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Some
'Golden Rules' of Logo Design
By - Stephen Douglas
While the variables are infinite (that's
a good thing - it means that every logo can be unique) there are certain
benchmarks (I hesitate to call them rules) that if you follow, will pretty well
insure that you'll end up with a decent and workable logo. While whether or not
a logo is 'good' remains completely subjective, following these pointers will
give you a logo that's usable, practical and promising a long shelf life.
1) Uniqueness -Your logo should be able
to stand out as completely 'yours'. It's surprising how many times we get asked
to 'copy' logos - we've even had clients request a 'version' of my brand. Not a
good idea. On top of the potential legal complications nothing screams
'unprofessional' like a logo that's looks even remotely like someone else's. Do
not copy. I'll say it again. Do. Not. Copy.
2) Timeless -Every few years there's a
trend, or fad, that new logos seems to embrace. A few years ago it was the
'swoosh' - made logos all hi-tech and 'internety'. Trouble is, everybody jumped
on that bandwagon and the treatment rapidly became hackneyed and trite. Few
years hence, and we've got lots of people stuck with out of date designs. The
latest design logo trend is so-called 2.0, a technique that (like a lot of
design trends) can be traced back to Apple Computers. Take your logo, add a
'gel' treatment, give it glassy reflection at the bottom and you're all set.
(hey - the 3D version of our house could qualify). Web 2.0 is still going
strong, but I'll go out on a limb and say it will be yesterday's news by end of
summer.
3) Gimmick Free -Special FX and filters
are usually applied, by inexperienced designers, to logos that are 'missing
something'. Trouble is, what the logo is generally missing is any design
integrity, and adding bevels, lens flares and drop shadows is the logo design
version of 'putting lipstick on a pig'. While it certainly shows how cool the
latest design software is, it doesn't do much for the professionalism of your
mark. Such treatments are fine for glamour shots (used as display pieces on
brochures and the like) but are only going to cause grief down the road,
especially when it comes to application of your new logo on standard business
material. Your logo should be as technically simple as possible for
adaptability, which just happened to be number 4 on our list...
4) Adaptability -Over the life of your
company, you'll want to plaster your logo over everything you send out. That's
the point of having a logo in the first place. In order to do this, you'll need
a logo that's adaptable to every occasion and while they may look 'pretty' , the
design gimmicks we just talked about render your logo impractical for many of
these uses. Some of these uses - checks, FAXes, embroidery, newspaper ads,
invoices, letterheads, etc. Your new logo has to work on all of them. You'll
also need a quality black and white version that can reproduce as a halftone
grayscale, or in the cases of low-resolution BW reproduction, a linear version.
5) Scalability -When using your logo,
you'll need to be able to use it small. Real small. Postage stamp size. Classic
example of this - over the years, I've designed a load of sports event posters
that feature logos from dozens of event sponsors. Space only permits the logos
to be featured as very small images and it's always the simpler logos that stand
out when viewed from a distance. The cluttered logos aren't recognizable to any
great degree and the sponsors are probably wasting their money, especially if
inclusion on the poster is the only benefit of their sponsorship. When it comes
to scalability, the text portion of the logo is the most important, as that's
the piece you want people to remember. Scrawny, sickly text doesn't read very
well at half an inch high.
6) Color is Secondary -Colors are
extremely important. Using consistent corporate colors will become part of your
brand - that's understood. However, when it comes to the design of your logo,
color must always be secondary. A logo that requires color to 'hold' the design
together is fine when reproduction is optimal - websites, 4 color process
printing and what have you - but even then only if the size is appropriate as
well. Logos that rely too much on color tend to blend together when used small
(see above) and unless the contrast between the two colors is pronounced, will
be a grey mess if used in black and white. As for low-resolution reproduction
(FAXES, checks, etc) you can forget about readability completely - logos that
use color as a design cornerstone usually come out as black blotches on a FAX
transmission and with all their money, banks still haven't figured out how to
print a decent check.
7) Appropriate Aspect Ratio &
Footprint -The aspect ratio of a logo is the relationship between a logo's
height and it's width. Bottom line, you don't want a logo that's too tall, or
too wide. Square'ish' is always best as this allows the maximum adaptability of
a logo, especially when it's being used in conjunction with other artwork. The
'footprint' of a logo refers to the amount of physical space that's required to
place a logo on any page. If the footprint is 'wonky' - trailing design elements
'poke' outside the footprint - it can greatly affect the size that the design
can be used at, as well as the visual impact of same.
Like most 'rules' of design, not all of
these will apply in every situation, and in many cases, we'll toss them out
completely. However, they should give you a road map that will help you navigate
the sometimes frustrating creative process to design your new logo.
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About The Author:
Steve
Douglas is the CEO, founder and Creative Director of
Thelogofactory.com
an internet based logo design studio
specializing in logos and corporate identity for small to mid-sized companies.
With a history in the graphic design industry spanning 25 years, Douglas has had
extensive experience as an agency and magazine art director before founding TLF
in 1996.
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