Having a logo for your business is something that is essential to help you with branding and marketing. Every large business has a great logo that people recognise wherever it is seen; small and medium businesses should do no less. Not only does it make your business distinctive, it can often tell people at a glance what it is all about.
Great logo design has four essential basics –
- Simplicity: The most widely known logos are simple ones that have bold lines, flat shapes and clear type. Having lots of elements is a mistake many enthusiasts make as they want to cram as much as possible into the logo. However, all they do is confuse people because there is too much information – and that also makes it difficult to see. Apart from that, when the logo must be reduced in size, none of it will stand out clearly.
- Versatility: A logo is found on many different surfaces. Sizes can vary from postage stamp small to billboard huge. Background colour can vary from black or white to any other colour. Your logo should be something that will still show up in all these different aspect situations. A professional designer will ensure that it does.
- Relevancy: Many different kinds of design elements are visually pleasing, but not all will be relevant to your business and industry. If the element you’ve chosen does not support your business objectives, discard it even if you really love it. It may be a great piece of art, but if it is not relevant to your business it has no place in your logo. For instance, if you are a florist a flower would be a relevant to your business, but an open book or a dog would not be.
- Artistry: Notwithstanding the above, a logo can and should have artistry, because that is an element that can convey many feelings such as joy, calmness, excitement, gratitude and so on, many of which you would want to invoke in your potential customers, though ever so subtly. The artistry of a logo comes from many different factors, such as colour, font, shape, layout and icon. The latter should be kept as simple as possible for the best result. In fact, it can even be unnecessary. Some of the best logos are designed around the colour and font of the business name, with very few other elements.
So if you need help in designing a logo for your business, hire a professional logo designer whose work you can see on their website. You’ll notice that these icons are all profoundly simple and have been given a lot of thought to be that way.
You can also look around you at familiar businesses that you deal with every day and notice the elements that are in their logos. Once you really take notice, you’ll be amazed at how simple they are.