Why having a good logo design is so important
Posted on: June 7, 2021 8:00 am
What is a logo? A logo design is a combination of text and visual imagery that serves two purposes. It tells people the name of the company and it creates a visual symbol that represents your business. Some logos have powerful symbolic associations connected to people’s memory. For example, the McDonalds golden arches are so familiar that they no longer need the text “McDonalds” for you to recognise that that symbol represents McDonalds.
Having a professional looking, well designed logo builds trust. Potential customers are more likely to do business with you if you have a well designed logo. If your logo looks like it was designed in Microsoft Word, people will question how well you are able to deliver your core business products/services.
Key Elements of a Good Logo
Make the text part of your logo super clear and readable
When you’re starting out with your logo, one of the most important characteristics is that the text of your company name is clear and easy to read at a distance, as it may appear on vehicle signage, building signage, posters or some other place where the logo is seen at a distance.
Use it consistently
When brands get a logo designed they often prepare large brand standards documents, dozens of pages deep, covering things like:
- Guidance on the different variations of the logo and where they should and shouldn’t be used.
- Guidance on modifying the logo and what shouldn’t be done to the logo.
- What should and shouldn’t appear nearby the logo.
- How the logo should appear in all sorts of different scenarios.
Although this level of documentation may seem like alot, it means that your company understands that if brands are inconsistent in the way their logo appears in different situations, this can be damaging to trust. So be really consistent with how your logo is used.
When we create a logo for you, either for a logo design project or as part of a larger branding project, our team at Kaizen Brand Evolution will provide you with brand guidelines that outline and demonstrate how your logo should be used.
Simple colours – think about the different situations it will be used in
Your logo might appear on screens, business cards, letterheads, pull up banners, vehicles, shop signage, product packaging, newspaper adverts just to name a few. Logos that have gradient colours, lots of fine detail, a lot of different colours or photographic content are much more likely to look quite different in these different situations as many of them use completely different printing technology and it makes it difficult to match the colours exactly. This is why the most powerful brands in the world usually stick to a simple palette of less than 3 main colours. They also use solid colours rather than gradients.
Have something visual/memorable
While it might take you a few decades to become the next Coca Cola or McDonalds, having something memorable about your logo is a good idea. Some businesses do this by using interesting text or modifying part of the text in the logo to not just be a standard font. Other businesses do this by adding some sort of illustrated icon alongside the text part of the logo. One useful aspect of having an icon is that you can use the icon on it’s own in some situations as well. For example, the Nike tick can appear with the Nike text or without. While originally the Nike tick would have meant nothing if it didn’t appear alongside the Nike text, over time that visual memory association has developed. If you’re wanting a very sleek, minimalist logo, just using a modern looking font with a pop of accent colour is a good option.
How do I get a logo?
The best way to get a logo is to have it professionally designed. Although there are online logo design services, from our experience the best value and service is from graphic design studios, like ourselves. At KBE, we are lucky because we have a print team downstairs, so we can roll out your new logo design on printed materials. This also helps you nail that brand consistency.
Tips for choosing a designer and getting the best result
Make sure you view examples of their previous work — and you like what they’ve done previously. If they have a large portfolio of great looking logo design examples, you can be more confident in their ability to design you a great logo.
