With so many people telling you different things about logos, it can get confusing. That’s why I took all that info and summarized it into 5 major points. Whether you’re planning to design it yourself or going to hire a designer, memorize these rules. That way, you’ll at least be able to tell the good from the bad.
1. Keep it really, really Simple.
Find your business message, and distill the idea into a symbol over and over till there’s nothing left but the single message. Try to stick with one central meaning. You have 2 seconds of someone’s attention. By the end of that 2 seconds, they either understood the meaning of your logo, or they got confused and shut you out forever.
2. Use symbols, Not Pictures.
Firstly, a symbol is easy to identify at different sizes, from giant billboard signs to tiny business cards. Secondly, symbols are more universally understood, especially if you managed to distill the brand idea into a proper symbol.
3. Make your symbol look Rock Solid.
Use font and symbols that look strong. Even feminine logos can have gracefully strong lines. But if it looks too fragile or undecided, your logo will get lost in the sea of crappy logos.
4. Use Less Colors.
Colors are part of your brand image, associate your brand with a color that will appeal to your target market. And the less colors you use, the less it cost for printing. Designing first in black and white will help with this.
5. Test it Hardcore.
Move the symbol around to different sides of your business name. Place it over textured graphics, place it over different colors. Zoom way out. Zoom in big. Rotate it. Put it in the middle of other logos. Is your logo still looking awesome? Great. If not, work on it some more.
There you have it, the quick and dirty on determining if a logo is good or bad. Got any other essential tips for good logo design?
How long did it take to make your logo? Im just curious
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There are a few steps to building a logo, but can generally divide it into the conceptualization and the actual building of the logo file.
The actual building of the logo file can take anywhere from 10 minutes to a day, but that’s once you have the logo concept nailed down.
The conceptualization of the logo includes thinking about the image of the brand first. Then think about how to best represent the image that you want to convey. Then distill that image into something that is easily recognizable and preferably reproduce well across all types of printing/display locations. The conceptualization part can range between 1 hour to weeks+.
I once did a good logo in 1 hour from start to finish, and it is still being used after 15 years. Got really lucky there in the inspiration. =)