7 Tips for Creating an Effective Logo
Your logo is one of the most critical parts of creating an effective business brand. Therefore, before you set out to create a new logo or recreate an existing logo, you need to first understand what a logo is and how it builds your brand awareness.
A logo identifies a company or product with the use of an image, text or design. Logos are designed to identify your business at first glance. A logo should not just describe what a business does; it should identify the business in a memorable and simplistic way. Only after a logo becomes familiar does it function effectively. Before beginning your logo design, ask yourself these questions.
What do you want your logo to symbolize about your business?
What visual do you want to create that prospects can quickly and easily relate to?
Seven tips for creating an effective logo
- Keep it simple and memorable. A simple design allows easy recognition and allows the logo to be versatile and memorable. Effective logos feature something unexpected or unique without being overdone. An effective logo design should also be memorable and endure the test of time as your company grows.
- Create emotion, quality and company principles. Think about what emotion or feelings you would like your logo to create in a prospect’s mind. Examples: feelings of joy and happiness, trust and loyalty, quality service, nature, safety, warmth, fun, winning, motivation, etc.
Consider what qualities you would like your logo to create as well. Examples: beautiful, elegant, bright, simple, striking, conservative, etc. Also keep in mind what principles or truths you would like to showcase in your design. Examples: overall vision or direction, consistency, reputation, quality, years in business, etc. - Select the right colors. Color is like a silent language that can motivate, persuade or turn prospects off in an instant. People actually respond more to nonverbal cues than verbal ones. That is why color triggers a variety of emotions and memories. Be sure to use colors that best showcase your business and speak to your target market effectively.
- Choose the right font. Choosing the right font can make or break a good design. Spend some time researching all the various fonts that could be used for your project. Think about what image you want the font to create. Examples: flowing script or corporate and traditional, slim or thin text, strong or soft, appeals to male or female market, etc.
- Get good ideas from other successful logos. Check out other logos to help you brainstorm ideas and get a direction for your own unique design. Google Images is a great place to search for ideas. But make sure you use other logos for ideas only. Do not steal, copy or borrow other design ideas. Do not use stock or clip art either. The point of your logo is to be unique and original.
- Use multiple graphic artists to develop a variety of designs. One of my favorite resources for logo design is 48HoursLogo.com. This website is set up as a contest for multiple graphic designers to compete for your logo design. You don’t have to spend much to get a lot of choices and the artists are great at following your design suggestions and adjustments until your logo is finalized. The logo design process can be fun and fast. But making the final decision may be somewhat of a challenge without the right outside support.
- Ask for support on your final logo design. Often we are so close to our own businesses that we don’t see the obvious. A prospect has a different viewpoint about your business than you do; that’s why getting some outside help to define your logo image is important. Now, that doesn’t mean going out and asking all your friends and family to give their opinions. They most certainly will have an opinion, but will it be the right one? If you get the wrong advice it may hurt you and hold up the process of getting your design completed.
I suggest that you only work with a marketing or branding expert to help you define and finalize your logo image. Your logo design will set the tone for your business image; therefore, it’s critical that you get it right before creating or recreating your overall marketing brand.