There are certain crucial elements that your company’s logo must have if you want it to be effective when it comes to getting new customers and establishing a positive image for your business. The more you know about these elements, the easier it will be for you to create a logo that will impress those who see it in a big way.
1: Simplicity
A good logo should have a simple design, period. It is important that your logo not be overly complicated, because it won’t be nearly as effective. A lot of business owners who design their own logo are tempted to go over the top with a complicated look, but this is a huge mistake that you’ll want to avoid altogether. Your logo should have clean, simplistic overall design that can be easily processed within seconds of viewing it. The simpler your logo is, the more attractive it will likely be.
2: Inspiration
Before you start putting pencil to paper (or fingers to keyboard), it is important that you try to get inspired. There are a lot of different ways to help inspiration along when designing a logo, such as to look at logos for other companies that are highly successful. It’s crucial to remember that inspiration doesn’t mean copying, because you don’t want to just rip off another business’s logo. Some people get inspiration out of the blue while others have to go looking for it, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with the latter. Take as much time as you need until inspiration finds you or you find it.
3: Collaboration
A lot of business owners who create their own logos collaborate with their clients in order to come up with one that is very effective and aesthetically pleasing. Since you want a logo that your target audience can identify with, you might want to think about listening to some of your clients’ ideas. This could be exactly what you need when it comes to getting started on designing your logo, so you will want to at least give it a try.
4: Rough Draft Beginning
The first thing that you should do when designing a new logo for your company is to put a rough draft/sketch down on paper. This will help you to get a basic idea as to what your logo is going to look like. If you make any mistakes along the way (and you probably will), you can always just use the handy little eraser on your pencil. While it may seem silly to do this in the digital age we live in, it’s just for when you are starting out. You can use your computer to create the final version of your logo once you have sketched out a first draft on paper.
5: Originality
If you want to create a truly great logo for your business, it has to be original. There’s nothing wrong with using basic elements of other company’s logos, but it should be unique as a whole. It is crucial that your logo is original, because otherwise you’ll have a hard time with getting people to associate it with just your company. Avoid using too many logo clichés when designing your own.
6: Balance
Your logo should have a nice proportionate balance when it comes to everything from color to spacing. Achieving this perfect balance can be tricky and time consuming, but in the end you will find that it’s well worth the effort. The fact is that a lot of company logos do not have very much balance, and as a result they just don’t look very good overall. Make sure that you pay close attention to how readable your logo is so that you don’t make this mistake like so many others have. The last thing you want is for those who look at your logo to have a difficult time reading it.
7: Subtlety
While it may be tempting to use bright colors and a flamboyant design for your new company logo, it’s much better to keep it subtle. You can still design an effective, great-looking logo by using toned down coloration and other subtle elements. It’s important to remember that you don’t want your logo to be over-the-top when it comes to how it looks.
8: Professionalism
You will of course want to make sure that your logo looks as professional as possible, because otherwise nobody is going to take it seriously. If you want to make your logo as effective as possible when it comes to bringing in new customers, you will first need to make sure that it has a professional look to it. This means creating an overall design that doesn’t look too silly or cartoonish.
9: A Nice Font
One of the things that a lot of people who design their own logos neglect is typography. It is essential that you have a nice-looking font for your logo, because a bad font can completely ruin it altogether. Take all the time you need to select a font that looks nice and is appropriate for the type of business that you run. This can take a little while, but it’s something that must be done before you call it quits. The right font can really help with tying your whole logo together, which is why it’s so important that you focus on this particular element when designing your logo.
10: Timelessness
The logo that you create should definitely have a timeless design so that it won’t start losing its aesthetic appeal as years go by. Another big mistake that a lot of business owners make when designing their own logo is to follow too many popular design trends. If you allow trends to dictate how your logo is going to look, you’ll most likely end up having to revamp it later on down the road. A timeless design is essential for a good business logo, and you’ll be glad you kept this tip in mind.