Designing a Logo

NVArchitect

For many of us, the naming of our business idea with its accompanying logo design, marks the start of our entrepreneurial dreams becoming a reality. The feeling at this moment is akin to a parent naming a new born child. It is a highly emotional time that wishes to embody so much of our goals, personality and dreams.


 


Add to this, the desire of the logo designer to express themselves in a creative way and you soon have a melting pot of emotions and mindsets that can become far removed from the commercial realities of good logo design. There is much to consider when designing a logo but here are my five essentials of a good commercial logo design (1) that you can own the Intellectual Property (trademark) (2) that you can reproduce it easily and accurately on all marketing mediums and (3) that it incorporates a long term emphasis that won`t date in colour, style or tag line (4) that it is clear (like a cattle brand) and unambiguous in phonetics and (5) that the market readily accepts it without wanting to shorten, add to or change it in any way.
With this in mind, it may be prudent for us to firstly research the decisions made by the Top 50 Global Brands, before plunging headlong into this highly emotive area. For more information, see my article on Designing a Logo

NVArchitect8/30/2008 12:25 AM

Remipub

So very true.  A recent example, I have a friend who`s company just launched a new venture... eco-friendly industrial development.  They hired their graphic designer to create a logo that catches the essense of what they`re all about (first mistake).  My friend showed me with pride the new logo ... the company name with pale green lettering alongside an intricately detailed graphic utilizing lots of light colors.  Sure it looked nice ... for a poster or something of that sort.  But I tactfully pointed out the shortcomings - at least as it pertains to creating a brand and visual presence.  My advice pretty much fell on deaf ears until I pointed out that most of the major brands you see in every day life are very simple in design.  Often just the name of the company in some stylized typeface, other times a simple shape with some distinguishing features. 
 
The one saving grace of this new logo ... theirs is a company who really won`t rely on visual recognition.  They are largely a word of mouth kind of company - but even still, I would have prefered to see a different design.  In fact I came up with one in my head during the conversation with my friend .... she wasn`t interested! 

LogoMotives

Great article.  The major problems I see most often when it comes to identity design are:
1.) The final design is too complicated
2.) The final design is too trendy in design, color, etc.
3.) The designer has "over designed" the logo
4.) The business owner has been unable to separate what they personally think they WANT from what the business NEEDS to be successfully identified for the target market.  So, in the identity design process the designer has been misdirected and/or is not able to get the business owner back on track.
The first day of design school, over 34 years ago, my instructor told me that the K.I.S.S. Principle would be the best rule for me to follow in guiding myself and clients through the logo design process.  I`ve remembered that need for simplicity on each logo project since.

DCCSCS

Great article. Definitely something that would have been good to have read before designing our logo and coming up with our name.  It also made me think about companies around that seem to have broken several of those rules.

michael9211

Hello everyone, According to me the logo which you will design should have the ability to represent the
aim and the business of you organisation. It should be related to your organisation.
Because it represent your organisation.
=============================================
Michael Smith
4th Dimension Private Limited is a BPO
4th Dimensionmichael92119/6/2008 7:24 AM

Remipub

Hello everyone, According to me the logo which you will design should have the ability to represent the
aim and the business of you organisation. It should be related to your organisation.
Because it represent your organisation.
=============================================
Michael Smith
4th Dimension Private Limited is a BPO
4th Dimension

 
You would think, huh.  But the fact is the most successful logos (meaning the most recognizable) rarely do that.  I see the Mercedes logo and I immediately know what make of vehicle that is, yet nothing about their logo tells me they make cars.  (just one example).  It`s about recognizabilty.  Other means of marketing will tell the story of what a business does, the logo doesn`t need to.

DanielAuito

Make your Logo a MEME something that instantly conveys what your company does and is all about with just one look! Here is a pro in the graphics division who works very reasonable but produces stellar work and detail that can achieve these effects. [email protected] She is beyond good and is always willing to help people through the process.
DanielAuito9/6/2008 9:51 PM

NVArchitect

michael9211 wrote: Hello everyone, According to me the logo which you will design should have the ability to represent the
aim and the business of you organisation. It should be related to your organisation. Because it represent your organisation.

