Think about the most successful businesses you know. How many of them have a memorable logo? Designing a logo can be a frustrating process, but there are very few successful businesses that don’t take advantage of the way a logo is easily recognized and remembered by new and returning customers.
Successful branding might be the single most important factor in the longevity of a business in the modern world. If your customers can’t tell at a glance what kind of service you’re offering, what’s to stop them seeking similar products or services elsewhere? But when the time comes to design your own logo, there are a number of common mistakes and pitfalls to which many people fall victim.
So whatever kind of business you run, whether you’re looking for real estate marketing success, running a small business, or looking to rebrand, make sure you’re getting the most out of your graphic design with a memorable logo that will keep attracting business for years to come.
General rules
From the pictographs of the ancient Assyrians and Egyptians, to the monograms of European royalty, and the beautifully intricate designs of companies in the early days of the industrial revolution, logos have gone through a whole host of stylistic changes over the centuries. Through all this, one thing has remained the same: nothing beats a strong logo to help cement your business in the minds of potential customers.
When thinking about how to design a logo, there are several logo design tips that will help your logo stand out in an ever more crowded marketplace.
Be Eye-Catching, But Legible
A truly boring logo might seem like an obvious thing to avoid, but the golden square of National Geographic, or the simple three-section logo of Mercedes Benz are iconic symbols which despite their simplicity, have stood the test of time. Conversely, trying to decipher the intricate and ornate logos you’ll find on the bill of your local heavy metal festival is an exercise in eye strain and futility.
Remember, from smaller roll labels, to enormous vinyl wall graphics, it’s vital that your logo be easy to read and attention-grabbing.
Be Memorable
There are so many amazing options to make your logo stand out in ways that go way beyond just visuals. There are many benefits in choosing to show off your logo using a unique shape, like these fun square business cards, or even a texture that no one will forget in a hurry. Who could forget a velvet business card? For many businesses, a pun or a visual joke is a great way to hook attention. The hidden arrow in the Fed-Ex logo is a classic example, but you may find donut shops whose logos seem to have a bite taken out of them, or pet grooming businesses that use an iteration of the famous rabbit-duck illusion to show the range of animals they work with. However, it’s also important to remember to…
Get the Vibe Right
When you’re designing a logo for your business, there is a fun thought exercise you can do to see how appropriate your logo might be. Imagine you’re looking for a lawyer, and you’re given two business cards. One is poorly written, and has been printed on a home printer. The other is a very seriously written, embossed business card with a professionally designed logo, from a dedicated print shop like Gold Image Printing. Which one would you be more likely to contact? This is an extreme example, but illustrates how much the overall presentation of your logo can affect the perception your customers have of your business.
Have the Right Information
This might seem obvious, but having the right information in and around your logo is vital. If you’re a publishing business, you’ll generally not be well served by a logo which looks more like it might belong to a sandwich shop, and vice versa. There’s also the issue of misspellings, which if not caught could affect the ability of your customers to even find your business in the first place. This is why one of the best logo design tips for your business is to work with a print shop that employs a dedicated team capable of helping ensure your success, whether in real estate marketing, or any other endeavors.
Top 5 Quick Tips and Tricks
1) Where to Find Inspiration?
Inspiration can strike in the weirdest places, and what might have been great inspiration for 2019 logo design tips might be entirely inappropriate today. However, there are some good ideas that seem to hold true for many people. The goods and services your business provides can be a great starting point for a logo, but you can also find inspiration in your company’s name, or even the overall sector in which you work.
2) Is Color Important?
In short, yes. You’ll find red appearing in many fast food logos, and green makes a somewhat predictable appearance in a large number of ecologically and environmentally friendly businesses. However, did you know that blue is commonly associated with healthcare and technology logos? The use of color theory in logos is a fascinating and deep subject which is definitely worth looking into if you want to know more about what your logo might be communicating.
3) Shapes and Empty Space.
For a food business, a good use of empty or negative space might be to show a bite having been taken out of the logo. For a blacksmith or glass blower, flames or sparks may be utilized as negative space in the logo. However you choose to use it, negative space can really elevate your logo in a positive way.
4) Be Literal
Abstraction can be a great idea for logos, but if your logo isn’t clearly identifiable fairly quickly, it may be overlooked by just the people you want to see it most.
5) How Does It Look In The Real World?
It’s all well and good to search for tips on how to improve your illustrator logo, but it doesn’t matter how good your logo looks on the computer if it doesn’t come out looking as beautiful in real life. This can be helped by printing with a well-known and highly regarded printing company. The templates and artwork guidelines provided by Gold Image Printing are sure to be one of the easiest and best ways to ensure your logo looks perfect from flyers, to newsletters, to any product you decide to print on.