The logo is a brand’s face.
It's one of the first things your potential customers will see when they come into contact with your business.
It’s a symbol that should help you make an impression instantly.
It can be overwhelming to consider the millions of options you have available to you when considering a direction for your brand's logo, but if you stick to these five universal rules, you'll be heading up the right track:
01. It needs to be unique
Uniqueness is the most important element. The logo needs to identify you from other competitors so it should be markedly different to their logos.
02. Keep it simple
Simple logos are recognised faster than complex ones. Strong lines and letters show up better than thin ones, and clean, simple logos reduce and enlarge much better than complicated ones.
03. Limit your colours
Only use a few distinctive colours and think about how it will work in black and white.
04. Make it scalable
A good logo should work on a billboard and on a stamp. Intricate shapes and arrangements won’t work at smaller scale so simplicity is key.
05. Balance is important
The logo as a block should appear evenly weighted. It’s shape should span between a square or a 1:1.6 ratio (this ratio is not a hard-and-fast rule). Edges should be straight or have a balanced curve or arc.
Another important thing to remember and really get your head around is that your logo only needs to identify you in a positive way. It should not try to spell out what services you offer or your company's values. That only serves to complicate things and a convoluted logo communicates poorly.
Let the rest of your brand touchpoints - your colours, typography, stationery, tone of voice, website, marketing materials - do the heavy lifting when it comes to telling your story once you've got the customers in the door so to speak.
If you have any questions on this or anything else design-related, please don't hesitate to drop me a line:
Call Mat: +61 434 724 459
Email Mat: matfaintdesignco@gmail.com