Your logo is not your brand, but it is the primary identification of your brand. People recognize your brand first through your logo, hence, it’s a unique thumbprint of the business. It has to be more than just graphic designing if it has to be an asset to the company. So if you are looking to create the face of your brand or rebrand it. Here are some of the essential rules that need to be followed when designing a logo.
1. Simplicity
Simplicity and elegance have always stood the test of time. Designing a logo is no different either. If the logo is simple and clean, it communicates and resonates a lot better with the audience than a logo with clutters.
2. Clever Usage of Colours
Every color has an emotion to evoke, and the theory of using colors is complex. Designers who can adapt to the basics can use colors to make some timeless logos. For example, green evokes a natural, youthful, and fresh vibe while red conveys a sense of love, passion, or something strong. So when you create a logo for your brand, identify your sector and the services you offer- then coordinate them with colors. Use the colors closer to each other on the color wheel, and don’t use very bright colors that are hard on the eyes. Also, your logo should be well understood in greyscale with just the use of black, white, and grey colors. Try different color combinations, match colors with the feel of the brand. Take risks, try to stand out from the competition, break rules, but make sure you have a sound reason for it. Tweak the design and have fun with the design process till you have got the final outcome correct.
3. Suitability With the Company
There are various styles, fonts, and patterns available but all of them will not go with your company. So how should you decide on the style? Determine your clientele and target audience. It will help you set a preliminary outline that will work best for your company.
4. Typography
Choosing the correct type of font when the logo design includes text will involve experimenting with dozens of font types, testing various of them before arriving at the final decision. It would be best if you could customize a font all by yourself. That would give your brand a unique look. If you are a beginner, choosing the perfect font will be quite difficult. You should consider these three points while choosing the font. Avoid using the commonly used fonts, like Sans Serif, else your logo might seem amateurish. Check whether the font is legible when scaled down, and try keeping it to one font style. Do not use more than two styles.
5. Originality
If your logo isn’t original, you will lose a certain set of audience by having them confuse your logo with a different brand. So if you are branding your company, you should decide on investing in originality. Don’t copy or download existing logos of companies and use them.
6. Declutter
In the process of making the logo impactful, it often happens that the logo becomes too cluttered. Your logo should talk about the brand, but it shouldn’t say everything about your business.
7. Be Consistent
I think we have all seen how global brands have incorporated guidelines for the usage of logos in the brand elements. This is to say that these are crucial steps you need to follow, once you have finalized your logo design and are willing to use it everywhere consistently.
8. Recognition Is the Goal
What is the point of creating a logo? Recalling the brand the moment we see it right? If you have noticed, that is the case with famous brands like Pepsi, Nike, McDonald’s. One look at them, and you know the brand. What is the quick reason behind this? Combination of all the above-stated rules – color, size, typography, originality, consistency. Overlooking either of these factors during designing a logo might ruin the final outcome. Keep in mind to test your logo in various ways to check if they resemble any other brand. Test them by mirroring them, inverting them, and see if it reminds you of any other brand. Also, keep in mind that if you promote your brand, the logo will be everywhere, on billboards, buses, etc. So they should be recognizable from every angle.
Keep these rules in mind when designing a logo and keep trying for that unique face of your brand.