Tips on Great Logo Design.

In a word, logo design is not easy. Some logo designs may look easy but there was a lot of thought and research that went into them before they were released to the public.

The logo design checklist below is not to teach you how to design a great logo, although following the principles would get you into the ballpark, the purpose of the checklist is to simply show you what to be aware of in the logo design process.

Logo design recommendations:

Uniqueness (one of a kind, distinctive)

Look-alike logos are a dime a dozen, this is where being different is a good thing.
  
Don't go overboard though by getting a logo that looks weird or doesn't make sense. Picasso probably wouldn't make a good logo designer unless of course he was designing for Picasso.
  

Timelessness

It's one thing to have to buy new clothes because fashions change it's another to have to change your logo fashion.

Don't dress your logo up in the bell bottom pants or bee hive hairstyles of the day. When the fashion fades your logo loses its luster and you'll have to outfit it in a new wardrobe. Redesigning a logo is always an expensive proposition.
 

Adaptability

This means that your logo is easy for printers to work with and looks good in all print media. Your logo should look good in black and white or in full color, it should look good on a fax print out and embroidered on polo shirts or coffee mugs.
  
Amateur designers have a hard time creating logo designs that meet this standard.

   
Scalability

Your logo must look good in various sizes, from small to large. Well designed logos are recognizable at the size of a postage stamp and scalable up to a billboard size if necessary.

Good type selection is critical here, thin fancy fonts disappear or look like fuzzy worms at small sizes.
 

Color

Color is important but when used as "the" critical ingredient in a logo design can produce adaptability problems.

This may sound counter-intuitive but the color your logo needs to look really good in is black and white. Of course you won't design your logo in black and white but if you can convert your logo colors to black and white and it still looks good you are sitting pretty as they say.
 

Aspect Ratio

Aspect ratio is how wide to how tall your logo is. Some logo design professionals recommend a squareish ratio as opposed to wide or tall ratios.
  
The logic for a square logo is that it works better in certain marketing situations like newspaper or yellow page adds. Skyscraper tall or extra wide logos take up more column space costing you more money.


Appealing (Conveys the right image)

Your logo needs to make people feel good about your company. It also needs to promote a positive image about who you are and what you do.

Legibility (visually and psychologically)
Visual legibility is the ability to easily read the type in your logo at small sizes. Psychological legibility is the ability to quickly understand the concept your logo conveys. Confusing logos are the equivalent of sloppy handwriting.
 

Logo design dangers:
 
Undesirable associations

A symbol in your logo that resembles a swastika would obviously be a poor choice.

Avoid inserting a risque double entendre slogan into your logo design that may conjure up negative images in your clients mind.
 

Special effects mania

Resist the temptation to hire logo designers that just want to show off their latest software gadgetry. As one logo design expert says, "It's like putting lipstick on a pig."

Similarity to a competitors logo

Always a bad choice. Your logo needs to be different because your company is different.
  

Logos that say too much

Keep your slogan short and sweet or you can forget about resizing it to a small size.

Conclusion

I caution you to slow down during the logo design stage, there is no hurry. A mistake on your design will cause a lot of grief. Rushing the design process may save you some time in the beginning but if it slows the printing process down every time it won't be worth it.

Next article: Is a free logo design worth it?