 




I agree with Remipub in that it is very important that you don`t create a logo with any association with your business product. Nearly 100% of the top global brands follow this strategy and so I think we should as well.






 






Nothing stops you from putting a by-line or tag under your logo explaining what you do but it should not be incorporated in the logo. Leave room for future change. The main reason for this is that there is no guarantee that you will continue to sell the same products in the future that you are selling today, in fact, there is a high probability that you won`t.






 






This happens for two main reasons (1) if you have your beachhead strategy right you will be launching with products that find an easy and ready market acceptance only to be followed up later by those products that with high margins but with greater market resistance and (2) no one can predict the market accurately and their is no telling which product will be the winner and which one won`t. Which ever one it is we need to be flexible enough to pursue it. Having your product embedded in you logo restricts this activity.






 



I guess it is a bit like an actor`s name getting typecast. For more information, see my follow-up article on
Create a Trademark 

 

 
 

LogoAmbassador

Thank you for this informative article. Naturally, this will help my company as we are in the business of logo design, and I will post it immediately for my team. We always strive for excellence, and I think we share your distaste for the tasteless and over-complicated.

NVArchitect

You folks may be interested in a follow up article I wrote about "Create a Trademark". It does look at the process from an Australian trademark point of view but much of the content is still applicable globally.

LogoAmbassador

Many of these great brands of old have such a long history and are so established that brand recognition is immediate through the mark (without the type). Small businesses cannot afford to position themselves that way at the onset.
As cool as it would be, a simple swirling swoosh without text doesn`t give a local bakery the most bang for his buck. Yet, it does a world of good for Nike, the well-established brand.
Look at the progression of Texaco`s logo through the years. Over time, the type has become less and less important, and now the type is no longer seen in the logo itself.
Since startups need every drop of advertising they can get

















, yes, a very clean and simple logo is desirable for the clarity of the message. But communicate a message--it must!
Even if the intention is not to communicate any message, the logo inherently does say something about the company: its quality, longevity, etc. If the company needs all the help/advertising it can get, why not capitalize on this truth and make the logo sell as hard for the business as the sales team does?
--Michael
http://LogoAmbassador.com

LogoAmbassador

Hello everyone, According to me the logo which you will design should have the ability to represent the
aim and the business of you organisation. It should be related to your organisation.
Because it represent your organisation.
=============================================
Michael Smith
4th Dimension Private Limited is a BPO
4th Dimension
 You would think, huh.  But the fact is the most successful logos (meaning the most recognizable) rarely do that.  I see the Mercedes logo and I immediately know what make of vehicle that is, yet nothing about their logo tells me they make cars.  (just one example).  It`s about recognizabilty.  Other means of marketing will tell the story of what a business does, the logo doesn`t need to.
Many
of these great brands of old have such a long history and are so
established that brand recognition is immediate through the mark
(without the type). Small businesses cannot afford to position
themselves that way at the onset.
As cool as it would be, a simple swirling swoosh without text doesn`t
give a local bakery the most bang for his buck. Yet, it does a world of
good for Nike, the well-established brand.
Look at the progression of Texaco`s logo through the years. Over time,
the type has become less and less important, and now the type is no
longer seen in the logo itself.
Since startups need every drop of advertising they can get, yes, a very clean and simple logo is desirable for the clarity of the message. But communicate a message--it must!
Even if the intention is not to communicate any message,
the logo inherently does say something about the company: its quality,
longevity, etc. If the company needs all the help/advertising it can
get, why not capitalize on this truth and make the logo sell as hard
for the business as the sales team does?
--Michael

dominoesrules

According to me the logo which you will design should have the ability to represent the aim and the business of you organisation. It should be related to your organisation.

Brandon1

Always ask for a design brief so that you know exactly what your client expects from you. If needed, you can also check out the effectiveness of a design by showing it to your prospective clients.

watsonrenee

Always consult for a style short so that you know specifically what your customer desires from you. If required, you can also examine out the efficiency of a design by showing it to your potential customers.