What makes a good logo?
What makes a logo design good?
TLDR: A good logo is Appropriate, Practical, Simple, Memorable, and Timeless. These things are not the end-all be all, but are all a great place to start.
Today we are going to explore how to make a *technically* good logo. We’ve broken it down into 5 main elements:
Appropriate
Practical
Simple
Memorable
Timeless
Is your logo Appropriate? Your audience is your customer or clients. When branding your company it is important to keep them on the forefront of anything you do. This is called positioning, it is leveraging your business to get a positive reaction from your customers. An example of this is the Lego logo. It is appropriate for Lego’s audience, children, and adults who want to build the death star (no shame). If a contractor had a similar logo, it would not be appropriate for their clients.
Is your logo Practical? Your logo is going to exist in many different media formats, from your printed letterhead to an icon on your website. Your logo should be able to adjust up and down in scale to be able to work in all the applications you need it to. The applications vary industry to industry - Contractors like truck wraps - Architects like pens. Below is an example of a practical logo that we designed for a tile company.
Is your logo Simple? Simplicity is a word that means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. There are books about why simplicity in graphic design is the only way to do things, and there are books about why simplicity is killing design. If we skirt the politics of design, we can say that simplicity is a powerful tool to make a logo recognizable. A prime example of this is the Nike logo, designed in 1971 by Carolyn Davidson, it has become a universally recognizable logo. All that for $35…
Is your logo Memorable? By combining the five elements you have the ability to create something that is memorable. This is important because it will stick in the mind of your clients or potential clients. We all recognize the big guys, but I’m sure there are logos in your town that are local examples of a memorable logo. For example, in Eugene, Oregon, a memorable logo to me is the Tacovore logo. It is inherently tied to my interactions with friends and family while eating tacos. The logo breaks a few rules, but works.
Is your logo Timeless? Trends come and go. Sometimes companies will bow to the changing landscape of design. Others have created a logo that stands its ground through the changes. We love a rebrand, and many times it is important for a company to examine its positioning and make visual changes to make more impact to their client base. Even when following trends, we try to push beyond to make sure that our clients can use the brand we’ve created together far into the future. How about an Oregon example? Columbia is a good example of a logo whose mark is timeless, and the typeface has room to adjust.
One more thing: The list of elements that we’ve explored above is a starting point. It is important to know that breaking the rules is a large part of graphic design. In logo design, when you break rules, it is important that you are still conveying the message you need to convey - usually the name or product of the company. Here is an example of a logo that breaks some of the rules above, but still works.
If you’re interested in learning more about the process of designing a logo, please shoot us an email at info@builtfair.com. We are always looking for ways to help people grow their business. You can follow along with us on instagram @builtfair. Thanks for reading!