Logo Design Principles

Think of some logos which are easily recognizable. You know the ones: McDonald's, Apple, Coca-Cola and others. These companies may have spent an untold amount of money to create a brand that customers will recognize and flock to. You can create a logo for your own business using these logo design principles.

Colors

Keep colors to a minimum. In fact, most well-known logos have one to three colors. Full-color logos may be difficult to see and will not convey basic emotions as readily as logos with fewer colors.

Think about the possibility of having your logo embroidered on t-shirts or baseball caps. Will your logo be easy to read in that format or will the number of colors be a handicap? If you can't have the design embroidered, it may be a poor logo design and you may want to try again.

Versatile or Functional

Ensure the logo is versatile enough to be used in many print formats. You may want your logo to look great on business cards, billboards and everything in between. Before settling on a logo, try to enlarge or reduce it to be sure it does not become distorted.

Having a logo which is scalable means the design is functional. Think of all the places you could have your logo printed - pens, pads of paper, clothing, and more - and you'll see the importance of having a versatile logo.

In fact, you may want to create your logo design in black and white before you begin adding color. This will ensure the logo will be appropriate for non-color applications the same as for those requiring color.

Again, think about how the logo looks without color. If you can't use the logo in a newspaper without full-color, you'll have wasted your money on the logo and any advertisements you may have purchased.

Clearly Read

Make the typeface legible. No one will be able to read your logo if the text is fancy, no matter how cool your logo may look. Most professional logo designers use a limited number of typefaces: Arial, Myriad, Verdana (all san serifs) and Times New Roman or Garamond (both with serifs). Try several to help you decide which is the easiest to read.

Memorable

Obviously you want your logo to be unique so people will remember it for some time. How can you make your logo more memorable? Make it simple enough that people will be able to describe it. Don't fall into the temptation of creating a logo which directly represents your business. If you sell shoes, you don't have to create a logo which looks like one, Nike didn't.

Simplicity

Keep it simple. Even though an elaborate logo might be tempting, the logos that are most popular and most easy to identify are those that are simple. Think of the simplicity of the Nike logo or Macintosh's Apple. These logos are so simple they are easily describable by anyone who has seen them.

Appropriate

Be sure to associate your logo with the characteristics of your company. Your logo may be everything listed above but if it is inconsistent with your company and the image you want to portray, you may be wasting your money.

Think about logos you know. Some appeal more to children because they are colorful and playful such as Toys R? Us. Other businesses sell items associated with children, but the logo is more likely going to appeal to the child's parents and would be more professional looking.

Using these logo design principles, you can develop a logo for your company that will make it easy for customers and potential customers to recognize. Remember, your logo is the main identity of your company.

Andrew Perkins is a professional web site and graphic designer providing visually appealing, user friendly, search engine optimized web sites, graphic design, logo design and corporate identity. Looking for a custom logo designer? Visit him for a free, no obligation quote at Andrew's Affordable Custom Web Design.