For many people, designing a logo looks like an easy task. But in reality, it isn’t. A careful thought process goes into designing logos. Even if it’s just typing the brand’s name or drawing a line, it all comes in a structured way. That’s how you create your own logo!
But the path isn’t easy to walk on. There are thousands of designers out there bringing out unique ideas. How would you make sure yours isn’t copied? How would you stand out from the rest? Whether you are using a traditional tool or recently launched logo maker, there are some rules every designer should follow.
Here are ten tips for designing logos that won’t suck.
1. Mix Simplicity with Stupidity
Not every designer is a great illustrator. Being an artist doesn’t mean you can create great sketches or craft incredible typography or illustration. Hey, that’s nothing to fear about! If you have a creative mind, there is no stopping.
Just keep in mind two words — simplicity with stupidity. Simple logos go a long way in defining corporate identity. Even the most common symbols have turned out to be the most cherished brandmarks for people.
Take an example of Apple’s logo. Isn’t it the most common symbol found everywhere? Yes, it is, but there is the bite on Apple’s logo that makes it stand out. Without that bite, it would look nothing less than a boring symbol that everyone else uses.
The same thing goes with the Facebook logo. Just a letter ‘f’ and WHOA, the logo is done! Without the use of blue color with white, it would have been a stupid ‘f’. But it isn’t.
So, always look for the best ways to get ahead of your competitors. For that, you need to be stupid and straightforward in your design approach.
2. Follow the grid-system for balance
Being just simple and stupid isn’t enough. You need to be a worshipper of symmetry to create your own logo. Many designers would get numb when the discussion of proportion arrives. Following grid system ensures your logo is balanced. It also streamlines your process and makes the team work with other designers easier.
The best thing is that it helps you maintain a visual hierarchy, do away with unwanted clutter, and make scalable designs.
Shell logo is all about proportion. Even the logo of Twitter and apple reflects consistent arches and curves.
3. Utilize negative space smartly
Whether you use wordmark or symbol, using the negative space in a certain way that it would reflect the brand message is remarkable. FedEx is a widely used example of brilliant negative space usage. But many other logos employ this concept smartly.
NBC and Spartan Golf Club logos are some other examples. Look closely, and you will find a peacock and a Spartan in these logos respectively. But it takes subtlety to master the art of negative space. Even logos created by free logo creator depict this idea.
So, master negative space art that would help you to become a successful designer.
4. Color is the key
Can you imagine Facebook’s logo in red other than blue? Would you like Twitter’s logo being pink instead of blue? Of course not! You would say they look gross! That’s how color plays a pivotal role in branding.
Although the color scheme is one of the most fundamental design factors, you should take it seriously. Remember, it isn’t a superficial or guesswork decision. Colors have different meanings, and you need to understand color psychology to depict your brand’s personality. Take for an example, CocaCola’s brand color.
It is red, which stands for playfulness, energy, and dynamism. That means whoever drinks its CocaCola drink feels energetic and active. It also suggests a drink for celebration and enjoyment.
That’s how a particular shade denotes what a brand has in store for you.
5. Use double visual effects (A double entendre)
Before we talk about it, let us define the meaning of double entendre for you. It refers to the figure of speech that helps you understand a phrase or a word in two ways.
Now, come to our point. Using double visual effects in a logo means interpreting your ideas cleverly. We earlier mentioned the Spartan Golf Club logo. It has two visual identities. First it represents a golf player, second, it shows a Spartan. Collectively, it reflects the brand essence and its meaning in one glance. But be mindful when you do that. It’s a fancy trend and if not paid attention might ruin the overall look of your logo.
6. Say no to cliche or trends
When you make your own logo, getting caught up in design trends is very common. Every year, new logo design fads arrive with much hype. Studying design trends isn’t a bad thing. However, jumping into the bandwagon every time isn’t good either. Do not use trends too much when you design your own logo.
Why? It’s because your logo would become outdated. So, the best practice is to stick to the fundamentals.
7. Use logo templates
A quick way to design a logo is to take help from templates. Logo generator tools often have a library of templates that you can use for your advantage. It gives you a starting point without wasting your time.
However, do not depend on it too much.
8. Use custom fonts
It’s a ubiquitous question for designers who are given the task of wordmark creation. It involves either creating it from scratch or modifying a typeface.
Modifying an existing one isn’t shameful. You will find many companies who have done the same! However, creating a custom typeface is sure to take your brand image to the next level!
Coca-Cola has wordmark as its brand image. But do you know it’s a custom typeface? It is Edwardian script, particularly from 19th-century handwriting. But besides modifying it, the brand came up with a custom typeface to connect each letter. It’s memorable; isn’t it?
9. Add motion
When you design your logo, consider instilling in it a sense of motion. Sometimes, it isn’t appropriate to do so, but at times, it gives your logo the much-needed boost. And it’s from conceptual and visual points of view.
The best example to study this is the Twitter logo. During its early stage, the logo featuring a bird went from being passive to being active or flying.
Look at their most recent logo. What do you find? The bird pointing upward means it’s in the air and flying.
10. Tell a tale
A single glance of a logo is enough to tell you the whole brand story. Every logo has a tale to tell. They aren’t just a pretty sketch, but a brand’s journey. Audio’s logo for an example features four rings. Do you know what does it mean? It shows the association on four brands including Audi, DKW, Horch, and Wanderer.
Conclusion
Whether you are using a logo generator or tools like Photoshop, creating a logo is much more than sketching. It involves a lot f though process, brainstorming and more. Follow the tips that we discussed earlier to make sure your logo won’t suck.
Author Bio:
Jelly Shah works as a Digital Marketer, brand consultant and business strategist with Designhill- A reliable marketplace for logo design, business card maker, web design, Custom Design Casual Tank Tops, and many other designing works. With extensive experience working both client side and within the agency environment, he has authored several articles on topics related to digital marketing, business strategies, content marketing etc.
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