Branding: Logo Design 101

There are millions of logos out there. You need to make sure your logo speaks to your brand, your intention, your goals, and the market segment you want to reach. This might require some time and some research.  It’s easier to pull your unique vision out of a collection than it is to try and pull it out of a blank, white page. Get all Pinterest-y and start picking out colors, images, textures, words, and fonts that remind you of what you are trying to communicate with your logo and throw it on a mood board.  Opening a high-end, modern, barre studio? Think dance, symmetry, grace, crisp, and clean.  Planning on serving the best BBQ in town? Think aromas, spices, earthy, quality, and comfort.  Steer clear of things that you DON’T want to be associated with your brand.

You want to create a reaction in your potential clients (and a good one at that!), but you don’t want to create too many reactions.  Maybe you’ve made a great mood board that has a thousand wonderful images on it…but don’t put that all in your logo. You don’t want your customers to be unsure of how they feel when they see your brand – you want them to have an immediate positive reaction.  This is the tricky part. You need to take all of your ideas and form them into a logo that conveys your company, it’s nature, and your vision.  Simplicity is often the most effective route.  Take Apple and the clean apple image that is missing a “byte” – simple, yet conveys meaning and context.  Use negative space creatively (i.e. FedEx). Build a story around your logo.

Do NOT underestimate the importance of the color scheme of your logo.  Colors carry actual meaning and they elicit emotions. That can make or break your brand.  This Nextweb article has some great information on the meanings that certain colors convey.  You also want to make sure to choose colors that complement each other  and stand out on the medium(s) they going to appear on most often try using colorpalettes.net  or consult a graphic designer. One final tip  – this isn’t about what YOUR favorite colors are, this is about what works best for your brand.

Let’s start with definitions…

1. A logotype is the textual name of your brand, designed in a customized way – using our previous example, think FedEx.
   
2. A logomark is an image that depicts your company’s name/brand – think Instagram.
   
3. A combination logo is a combination of both a logotype and a logomark. These logos can often be used separately as well as in their combined state depending on medium/application. – think AT&T or Dominoes.
   

So, out of the above choices, which one should you go with? The good news is there is really no ‘right’ choice of format for your logo, though the combination does have the added benefit of potentially appealing to both ‘visual’ and ‘textual’ people. As you begin to design your logo try to have at least one version of each before making your final selection.

You need to be able to use your logo across all forms of communication (print, web, mobile) and across multiple platforms and systems. Practically speaking, this means your final logo design will have to be created using a vector art application such as Adobe Illustrator (tip: if you are working with a design professional, it is IMPERATIVE they are willing to provide the raw vector file and any font files they used in the final design). Another important part of formatting is color. When you choose your color pallette, make sure you have the hex values, color book (pantone, PMS, etc)  values, and any other applicable iterations so you get a clear and consistent color no matter what media you are using. Web colors can appear vastly different in print -the last thing you want is a beautiful, soft green logo that comes across as puke green on brochures.  If you are using fonts or type, make sure you know which one and keep it consistent. If you create a font, make sure that’s communicated accurately to any print or marketing agencies you use.

An iconic brand, like a business, takes time and consistency to build. This is important to keep in mind during your design process because, the logo you choose is likely going to be and used in a lot of different ways. In practice this means it’s best to stay away from an overly stylized or ‘trendy’ final logo design that will quickly begin to look dated.