At Opus Creative we know how important it is to create a logo that represents your brand effectively. Your logo is often the first impression that your business creates with a potential client. Having a well designed logo is often the difference between a potential client/customer engaging with your business or going else where. Your logo visually communicates to your target audience what kind of organisation you are. In this article we break down the five main characteristics of good logo design.
Flexible:
A well design logo should be able to work across a number of platforms and applications. The standard logo format is a vector file. This format allows the logo to be increased and decreased in six without losing the resolution. A versatile logo should be able to work in horizontal and vertical formats in both digital and printed mediums.
Does your logo work:
- If printed on something as small as a stamp?
- If printed in one colour?
- If printed on a billboard?
- Printed in reverse colours?
Clear and Concise:
A well designed logo should be clear and concise. By keeping things simple you ensure that the logo is versatile, memorable and easily recognised. A good logo will communicate instantly the message that you want to convey to the viewer. If the logo is too complicated or there is too many messages trying to be communicated then the audience will find it harder to decipher. Keeping your logo simple ensures that your logo speaks to your audience!
Timeless:
A well designed logo should endure the test of time. The problem with a lot of logo designs is an over-reliance on design trends. These trends only last a certain amount of time before they look outdated and reflect badly on your business. A timeless logo is designed solely to visually communicate a brand in its most simple form allowing it to communicate instantly with your audience. The Coca-Cola logo is a prime example of a logo that has stayed consistently since the 1900’s without the need to redesign or updated the existing woodwork. When this is contrasted with Pepsi-Cola, who have been through at least ten logo updates, it highlights the link between consistency and success.
Appropriate:
A well designed logo is a logo that is appropriate for its intended audience. For example the logo above is for a dog grooming studio, therefore its appropriate to have dogs in the logo as opposed to having cats. It is essential that the particular industry or service is communicated appropriately through the font, colours and iconography. This is not say that a logo such as a dentist has to have a tooth in it, but at the very least the dental practice logo should stay away from colour that are associated with decay such as yellow or brown. It is important to every logo that all aspects of the design are carefully considered and don’t lead to the aesthetic communicating a confusing or negative message.
Memorable:
A memorable logo should evoke a positive association between a product or service for the viewer. Fans of Starbucks associate the logo with a hot cup of coffee. The caffeine in coffee is often an energy boost for the consumer and this in turn evokes an instant message for the consumer, logo = energy. This positive association can work for new and lesser known brands through font, colour and iconography.
For any more information regarding the Five Main Characteristics of Good Logo Design or to get a quote on a logo for your company feel free to call Opus Creative on +353 (21) 242 8689 or email us on hello@opuscreative.ie
