Tips On Creating A Logo

People often treat logos simply as a graphic symbol or sign to use on their website or marketing material, not putting much thought into it as long as it looks good. All too often people don't realise that their logo can make or break their business, making them instantly recognisable and attracting potential customers.

World leading companies understand this and create logos that are instantly recognisable, just think of Adidas or McDonalds and their logos immediately appear in your mind. You might not be quite as big as Adidas or McDonalds yet, but you should follow their lead and make your logo simple, recognisable and a reflection of your company's values.

Your logo is the embodiment of your company, there to represent you and provoke recognition and a positive subconscious response from consumers. Your logo often gives the first impression of your business and can help attract potential customers. It should therefore be eye catching with simple colours and legible text.

There are a few fundamental rules to go by when creating your logo.

The first and most important is that it should be distinctly different from other logos existing in a similar market. This way confusion amongst clients, suppliers, affiliates, and the general public can be avoided, not to mention potential lawsuits!

When Pepsi Cola copied Coca-Cola's logo its profits suffered, however, when it switched to something unique there was a major increase in sales.

Colour should be considered carefully when choosing a logo but don't rely on it to make your design. Be aware of which colours are associated with which emotion, and that these can change according to the country you are operating from or to.

There are also more general colour associations you can consider. For example, pastel tones can suggest dependability, quality, and relaxation. Whereas more vibrant tones such as red attempt to attract attention.

International fast food restaurants such as McDonalds, Burger King and KFC use warmer colours in their logos because of the association with hot food. In contrast cooler colours such as blue and purple are associated with weightlessness and buoyancy.

This is why you'll often see diet products with light blue featuring in the logo. Green is also often associated with health foods and wellbeing. Take a look at some of these examples:



Think about the structure. You wouldn't want a construction company with a fancy and delicate logo, you'd want something sturdy and bold. Similarly if you sold hand made jewellery, you'd want something elegant and sophisticated.

Whilst remaining unique and lucid, it needs retain usability and be recognisable in a variety of different mediums. Consider if your logo will still deliver your message across all possible contexts, in small and large sizes, on different fabrics and materials such as the internet, a football shirt, on dark and light backgrounds.

Don't forget to consider your logo across these mediums in both full colours, black and white, and two colour presentations.

Here are some good practice tips to bear in mind when designing a logo. Limit your colours to spot colours

Avoid using gradients

Produce alternatives for different contexts

Allow for two colour presentation - dark on light and light on dark

Make sure the designer constructs as a vector graphic. This way it can be resized without losing its quality

Avoid using photography, faces of people or detailed images and patterns which can reduce the recognition value

Avoid using religious icons and national flags (unless that's what the logo is for)

Avoid decoration and cheap Photoshop effects such as the not so classic neon, embossing and bevelling. Instead create clear, flat images without shadows or glares

Think about the different ways you can present your logo such as text, symbols, illustrations or a combination of all three. The ultimate goal is to portray your company positively, professionally, credibly and all this on the first impression. Here's some examples of different forms of logos:

Text Logos

Text logos should be plain and simple. Think about varying the shape and size of your fonts in order to best portray your company. For example, look at IBMs logo pictured above. They use a strong thick font with a simple typeface that is instantly identifiable, and represents durability, dependability and reliability.

In contrast, Revlon's logo typeface represents sophistication and classic understated elegance. The linking of the L and the O make it original and recognisable, yet nothing is shocking, giving it a high class and tastefulness.

Illustrated Logos

These need to need to be simple so that they remain recognisable in a small format. Remember to stay away from fancy decorating and make as clear as possible.

Symbol Logos

Nike uses an abstract symbol to represent what their company is about. These logos are good when the company is established in the market place.

Combination Logos

If you already have a well known existing logo that you would like to modify, you should keep in mind that completely changing your logo may alienate existing and potential customers. If you decide that your logo does need to change then you should modify it gradually, bringing in change over time rather than making any sudden and complete changes.

However, don't be put of redesigning your logo if it is bad, a good designer should be able to tell you whether changes are necessary.

A positive case of logo change is when Federal Express decided to shorten their name to Fed Ex. They reduced the amount of colours used on the planes and trucks, (also saving a significant amount on paint costs!), and made a much stronger and shorter brand, adding in a right arrow to deliver the message of motion.

Well we've talked about good logos, so before we finish off there is one really bad logo that deserves to be named and shamed and that is the logo of Arlington Pediatric Center, pictured below.



A classic example of how it's always a good idea to take a step back from your work and try and see things from a new perspective, to get an idea of what others might unintentionally misinterpret!

So to conclude before you all fall asleep. Let's note the general process you might want to follow when thinking about a logo for a new business.

1. Think about what you want from your logo

2. Brainstorm and draw out key words, values and goals

3. Consider the history of your company, your target market and your longevity

4. Try and understand your consumers - research them, stalk them and photograph their habits (but don't get arrested for stalking)

5. Create visual representations of these people - do they have a particular colour or texture, can they be represented by an object

Once you have gathered all these ideas together, concentrate on the strongest ones and create a theme of the important words, colours, and textures to try and make a feeling. Research typefaces, and chose one that fits into your theme.

Then create your memorable, individual, appropriate, legible and exciting new logo.

I hope this has been useful to you. Any questions or comments please feel free to email me at jilly@10yetis.co.uk.