Designing a logo that works:
Think twice, design once is the mantra. Look ahead at least 5 to 10 years and don't get too trendy. Prepare the image carefully-Consistency and continuity are your goals……
A good logo beauty queen or hard working labourer? A really good logo is both. It looks good just standing there, attracting attention, showing off. It also labours tirelessly carrying your product and delivering your message. When you can balance the two you have a winning logo.
Definition
It's probably best to begin this discussion with a brief description of what Print Hut mean by a logo
A logo identifies the company; it's a major part of the company's overall corporate identity. Some logos give a hint about what the company does but not all.
A logo should help build the image the company wants in the minds of its customers and prospects.
It must be able to deliver the message.
It should be recognizable and easy to remember.
It should work in all materials and all media.
Pretty or ugly is only part of the equation. I've seen beautiful logos that did nothing to enhance their companies images, and I've seen so-so artwork that helped bring success. There is a balance between looking good and working hard that needs to be achieved. Neither is expendable.
Common Errors in Thinking
A logo can prove unworkable for a number of reasons. A common, and often costly, error is underestimating the importance of company identity right from the beginning.
Print Hut see this often when a company rushes the development of a logo without taking the time to evaluate whether or not it advances the image they wish to portray to clients and prospects. Later they may find that it does not enhance or build on their image as the company grows.
If they are attempting to build a brand and brand recognition, this is a fatal mistake. They end up faced with the unpleasant choice of either sticking with a non-optimum logo because they have a great deal invested in it, or abandoning the logo and any recognition they've been working to build.
An important first step in logo design
The first step in designing a logo is review and evaluation of the company, always with a view to at least 5 or 10 years into the future. This means introspection. It means having a plan for the future of the company. It means an honest evaluation of what is wanted, what is possible and what is probable.
What is the image the company needs to build in order for that plan to materialize?
Can that image be represented graphically?
Can a logo help to build that image? In what ways?
Colour, artwork, type style, size, boldness, flashiness, conservatism are all parts of reflecting the image desired.
Common Design or Technical Errors
Another part of the evaluation that should occur before the design of a company logo is determining, as well as possible, the ways in which the logo will be used. Stationery? More than likely. But what about signs? Use on vehicles, in advertising, on specialty items like pens? How about on a Web site or on an advertising board? The list goes on. Many of these have very different technical requirements that need to be considered before creating a logo that might not be adaptable.
Trust us when we write that it is possible to design a logo that is quite beautiful, enhances the companys image and yet, is completely unworkable in the real world. Print Hut have spent many hours recreating logos that could not be used where they were needed. The reasons for this are almost as varied as the logos themselves. But they break down into a few major categories and with careful thought and preparation can usually be avoided.
A valuable asset
A companys logo design, its corporate identity, is a valuable asset and should be approached that way. It should be fought for and protected from infringement and misuse. It should be updated and kept fresh through ongoing review and evaluation. It is an investment in the company and its value should be expected to last for years.
Using and Protecting
What we are about to write may be more important than all of the above. Because pretty or ugly, easy to use or difficult, your logo must be applied consistently and protected in order to be a true asset to the company. Once a logo is designed and produced we find that they way the logo is used is what builds the brand.
Consistency and continuity are the keywords here.
The configuration, colours, type style, relative sizes of elements all stay the same. We know where the Coca-Cola is in a store way before I can read the words on the can. What if McDonalds painted the golden arches orange at some locations and brown at others? No. Recognition is built by presenting the same image repeatedly.
I know I know. What about Google? Well, if your company has the recognition that Google has, then okay, go for it. But remember that the very action of creating holiday versions of their logo is part of their corporate image. And, they never lose sight of the original logo, each novelty logo is only used for a brief period, and every version is copyrighted. In general and for most of us, it is better to build the brand through consistent use.
Recap
Think twice, design once is the mantra. Look ahead at least 5 to 10 years and don't get too trendy. Prepare the image carefully in a flexible format. Consistency and continuity are your goals.
