1. KEEP IT SIMPLE
Your mission in designing a logo is to convey a message quickly and elegantly. Really great logos feature something unique without being overworked.
The WWF logo is a genius example of the power of simplicity. This clever logo utilizes positive and negative space in such an elegant way that it's immediately recognizable. And it looks great on a t-shirt!
Milton Glaser, who designed the famous I LOVE NY logo had this to say about simplicity in logo design in a recent interview.
...you don’t want to be to complex, you want to have an internal joke, you want to move the viewer in a perception so that when they first look at it, maybe they don’t quite understand it, and then a fraction of a second later, they get the idea, because that act between seeing and understanding is critical, and a good logo, you look at it and there’s a little jump before you understand it. That’s the success of the "I LOVE NY" because you have to translate it from "I" which is a complete word to "heart" which is a symbol for feeling to "NY" which are initials for a place. ________________________________________________________
Simplicity can be beautiful. You have probably heard the phrase "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". Although this can be true for dogs, it really isn't true for logos. A bad logo is a bad logo is a bad logo.
Ugly dog?
If you're another purebred Chinese Crested this is a beautiful dog,
warts and all.
Ugly logo?
Not even it's mother could love this logo. It's just too darn ugly. Bad readability and the faded patriotic image in the background are just the beginning of this logo's many problems. Can you see any others?
________________________________________________________2. MAKE IT UNIQUE
Your logo has to stand out from the pack. Do your research to see what similar companies or organizations are using for their logos and DON'T do the same thing. For example, if you are designing a logo for a coffee company, the last thing you want to do is make it look like the Starbucks logo. There are lots of copycats out there and your job is to make your client stand apart - not blend in.
DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOUR LOGO!
On the top, the Rocket Dog shoe company logo designed ten years ago. On the bottom, a newer logo for a small cafe. Hmmm.
On the left, a coffee company in Korea registered this logo in 2003. On the right, the Starbucks logo. Even though the Intellectual Property Tribunal in South Korea ruled that the logos were different enough to not cause confusion in the marketplace, I would have a hard time sleeping at night if I were the designer of the Starpreya logo!
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3. MAKE IT TIMELESS
Ok, that may be easier said than done. My point here is to not design a logo using trendy typefaces or other graphic gimmicks that might be popular right now. You want your logo to look fresh for years. This is not to say that it won't need a redesign 10 years down the road–very few logos can last the test of decades–but you don't want it to look dated in a year.
This version of the IBM logo was designed in 1972 by Paul Rand. It's still in use today.
The CBS "Eye" logo first appeared on the air in 1951 and was designed by William Golden.
The "moustache" logo below looks really out of date, but I'm sure it was totally awesome in 1982!
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4. MAKE IT ADAPTABLE
A logo should be just as readable whether it's on a skyscraper, on a bumper-sticker or on a postage stamp. Also, it needs to look good whether it's in color or black & white. If you design your logo using a vector program such as Adobe Illustrator you will assure that your logo will stay clean whether it's tiny or blown up to billboard size.
The Target logo is so clean and versatile you can put it on a dog's face and it is still instantly recognizable.
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4. MAKE IT APPROPRIATE
Before you even start designing your logo think about your client and your client's audience. Is the logo for a law firm? Or a charity? Or a kid's store? You have to consider the use of typography, imagery and color for your audience. A law firm probably wouldn't want a bright pink logo and you probably wouldn't want to use an old English typeface for a baby-sitting service (too scary). Typefaces and colors say a lot about the culture of your client.
Sometimes you might think you've come up with the perfect idea for a logo, but if your client isn't sold, it's back to the drawing board. You need to let go of your ego a little bit but keep pushing yourself hard to get the right solution.
Keep in mind that logo design is hard! The best logos look like they designed themselves – and that's the hardest trick of all.
Some more awesome logos:
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