Tips to Create the Best Brand Logo
It takes about 10 seconds for people to form a first impression of a logo, but they won’t recognize it until they have seen it at least 5 to 7 times.
That means your logo needs to be as memorable as possible to make a positive and long-lasting impression.
The best logos are designed to symbolize what the brand stands for. The wrong logo can do a lot of damage to your business and your brand image. Not only that, but a logo will likely be representing your organization for many years to come, which means the wrong logo design can make a long-lasting, but negative, impression even after you’ve rebranded.
7 Design Tips for the Best Logos
- Personality. An artistic, attention-grabbing design is wonderful, but without any tie-in to your company’s culture, products, or mission, it’s just an image without a message. Design a logo that gives people a sense of what your organization is and stands for.
- The test of time. Some logos look a lot better now than they will in a few short years. Using strange color combinations, bizarre fonts, or other novelties is a good way to make your logo more interesting in the short term … but once that trend has passed, your brand logo will need another makeover.
- Vanilla. Just as you don’t want to go too far off the deep end with the “artistic vision” of your logo, you also don’t want it to feel so plain that people can’t tell it from a million other logos. There is a fine line between “classic” and “terribly boring,” but it’s crucial to find that sweet spot and create a strong logo that truly represents you brand. Of course, that is something the team at Elevation Ten Thousand can help you achieve.
- Be different. It should go without saying that your logo needs to reflect your business, not someone else’s. It can be tempting to borrow inspiration from a large, established company, but the last thing you want is doubt, ambiguity, or a lawsuit. Choose something that’s just as original as your brand is.
- Avoid radical changes. Sometimes a complete rebrand of your organization is necessary, but it shouldn’t be based on a whim. Completely changing your logo — or other brand-identity pieces — is a good way to confuse your customers and lose credibility in the marketplace.
- Keep it simple, stupid. There are a lot of fascinating logos out there that fall into the category of “creative nonsense.” They’re sort of cutting-edge, but they’re also so complicated and random that they’re actually difficult to look at. A clean, classic look is always a winner, so avoid going off the deep end — unless that’s what represents your brand.
- You need to ADORE IT. Your logo isn’t coming to you via arranged marriage, so don’t think that you have to like something just because everyone else does. You’ll have to live and grow old with your logo, so, don’t let anyone talk you into something you don’t fall in love with yourself.
Create the Perfect Logo Design
Think of your logo as the face of your brand.
It’s the first thing people see when they interact with your brand. What do you want those people to see or think?
Marian Bantjes — whose work has been published in well over 100 books and magazines around the world — once said: “The more I deal with the work as something that is my own, as something that is personal, the more successful it is.”
An ideal logo design sets the foundation for every interaction your target audience has with your organization. Determine what kind of impression you want to make and then work with a team — or a marketing agency — to determine how you can convey that in a logo.
Need help making your logo personal and something your audience will recognize as a unique, memorable, and accurate representation of your brand? Elevation Ten Thousand can help. Drop us a line today to get started.
image credit: Angela Fisher, 2018 Adobe Summit
