Designing a logo is something that can be easy with enough practice. The thing is though it can be a fine line between designing a good logo and well a not so good logo. Understanding the basics of logo design are easy enough concepts to grasp. Just like a lot of things it is when you get into the practical aspect of things that it starts becoming hard. Clients may ask for things that go against what you were taught, you may have an idea that breaks the rules and you are not comfortable with doing that yet. This article will give you 3 tips helping you design a great logo.
Use as Few Fonts as Possible
A logo is supposed to be simple and easy to read. The fastest way to make a logo not easy to read is by adding to many different fonts. This not only can make it hard for anyone to read exactly what your logo says but it can also send a mix personality. Different fonts have a different personality and message. A general rule of thumb to follow is to have no more than three fonts ever used in a font, EVER. Also, do not mix serif and sanserif fonts unless you know exactly what you are doing to make it work. The best way to stop this from happening is to get comfortable and good at making your own custom font per logo. This will make sure that not only is the font you use is one of a kind but that it also has its own personality.
Use as Few Colors as Possible in a Logo Design
The rule of the thumb is when it comes to a logo design. If it can work in black in white it can work in any color scheme. Using color theory is a key part of designing a great logo. People have this whole notion that you need to have a color that just pops to make a good logo. Some designers will add as many colors to a logo as they can to make it try and catch an eye. The truth is that this will not make a logo any more eye catching. Sticking with no more than 3 colors for a logo can actually be more effective. With having a smaller color pallet, you make sure that you are getting the exact personality of the business. This also helps people easily read the logo from any distance and it being any size.
The same goes for gradients in a logo design. A gradient in a logo should not be used at all. They usually do not add any value to the logo. A logo design with a gradient can become over complicated and not work on multiple sizes. Today you have to keep in mind a logo needs to work in multiple sizes for multiple platforms. Gradients only add extra detail to a logo design that will only get lost in a small size.
Make a Timeless Logo
This one might seem the easiest and hardest one of these tips to do. Making a timeless logo is one of the hardest things for starting off logo designers and graphic designers. The thing to keep in mind when designing a logo is to not do the most recent trends. These are good for some logos but to create a true timeless logo stay away from them. You need to design the simplest logo that embraces the personality of the business you are working with. Think of logos like Apple and Nike. These logos can speak universally and just work. You need to design something that simple.
