Before we turn to logo principles, you need to decide what type of logo makes the most sense for your business. You may also need a combination of two or three types.
Below are the types of logos that are appropriate for your brand.
Word mark: a word or words with a unique design.
Letter mark: a letter or acronym of the brand name.
Brand mark: a visual symbol that represents the brand.
Combination: a combination of an image and a word.
Emblem: a comprehensive image that includes the text.
Logo design is of great importance in today's world of communication. The purpose of a logo is to communicate with the viewer and make it memorable, and it can play a crucial role in making the first impression. If you want to create meaningful and effective logos, you need to understand how logos work, how they communicate, and what makes them appealing. There are principles that go into developing effective logos.
Follow these principles if you want to create a strong logo for your business.
Ø Your identity - The logo is a representation of your brand's visual identity. A logo should tell a story and represent what your company stands for. It should communicate with your target audience. Understanding your target audience is an important factor in designing an appropriate logo. For example, if your brand stands for a younger, women-oriented, trendier, and cooler alternative to your competitors, then your logo should reflect that. The target audience is your top priority. Never design a logo for what you personally would like to see, but design a logo that best fits your target audience. For example, if your target audience consists of older people, you should avoid flashy and minimalist logos. Once you have completed the market research on your target audience, you should begin the actual design of your logo.
Ø Do some preliminary work - Make initial sketches of various logo ideas. You should make these initial experimental sketches simply with pen and paper. The basic logic behind the importance of preliminary work is that it will help you achieve the expected end result. If you rush to the final step without experimenting with different ideas, the end result will be compromised.
Ø Simplicity - A logo must be simple to communicate effectively, and communication is the main goal of a logo. Simplicity allows a logo to be flexible, purposeful, and memorable. The more you try to fill a logo with visual elements, the more cluttered and scattered it becomes, and the less effective it is at communicating the single, most important message. The only way to achieve this is to keep your logo simple and straightforward. The fewer active elements you choose for your design, the more effectively the logo will convey the idea, concept, or feeling behind a brand.
Ø Memorability - Logos are the only way for brands to stand out from all the noise and competition. Your logo will not work if it does not make an impression on the viewer at first glance. Any logo design can win or lose its audience in a matter of moments. That's why it's so important that any logo is both impressive and memorable. To create a memorable logo, use timeless fonts and colors that do not follow current trends. Use visual techniques so that your logo does not look like a simple word with a beautiful font. Another important aspect of memorability is the factor of uniqueness. Always remember that the principles of logo design emphasize originality and uniqueness, and limit yourself to the visual. Try to think outside the box and come up with something that is different from what the rest of the world comes up with.
Ø Value proposition - A logo is relevant when it connects to the goals, mission, and principles and visualizes the brand's value proposition. This means figuring out the brand's uniqueness factor and all of its visual touch points. When a logo represents all of this through intelligent and minimalist graphic design, it quickly resonates with the target audience and fulfills the brand's purpose.
Ø Timelessness - The logo is the foundation of your business, and therefore you should make your logo unique and special. Do not copy other symbols or follow a current trend, but find your own way to represent your brand. One crucial reason for uniqueness is that it gives your logo longevity and timelessness. No matter how much time passes, the logo will still be relevant to your brand and target market.
Ø Balance - The best logos are designed according to the principles of proportion and symmetry. Logos that effectively pursue their goals are characterized by balanced symmetry and proportion. Without a balance between the shapes and the image, the logo will not look aesthetically pleasing and appealing to the viewer. This mistake can cost you all your hard work and your company's reputation.
Ø Versatility and Scalability - The last and also very important principle for logo designs is to focus on its versatility and scalability. A designer must be clear about the purpose of a logo - it serves as an advertisement for your brand in every format imaginable. Logos are the most important tool for marketing where articles, videos, and other forms of advertising fail. Your logo should be able to adapt to any size. A scalable logo must make sense, look good, and remain legible at any size, whether printed on a small business card or a giant billboard. If you include too much detail in your logo, it will be harder to scale it to a small size. Your logo should be scalable to represent your brand everywhere. For a perfectly and ideally designed logo to work, it needs to fit on all types of formats and surfaces.
Now you have an idea of logo design principles. Take a look at the design elements in a logo.
Fonts, colors, shapes, icons or symbols, and lines are the design elements in a logo.
Ø Font - A well-chosen font makes your logo distinctive and makes it look solid and reliable. Think not only about the words in your brand name but also about the feelings your logo evokes in people. Consider the psychology of font and how it affects the message and emotional aspects of your brand. Ideally, you should choose a custom-designed font. This work can be expensive, but it's an investment in the future. A custom-designed font stands out and is clearly associated with your brand identity.
Ø Colors - Colors have the greatest impact on the full implementation of a brand message. To properly use this design element and choose the most appropriate colors for it, you need to at least familiarize yourself with color theory, learn how to use the color wheel, how to combine multiple colors, and which color schemes evoke certain feelings and emotions. Above all, remember that a distinctive color can increase brand recognition by 80 percent, according to marketing experts. There are definitely some bad color combinations you should avoid, too. So consider which colors best represent your brand and use them strategically in your logo.
Ø Icon or symbol - Icons are a graphic representation of your brand name. These icons give your audience a clear brand perception. The icon can be graphic (images), abstract (lines, blobs, and other vague shapes), or simply your brand name or brand initials (monograms). Each icon style is unique and preferred by certain industries.
Ø Shape - A shape is any space enclosed by lines. Just like colors, different shapes evoke different feelings. It is important to consider what the shape of the logo says about your brand. Shapes fall into three main categories: geometric, abstract/symbolic, and organic. The human brain tries to make sense of things and assigns meaning to everything it encounters - even things as abstract as shapes. Choose the right shape to convey the right meaning, and take the guesswork out of the process.
Ø Line - Lines are one of the basic elements of design and are made up of dots. Lines show up everywhere. And usually, we do not think much about them. Lines divide space, create definitions and shapes, convey direction, lines tell us where to stand and where to go. There are different types of lines: vertical, horizontal, diagonal, lines, and curved lines. A line can be smooth, rough, broken, thick, or thin and it can have color, texture, and even movement.
Designing a strong logo is very important for any business. If designed well, a logo can quickly become a great asset and be a vehicle of goodwill and continuous growth for any business, big or small.
If you want your logo to be memorable and distinctive, you must adhere to solid design principles and be able to translate abstract concepts, values, and ideas into unique, yet recognizable shapes. It is always advisable to take help from a seasoned branding agency or brand consultant to discover the right direction to take while coming up with your logo and brand's visual identity.
Remember, this is an investment you are making into building your business.