If you ever catch yourself looking at advertisements while driving down the road, you may notice each ad is usually signed with the company’s logo. The logo is a small graphic gem, a visual representation of what the company stands for and what it offers its customers.
The Business of Branding
Creating a successful logo is one of the great challenges of designers, and it’s essential for building a brand. Not only are they tasked with producing a graphic that communicates a company’s important information, but it also has to be done in a simple, effective way that can be transferred to all sorts of media and occasions. Simply put, logo design takes some serious thought.
So what are the steps that go into logo design?
It all starts with the business. Graphic designers will ask what type of business it is. Who are the customers? What are their demographics? Is the company aiming for a traditional, classic look or a new, fresh one? Here are some things to consider when creating a logo that accurately captures your company’s culture.
The Color Palette
Color plays a big part in logo design as well. Colors such as blue, white, and green are generally well-liked, and logos in these colors tend to have strong visual appeal. Red, orange, and yellow are more aggressive colors and can communicate a new, ambitious company or a willingness to grow. Black is not a color, but it can be used effectively in combination with other colors to create a great logo. Note that most logos use some color to draw attention.
Typography is also very important in creating an aesthetically pleasing logo design. Serif fonts traditionally convey a more classic look and feel, while sans serif fonts display the typeface in a much cleaner, modern form. Many newer companies use sans-serif fonts to convey a modern, current, and fresh image. No matter which style you choose, it is important that you use a font that captures your company’s feel while remaining legible for all viewers. Choosing a hard-to-read font is a common mistake in logo design and can lead people to dismiss your logo.
Finally, a graphic or symbol can be a huge part of your logo design. While many very popular logos have no graphic associated with them (IBM, Coca-Cola, Google), it is popular to create a symbol that embodies your company’s message, ideas, and culture. People come to associate your company with this graphic or symbol, which is why logo design is so important (think of the Apple and Nike symbols). While choosing or creating a symbol for your logo can be overwhelming, here are some things to remember:
- Make it unique – if your logo is different from the rest, it will stand out and allow your company to shine.
- Give it meaning – People like stories, and having a cool story or idea behind your logo will make it remarkable.
- Keep it simple – Keep the graphic as simple as possible; remember, your logo will be going on lots of different media and surfaces, and simplicity will make your logo universally adaptable.
These are some of the main points to remember when designing a logo, but having a clear vision of what you want is the best way to ensure your logo turns out exactly as you envision. That’s where the expert graphic designers can help. At Starfish Signs and Graphics, we specialize in visual storytelling, and we will work with you to create a logo that allows you to stand out in a sea of competition.