Logo Design Process
A logo must be meaningful, memorable and functional.
Great logos are meaningful
Logos are vessels that hold and communicate meaningful corporate values.
1/ Visual Metaphors
Trying to put too much meaning into a logo is a common cause for a failed rebrand. Quality and relevance of visual metaphor are much more important than quantity. Logos with clear meanings hold values longer. Brand strategy is a great way to ensure that the right metaphors are focussed on within the branding process.
2/ Strategic Cliches
It is best to avoid buzzwords during the strategic phase of branding. Words like 'dynamic', 'human' and 'digital' are ubiquitous. Every brand must be human and digital. Lets move past these cliches, lets personality is full of emotion, ambition and honest values.
3/ Visual Cliches
Avoid cliches at all costs. Literal imagery used within logo design may seem like a great idea during brainstorming, but age very quickly.
—These logos by Chermayeff & Geismar & Haviv are great examples of logos with clear meaning and that avoid cliches in form and metaphor.
Great logos are memorable
Think of a highly memorable logo right now. Apple, Nike, Mercedes. These logos are memorable because of the purity of their meaning, the simplicity of their form, and therefor their longevity.
4/ Complex Forms
Complex gradients and intricate details cause printing and scaling issues. Over designing creates logos that are hard to stick in the mind. Complex logos are not memorable.
5/ Logo Design Trends
The problem with following logo design trends is that every logo starts to look the same, and soon your brand is indistinguishable.
Logos that avoid both complex forms and logo design trends are long-lasting, and become more memorable over time.
—Examples of highly memorable, long-lasting logos that have simplistic forms and that avoid design trends. HSBC by Henry Steiner in 1983, Nike by Carolyn Davidson in 1971, Target logo by Stewart K. Widdes in 1969.
Great logos are functional
Logos have to be used across all kinds of print and digital touchpoints, therefor functionality must be the fundamental requirement of any logo.
6/ Complex Colour
Logos must work (and ideally look great!) simply in black and white. It’s that simple! This allows the logo to work on complex or dynamic backgrounds and across all kinds of touchpoints.
7/ Unscalable
The logo must scale up, and down, so it can be clear and recognisable on billboard-sized touchpoints, as well as in social media profiles, on pencils, t-shirts, labels, favicons. You name it, the logo must scale!
8/ Inappropriate Typography Usage
Typography is a great way that corporate personality can be communicated. Incorrectly used, it can be confusing and feel forced.
—Examples of logos that are designed with functionality at their core. These logos use typography that express personality, that scale well and work in black and white. Logos by Mackey Saturday.
About BrandWerks —
BrandWerks is a design resource company focused on advancing the practice of brand strategy.
We know that brand strategy can be a difficult beast to master. We create brand strategy templates and resources that help designers, agencies, and brand strategists master brand strategy.
Our tools are actionable and fully customizable and founded in a commercial approach that helps guide you and your clients through the process.