Logo Design is something that not many businesses put a lot of time, and effort in. While there are also those businesses that hire professionals to redesign their logos every few years. Is it in your business’s interest to really invest effort, time, and money in Logo Designing?
Let us answer that question outright. It is definitely in your interest to invest effort, and time into your Logo Design. Whether you need professional help, is something really subjective. Let us try to understand what logos are, why they are important, and what are the characteristics of a good logo.
A logo is a symbol or a graphic design adopted by an organization as a sort of a signature to mark its products, or services, or content, or even property. There certainly is an element of ownership to the act of branding products with logos, but logos are way beyond marking your territories.
“A logo is a symbol”. We like that description, because a symbol is something that is beyond mere words. A symbol is something graphic (words, images, or combination of the two) that has a deeper, a little bit of an obvious, and a bit of a subconscious, and hidden dimension to it.
“A symbol is a term, a name, or even a picture that may be familiar in daily life, yet that possesses specific connotations in addition to its conventional and obvious meaning.”
– Carl Jung (Man and His Symbols)
So, one could argue that there is that extra component about a logo that brings about feelings or thoughts, and hence could trigger emotions that the audience can sense, but cannot completely rationalize. A good logo inspires trust, and recognition, and even admiration in a viewer.
Now as much as you’d like to think that presenting this idea with such intensity is an attempt to romanticize a fairly common subject, we assure you that symbols (Logos) are serious business. How serious?
Amazon recently came up with a new logo, and icon design for its delivery app that they thought visually represented their delivery packages, and then quickly, and quietly tweaked it, as netizens pointed out that the design looked like a certain someone’s evil, mustachioed smile.
Cannot unsee it once you have seen it, can you? Amazon did not want their audience to view their brand with the negative emotions, that are bound to follow any association with one of the worst humans in world history. So they were quick to change the design.
Previously this year, even Myntra – an Indian fashion e-commerce, similarly changed its logo’s design to avoid a (stupid) controversy.
What makes for a Good Logo Design?
Let us look at this in depth…
Memorable Logo Design
Your logo would probably be a part of a (prospective) customer’s first encounter with your brand. And whether or not the prospect would remember your brand’s products or services when they feel the need, would heavily depend on how memorable your logo design is.
Experienced professionals who have been through the ups, and the downs of the business world, who have seen a billion trends, and experienced a gazillion “new” waves in the world of logo designs, argue that the memorability of a logo trumps the subject matter, and even appropriateness of the design at times.
“The only mandate in the design of logos, it seems, is that they be distinctive, memorable, and clear.”
– Paul Rand
So how does one go about creating a memorable logo design? When you think about it, memorable things have two traits: 1. Simplicity, and 2. Timelessness.
You find that the easiest things to remember are the things that are so simple, that it does not take much effort to remember them, and those things that will continue to remain relevant for years to come.
Simplicity in Logo Design
Simplicity plays an essential role in making a logo memorable. First, complicated designs, for the majority of people are overwhelming to look at. And people hate extra efforts. And by “complicated”, we mean intricate beyond reason, not intelligent.
We think when being creative, one should strive for intelligent elements with a minimalistic approach. Say when you add elements that hint at something, keep them simple stupid! There are a lot of brands who have adopted minimalistic logos that are really clever!
Here’s an example:
This logo is simply clever. The logo belongs to Beats, a brand that is a huge name in the head-sets industry. It is the letter “b” over a circle, in a manner that appears to be a head with a head-set.
Timelessness of Logo Design
Will your logo design be relevant for years to come? Does your logo design contain elements influenced by recent design trends that will be outdated in the future?
It is essential to ensure that your brand stays relevant for the audience in the future, for the survival of your business. Every business is a story that needs to sell itself. And, logos are one way of selling that story.
Now, that means if the story that you are telling suddenly becomes outdated – so will the perception of that story. And you will have to change the means, or the story will end.
Let us look at the logos of the brands Pepsi, and Coca-Cola.
