums. If your brand name is long or contains several words, consider abbreviating or utilizing iconography to represent text. And if you absolutely must display a lot of text, aim for a more minimal design and avoid very thin or bold text that will become indecipherable in smaller resolutions.
Several well-known, long-lasting brands³ have simple logos that are instantly recognized. Like the brand or not, these are easily applicable, recognizable designs. At first glance, it is not obvious what the brand is, however they all possess subtle symbolism that speak to their origin or purpose.
Your logo should: Look Good Anywhere
Be mindful of color and contrast. Will it look nice and readable on a dark background? A light background? A mid-tone background? Many logos have dark and light color versions. Will your logo easily convert from black to white without a redesign? Don’t rely on color alone to separate design elements. Utilize negative space.
Be aware of size. How will your logo normally appear? If you are making small products, keep the design simple, not too cluttered or busy. You don’t want thin details that will get lost or bleed together when scaled down in size.
Think about the space it will occupy. If your logo is too long or too tall, you will have trouble fitting into spaces and really limit how you use your logo. Start the design within a square or radial space. This will allow your logo to be more adaptable.
A logo is NOT: An illustration
That doesn’t mean a logo can’t be illustrative. But elaborate or intricate illustrations will significantly limit your logo’s use. Account for potential applications. 1-color use, imprinting, embossing, engraving, and any other application where a complex, image heavy logo may become unrecognizable or lost. Complex illustrations may also present size and positioning limitations.
Alluring artwork can be impactful. But most logos don’t need to “stand out” as much as they need to stand alone. Your viewers should be able to recognize your logo and associate it with your brand and product’s collective look. Your logo doesn’t need to “grab them”. Your products and marketing should “grab them”. Your logo connects everything together.
Instead, illustrations, mascots, and beautiful photography could be used in conjunction with your brand in certain applications when creating product packaging/labeling, ad campaigns, or media projects.
So, that kangaroo, dressed as a pirate, on a surfboard, eating a pizza, juggling flaming pineapples, in outer space…could work as a logo…but maybe better utilized as feature artwork on ancillary materials. Not as your official corporate logo.
Finding the balance of individuality and simplicity, is what really makes an impressive logo.
Your logo SHOULD: Have a Style Guide
Create a style guide. Even if it’s just a simple one. A style guide sets the rules on how your logo is used and displayed. It can also include a collection of all the variations of your logo and when to use each.
Some obvious rules like; don’t stretch or skew. How or how not to rotate. What colors can be used and when.
Other rules can be more detailed. Such as; how much negative space to require around your logo. Which logo elements to use at different sizes or resolutions. And any other brand specifications you would like upheld.
Your logo should NOT: Break Your Style Guide
Follow your style guide and emphasize to any other artist who uses your logo to follow it. Breaking your style guide rules can hinder your brand consistency and look unprofessional and even suspiciously fraudulent to your loyal consumers.
If needed, style guides can be amended as your brand grows and evolves. However, be cautious of frequent changes that completely change the overall look of your brand. Without consistency branding loses its purpose.
Your logo SHOULD be: Created with The Correct Software.
The design should be created in a vector format. There are several design programs that can produce and save into vector formats. A logo can be used in a raster format. But should definitely not be designed in a raster format. Otherwise, it may eventually need to be redone. If you don’t know the difference, it is important to learn the purpose of each format and file type to optimize your logo’s use and appearance.
Your logo should AVOID: Default or Commonly Used Fonts.
You don’t want to utilize characters that appear generic, overused, or antiquated. This could make your design be not seen as a logo, be subconsciously associated with other brands, or be viewed as less credible or unprofessional by consumers.
Fonts can carry a lot of symbolism, historical weight, and personality. Even subtle characteristics can create unwanted brand disharmony. You might not want to use a rustic looking font if you are a cutting-edge tech innovator. And likewise, sharp, harsh, bold lettering may not be the best choice for a brand promoting elegance. Get feedback from other designers. Sometimes a good looking or popular font can be aesthetically taboo. Even if you personally love a particular font, it may not be the best fit for your specific brand language.
Although there are always exceptions to the rules. A logo should reflect the personality of the brand and speak to its target audience.
Your lettering or wordmark SHOULD be: Unique.
The best way to achieve this is to create a custom font or modify lettering of an appropriate font as a base. You can even form graphic imagery that is creatively arranged to be read as lettering. This can be done in simple or abstract visuals.
Subway⁴ uses two arrows to create a simple “S”.
Where VAIO⁵ uses a unique waveform shape to create a more abstract wordmark.
Some logos may be so abstract they can be seemingly unreadable.
See this above example⁶. Can you read it? Why would a brand not want people to read its logo? Perhaps its illegibility is intentional. An enigmatic image that only this brand’s core audience may instantly recognize and appreciate for its cryptic impression all the more. Perhaps this topic may be worthy of a deeper dive in a separate blog 😉
The key is discovering the right look that makes sense for your brand. You have the creative freedom to be as peculiar or practical as you see fit.
In the end, if you like the way it looks and it can speak for your brand—you have a logo!