The Golden Rules of Logo Design

Last updated: Our Favorites 3 min read
Memorable, eye-catching logo creation is essential in business. While logos are subjective, prospective clients often use them to evaluate your business. If your client doesn’t favor your logo, chances are they will not favor your business. This may sound harsh, but it is often true. Your new logo will probably not have the luxury of being in your audience’s eye for a lot of time. In fact, you probably have a few seconds to “grab” the viewers attention, while conveying the essence, theme and personality of your company.
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A good logo is practical, usable and long-lasting. Here are the standards you should strive to adhere to during logo design and business branding:

1. Individuality

Designing a logo is an opportunity to create a visual personality for your business. When a client sees your logo, your business should instantly spring to mind. Copying a logo you like is never a good idea, as your business will never stand out as unique. While it can be helpful to look at logos] that your competitors are using (or even people in the same industry), this should never be used as a guide to creating your logo. The goal in logo design is to be different than your competitors and to stand out in a cluttered marketplace. Avoid overused logo cliches at all costs.

2. Longevity

Ensure that your logo never goes past its sell-by date: keep your logo fresh from the outset and it will last you for a lifetime. Brand recognition takes time, and changing your logo can be detrimental to the reputation  you have worked so hard to build. If you change your logo, your clients will think your business had a shake up. There is one exception to this rule, however. If your business is failing, logo design may be part of the solution.

3. Professionalism

While you can have fun with logo design, your logo should mean – and suggest – business. Don’t be tempted to go “all out” with your logo design and try out all the latest techniques. Your logo should be simple but stylish, effective but not over the top.

4. Adaptability

Your logo should be plastered on all your business documentation. If you have a logo, use it! However, this does mean that your logo needs to be suitable for all purposes. Consider the documents on which your logo will be placed: your invoices, advertisements, letterheads and brochures will all require an adaptable logo. Your web design may also be implicated by the logo you create.

5. Scalability

A logo must stand out whether it is small or large in scale. Often it is the simpler logos that are their most effective when scaled down. More detailed logos cannot be distinguished on smaller scale. When it comes to logo design, size matters! Ensure that the text portion of your logo can be read without magnification, even in small scale.

6. Color Matters

The colors chosen during the logo design process will become an essential part of your branding. Ideally, the colors chosen should match those already associated with your business. Your logo should be held together by its colors. However, refrain from relying too much on color, as your logo will be required to look effective in both black-and-white and low-resolution forms.

7. Apt Aspect Ratios and Footprint

The aspect ratio, the relationship between the height and the width of the logo, is an essential consideration in logo design. A logo that is too tall and skinny, or too wide and short, is not visually pleasing, and you’ll end up with all sorts of layout issues when it comes to setting up your logo in artwork. The footprint is the amount of space a logo takes up on a page. If the logo features a trailing design, this will take up more space on a page. Therefore, the logo’s size may need to be reduced and its visual impact may be compromised.
Logo design standards should not be taken as gospel. In fact, they may not apply at all. However, they can be helpful in laying down the ground rules if you are entering into logo design with limited experience. The talented logo designers at TheeDigital can help you create the perfect visual identity for your brand. Call us today at 919-341-8901 or click here to fill out our inquiry form and get started.

Tags: Our Favorites

Richard Horvath

Owner / President

Richard Horvath is the founder of TheeDigital, a Raleigh based award-winning web design and digital marketing agency. He is proud of his team and the results that they provide to their clients.

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