7 Attributes of an Outstanding Logo
“A logo derives its meaning from the quality of the thing is symbolizes, not the other way around.”
-Paul Rand
Your logo is the way that you represent your company to the world and your friends and family. It is what customers first see. So, let’s dive into how to tell if your logo is set up to help bring success to your company, shall we?
1. Easy to remember. Quick, what’s the Target logo? What about McDonalds? These logos are burned into our minds, and they were designed to do exactly that. If a customer can remember your logo, they can easily distinguish your company from your competitors.
2. Simplicity. Another thing to notice about those popular logos that stay in our minds is that they are simple. Some logo artists get carried away, because logo design is art — but the key thing to remember here is that it’s art, but it’s also marketing. It needs to be simple and to-the-point.
3. Looks good at any size. Your logo may be used as the favicon on your website’s tab (which is tiny), and also needs to look good on a billboard above the highway. It should be recognizable and attractive at all sizes.
4. Legibility. This should go without saying, but your company name needs to be easy to read. In the eighties, this was a big problem, because a lot of
companies wanted those Def-Leppard-ish hair band metal fonts, and the result was a lot of signs and logos that were illegible. If customers can’t read your company name, the logo image doesn’t matter!
5. Uniqueness. Your logo needs to not look exactly like other logos. Some business owners think they are being sly when they copy a successful competitor’s logo, but they just end up looking like the crappier, generic version of that more successful company. You want your logo to stand out.
6. Relevance to the industry. Yes, you want to be different, but make sure that
your graphics don’t belong in another industry. Let’s just say that you are a
copy store called Speedy Copies. You decide that you want a picture of a sports car next to your name. I get that, speedy=fast car. However, this logo would confuse people — do you deliver the copies? Where is the car in your business? In the logo below, where is the surfboard? The ocean?
7. Color Psychology. Did you know that different colors evoke different emotions? Red and orange stimulate appetite, and yellow evokes a feeling of happiness and positivity. Which is why most fast-food restaurants use just those colors. Emotions sell, and you want your logo colors to match the emotions you want customers to have right before they patronize your business.
So, as you can see, there is a lot that goes into creating a successful logo. If you’d like to get a logo designed or redesigned for your company’s success, contact Tao Websites today!
