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A logo design is what helps distinguish a brand from its competitors, so the image must stand out from the rest. Creating a unique design isn’t all about avoiding imitation, but also about designing something out-of-the-box. It’s tempting to just throw an industry icon on the page, but it’s essential to think creatively.
Yes, a logo design is an image, but it’s also an introduction to a brand. The logo must reach a specific audience, and when designing, you must keep this in mind. Write down what you think about the brand; perhaps even create a mood board with imagery that reminds you of the brand’s ideology — check out websites like Niice for some inspiration. But be wary of becoming inspired by only aesthetics rather than more profound meaning.
Is the brand utility-driven, or is it more focused on evoking emotion? Is it contemporary or quirky? What does the customer care about, and what does the brand aspire to be? While it is helpful to stay up to date on design trends, it’s more vital to stay true to a brand’s overarching personality. Here’s a quick brand personality evaluation that can help you along the way.
More than anything, know what your logo means. Every logo has some kind of history, filled with meaning and purpose. Take Apple, for instance — the fruit is missing a “byte.” Or Wikipedia, an unfinished globe of puzzle pieces covered with glyphs from different writing systems. Both logos are simple but have an added twist that circles back to brand ideology.
When taking the brand’s personality into account, you have to think about every aspect of the image. Bright and bold colors may grab someone’s attention, but could also seem brash; muted tones exude sophistication, but could be overlooked. Every color has a different implication and can bring nuance to your message — don’t fall into the trap of conveying the wrong message because of a simple brush stroke.
All businesses need logos, and 309 Marketing can help you make your own! Logos are great for:
Here is a breakdown of color impact and meaning:
A logo design consists of two elements: A wordmark and a symbol. Before a company can think about solely representing itself with a symbol, a great deal of advertising must be done (think: Starbucks or Mercedes). Some companies choose to stick to Logotype entirely, like Ray-Ban, Coca-Cola, and IBM.
Whether your brand can use a Logotype depends on the kind of name the brand has. When considering typefaces for your text, be sure to avoid gimmicky fonts, utilize negative space and perhaps tweak an existing font. When all else fails: Turn to your friend Helvetica, a simple font that has been used well by many famous brands, such as Nars, Target, Crate & Barrel, American Apparel, and JCPenney.
It’s essential to have a balanced combination of simple and quirky — you want your logo design to be interesting, but you don’t want someone to have to sit and stare, analyzing the logo. A good example is FedEx’s logo, a simple Logotype with a twist. The image utilizes negative space to create an arrow that connotes speed, precision, and direction. Additionally, the company changes the color of the “Ex” to classify the type of shipping. Amazon, too, uses just its name but also refers to its vast inventory with a small arrow pointing from a → z.
Nike; Puma; Audi — all iconic logos, but like with anything successful, it took time for these to gain popularity. Logos won’t become instantly iconic, even if you’ve designed the most beautiful combination of vectors. It depends on the product’s success and the market in which it exists.
It’s essential to be patient and not rush to make changes with your design just because you haven’t gotten the reception you initially expected. To help your logo design gain more exposure, our team can place your logo throughout advertising (TV commercials, billboards, web design, etc.).
It takes a deep understanding of color and design to make creative and appealing logos. And thankfully, 309 Marketing has just the experts who can develop the perfect logo for your business. Contact us today at 309-213-9398 to request a quote. Also, our Peoria office is located at 311 SW Water Street, Unit 201 Peoria, IL 61602. Other office locations include Schaumburg, Tampa, Orlando and St. Petersburg.