What makes a logo memorable? Your business’ logo is often the first thing people will see and it is what represents your brand. A well designed logo should be able to stand alone and replicated across various media (printing on paper or embroidered on uniforms etc).
The Foundation of Your Logo
I always start logo designs in black and white. This ensures that the final product can be replicated across different medias and allows for it to be easily changed to suit either a dark or light background.
Most businesses like to incorporate the business name into the logo. This is where typography comes into play. Personally I prefer choosing fonts that are available on Google Fonts as this resource by Google lets me preview the exact phrase I want to use in the font type without having to download it first. Secondly, Google Fonts are free to use regardless of whether it is a personal project or for a commercial purpose. Thirdly, most websites support Google Fonts nowadays so it helps keep your branding consistent across platforms.
Let’s Talk Iconography
While some notable brands are purely typography based, the more iconic logos have a distinct graphic attached to it. Think Apple’s apple with a bite or Nike’s swoosh/tick. While the graphics of those logos do not match what the company is selling, it’s instantly recognisable. In fact, the beauty of having a graphic logo that isn’t directly related to the business’ current products allows for the business the freedom to diversify their offerings in the future. For example, Nike started with shoes and have since expanded to athletic wear and more recently collaborated with Apple on the Apple Watch.
While we’re talking Nike, the first few logo evolutions included the brand name NIKE along with the swoosh. Nike has dropped the words from their logo in 1995 and only the iconic swoosh remains; demonstrating the power of having a design that can standalone.
In Conclusion
Let’s recap the basics: build in black and white as the foundation (colours can be added when design is finalised), use iconography or graphics (keep it simple so it can be adapted on to a variety of backgrounds) and keep in mind that your brand/business may evolve in the future so your design should reflect that.
If you are looking for someone to design a logo for you, contact the Marketing Jumpstart team today. Whether you are an existing business looking for a brand refresh or about to start a new business, we can help with a logo design along with a brand guide to help keep your branding consistent and memorable.
