An attention-grabbing, memorable logo is crucial in building a successful foundation for your company’s marketing efforts. An effective logo will provide your potential customers with important information about your company from the get-go: what industry you exist in, your products or services, and sometimes even your brand values. Logo design is about so much more than throwing shapes, colors, and fonts together and hoping for the best; it’s about developing a powerful representation of your brand that you’ll use for years to come.
The graphic design team at Midwest Marketing, a leading Black Hills marketing agency, has decades of experience in logo design, and has compiled some do’s and don’ts to help you in the process of logo design:
Do This!
- Define your audience. This is usually the first step in all marketing endeavors. Think about it – a logo for a company that sells clothing for girls ages 13 – 17 is going to look vastly different than one for an upscale restaurant where the average customer is over 35 years of age, for instance. Research your audience’s interests and online habits so that you can create the perfect logo that will catch their eye.
- Keep it simple. All too often, our designers work with clients that want to include everything and the kitchen sink in their logo. The point is to keep your logo design simple and easy to read. Stay away from complicated or overly intricate fonts, and include only one to two elements. Remember, the logo should be a representation of your brand and not an exhaustive list of every product or service your company offers.
- Make it scalable. Whether it’s included in a small digital ad or a gigantic billboard, your logo needs to look perfect no matter the size. Test out your logo in different sizes to ensure that quality is not lost when the time comes to enlarge or shrink your logo for use on various mediums.
- Have variations available. Possessing various color options is a necessity to ensure your logo can be placed on different backgrounds. This will also prevent printing limitations in the future.
- Include a short tagline. Taglines can be a great way to showcase your brand’s identity, but it can often be difficult to incorporate taglines in a logo effectively. Your tagline should tell your company’s story without being too complex, be catchy, and be easy to remember.
- Consider your color options. Different colors evoke different emotions and feelings when viewed. For example, red creates excitement and energy and is perfect when paired with a logo for sportswear, while blues cause feelings of calm and serenity and make sense included in a logo for a spa resort.
Don’t Do This!
- Include too much detail. Often, the details are great when it comes to marketing, but with logo design, it is best to hold back. Logos aren’t supposed to be intricate designs that require hours of sketching. Again, simplicity is your best friend when it comes to logo design.
- Copying another logo. It is one thing to get inspiration from another logo design, but imitating it is a big no-no. Do you really want your logo to be confused with someone else’s, anyway?
- Constantly tweaking your logo. Once you put your final logo design out there for the masses, resist the urge to make edits. Even small changes can confuse customers who are just starting to get to know your company and undo any progress you might have made in building brand recognition.
- Following trends. If you go by what’s in vogue at the moment, your logo may appear outdated within only a year or two. Although trends are great to keep an eye on for marketing purposes in general, they serve no purpose in developing a logo that you will hopefully be using for decades to come.
The creative services team here at Midwest Marketing are ready to help you establish your business’s identity with a logo that is eye-catching and effective. Call us today at (605) 716-5666 to get started!
