What makes a good logo design?

Richard Stockdale - Rebus Design Richard Stockdale 26th July 2020

A good logo can take many forms, pictorial, abstract, symbolic, typographic or dynamic.

Through research, we discover what works best for you. With all the logos we create we stick to our proven formula… keep it simple, make it relevant, design it to be adaptable and make sure it’s distinctive. By sticking to this formula the logos we design become memorable, stand the test of time and grow & evolve as your organisation does.

What makes a good logo?

Keep it Simple

The design of an excellent logo is not always about what you add; what you take away is just as important!

We now live in a world where time is at a premium and the need for a clear identity to catch peoples attention is a necessity for any business. A simple logo helps to make it instantly recognisable and much more memorable, quickly giving the viewer the ability to focus on the message you want to communicate. By keeping your logo simple, it makes it more versatile & adaptable, giving it the ability to grow and evolve with your business… but we’ll come to that later!

Done well, a clean, uncluttered and clever logo can say a lot with very little!

Make it Relevant

A well-designed logo should give your target audience an immediate and clear sense of “YOU”.

A good logo should be designed to be appropriate for its intended purpose to instil confidence.

For example, you wouldn’t take a fun approach to designing an identity for a funeral home, or, adopt a corporate look for a children’s nursery.

Your logo doesn’t have to be a literal representation of your product or service, but it must connect with the values & qualities of the business, the consideration of shape, style, colour and choice of fonts all play a significant part in striking a chord with your intended audience.

If you want people to associate your logo with your company, it needs to send a clear message about what your brand offers.

Design it to be Adaptable

In an ever changing world, businesses are continually having to evolve and transform. It now pays to own a flexible logo and identity that can adaptive with you

Does your logo look good in black and white? In a square or linear format? Does it need to be instantly recognisable as an icon? As the business grows and evolves will the identity need to change with it? Does it lend itself to developing an ownable visual identity? These are just a few things that need to be considered during the development of any identity.

Across different applications both online, and in print your logo may need to be viewed smaller than a stamp, or as large as a billboard while still maintaining consistency & integrity.

Keep it simple, make it versatile, design it to be adaptable.

Make sure it’s Distinctive

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but not when it comes to logo design.

It’s no easy task to make a logo both simple and distinctive, but if done right it should set you apart, be recognisable, and distinctively yours. With more and more businesses competing to attract consumers, an off-the-shelf, generic identity just won’t cut it.

To stand out in a sea of competitors… you must ‘dare to be different’.

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