The 10 Logo Commandments
Too often entrepreneurs underestimate the importance of a well-designed logo. Your website, stationery, business cards, packaging and overall brand identity will suffer if you start off with the wrong logo, so take the time to get it right.
Here are ten logo commandments to follow when designing your brand:
- Don’t trust your logo to an amateur. Your logo is one of your brand’s greatest assets. Make sure you hire a professional with advanced graphic design skills.
- Do research. Look at different logos that you like, and identify the features they have in common, so you can give your designer an idea of what you are looking for.
- Let the designer do the job. A skilled designer will come up with his/her own idea for your logo based on the brand description you provide. Do not draw up your own version and tell the designer how to do his/her job.
- Apply the KISS method. Keep it simple, silly! Don’t try to over do it with complex logo graphics. Sometimes a clean and simple logo typeface is all you need.
- Don’t overload your logo. Use your logo to represent your brand and evoke a feeling, but not to describe every detail about your brand.
- Use the quarter-inch rule. If you can still clearly read your logo when it’s ¼ inch large, then it’s a good-sized logo. It you can’t read it when it’s a ¼ of an inch, then it’s not a logo.
- Request at least 3 logo options from your designer. Sit with your choices for at least 2 days before selecting the best fit for your brand.
- Get input from others. When you receive your logo choices from the designer, ask five people, you admire, to give you their opinions on your logo options.
- Approve your logo in black and white. Make sure the designer gives you the logo in black in white, in addition to any colorful options, so you can approve the basic design in b&w.
- Your logo should be timeless. Don’t incorporate any trendy elements into your logo. Create a classic look, so it can last for a long time.
Your brand identity represents your face to the world. It tells your story and shapes the way people respond to you. Follow the ten logo commandments above to design a winning brand.
2 Comments
Thank you for the great advice. I especially like the part about being able to clearly read the logo when only 1/4 inch in size. Very helpful.
These are great tips, conveyed very effectively.
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