The Pepsi logo started off with a really weird looking text that was perhaps trendy during the 1900s. But today that design looks so weird for a logo. We mean, not if you’re selling to a satanic cult… (maybe they were looking for a “Cult-following” XD)
In the ‘40s, Pepsi adopted an approach that was similar (rip-off?) to the Coca-Cola font. And then went for the red, white, and blue combination that they have still kept with a few changes.
Pepsi went on, and changed their logo several times. In fact, we have already seen three Pepsi logos throughout our life. And we don’t think that they are done with their changes. We might see it change again once that Harry Plain text goes out of fashion. What logo do you think of, when you think PEPSI?
In contrast, when you think Coca-Cola, the image in your head is quite clear. You know exactly what to think of. Although, when you analyze the Coca-Cola logo through the eyes of a designer, it looks quite plain. Just the brand name written in some wavy font.
However, this piece of text has been around for years, enduring the tests of time. Generations have seen this logo. Unchanged throughout their lives! And it still continues to be relevant, all kudos to their timeless logo design!
So, we have two brands that came out roughly around the same time, and even sell products that look similar (same!), are the same type of product (cola), and even taste the same (cry me a river!). And still, one of them makes way more than the other. Guess who!
Let us look at another example. An example that is both simple, and timeless, that also (arguably) has a really clever deeper dimension to it.
The quintessential Memorable, and Simple Brand Logo. The McDonald’s logo is a great example of a Simple, Memorable Logo. And in no way does this logo overtly tells the viewer what it represents. Just one simple letter that has been stylized, presented in a combination of two warm colours.
I’ve heard someone say that the yellow hints at the colour of their fries, and the red, their tomato ketchup. And that sounds about right… for juveniles at least? Anyway, this logo is the most recognized logo in the world. What makes it so effective?
Red is the colour that has the highest wavelength, and hence scatters the least. This is also why stop signs, and brake-lights are red – because it is the most visible colour. Red also is the colour of ripeness, both in berries and mates.
Think about it, why are you more attracted to women wearing red lipsticks, and pretty red dresses. Women these days even wear that blush that reddens their cheeks, because men, who have evolved to easily spot that “ripe fruit”, feel naturally drawn. Sneaky!
Yellow is the colour associated with happiness. And, McDonald’s has also used the happiness factor in a lot of other places (the clown, the “happy” meals, and the toys that come along, the cheaper combo meals, the bigger burgers, you see?)
Do you still think the red, and the yellow just happened to be there for no reason? Further, the simplicity of this minimal logo makes it easy to reproduce, and miniaturize as per need. Which brings us to our next characteristic of a good logo.
Versatility of Logo Design
Your logo will be like your signature. It will be your Brand. What does that mean? – It means that your logo will be on your products, on your Advertisements, your website, your place of business too (restaurant chains, bank branches, showrooms, etc.), proclaiming to the world that this (product/place/advert) is yours.
A logo should be versatile enough to go with your products. It’s design such that it does not lose its essence or its detail when miniaturized, or when they are viewed in a particular position, online or offline. And, there are a lot of logos that suffer because they were not designed for versatility.
Either have a minimal design, or if you do have to go for a bit intricate design, design your logo with the Responsive logo design approach. A Responsive Logo is one whose elements vary depending on the device/place it is being displayed without sacrificing brand identity.
Appropriateness of Logo Design
A law-firm’s logo design that contains such colourful, disorganized, and bubbly-looking text would give a very childish vibe. Lawyers have it a bit tough, because in their business trust is already hard to inspire, and something like the following design would mean certain catastrophe for business…
Similarly, the following graphic would give a very dystopian vibe to a pre-school.
Parents would not trust this organization with their kids, would they? Before we conclude, let us also point out that your logo design needs to be distinct. You cannot have a logo that resembles another business’s logo as that may lead to confusion, if not a lawsuit.
In conclusion, ensure that your logo is Memorable, Simple, Timeless, Versatile, and Appropriate. Would you like our team to take care of your logo design for you?
