Designing a logo to represent a company or business can be a tough decision and not always as simple as the end result appears. A logo not only represents a company as a whole, but also tells people who you are, what you do, and separates you from your competitors. If you are a professional graphic artist like myself, you know that designing a logo can take some time and often requires several changes till you and your client are completely satisfied with the finished product. Sometimes all it takes is a moment of divine inspiration and other times it takes some lengthy research, either way it is important to keep some key factors in mind when designing your logo. So, here are some great tips to consider while developing a successful custom logo.
Search for Inspirational Ideas:
Graphic Designers typically like to begin the logo design process by looking though several logo design books and by researching similar related logos online. This not only gives you great ideas to get your creative juices flowing, but also shows you what has already been done so you can create a completely original logo to help you stand out from the rest of the crowd. By doing this, you will have innovative ideas in mind and a strong vision to allow you to come up with excellent designs right from the start.
Know your business:
Knowing the business your designing a logo for is key since a logo should represent the business entirely. Some of the best logo designs are those that reflect the business industry such as the products and services they offer and the overall message being sent. It is also important to know who your target audience is before developing a logo. Are the customers mostly male or female, what are their educational levels and their demographics? Always develop you logo design to meet the criteria of you target audience.
Stand out among your competitors:
It is essential for every business to have a recognizable and distinct logo, one that is unique and unlike your competitors. A well-designed logo should reflect your business and should be able to stand on it’s own. It must also follow the general theme of the industry you are in. A commonly seen mistake is having a logo design that appears too similar to your competitors. This will not get you distinguished and will hinder you from standing out from the rest of the crowd.
Play with fonts and styles:
Another idea to enhance the design of a logo is by playing with the type of font. Many people believe the logo should be a symbol or image with the business name written beneath it. However, you can experiment with different fonts, shapes, colors, and styles and incorporate the text into the logo itself. Try using bold, easily readable fonts like Arial and Impact and avoid using fonts that are too small and become difficult to read like any of the fancy cursive fonts.
Don’t over do it, simple designs look the best:
When you try to add too many elements to a logo you begin to lose the business message amidst all the confusion. Simple logos typically work the best such as the Nike, Apple, and Target logos. So as a rule of thumb try to use no more than 3 colors and don’t use more than 2 font types on a logo. Begin with basic shapes and play with them till you have something that will attract the viewer and enhance the overall design.