Logo Design Tips, Pointers and Professional Advice - defining great logos and your company image.

Tips from The Logo Factory Designers.

Your company's essence and 'theme'.
Your logo needs to portray the essence of your company. Are you a serious company, or one that revels in being whimsical. Are you appealing to a conservative set? Then a cartoon logo probably wouldn't be the best choice. Trying to brand a sports bar or an ice cream parlour? Then a logo that would work for a financial institution probably won't cut it either. Understanding a particular industry's 'theme' is important, and where a designer's experience comes into play.

Your logo has to have 'instant impact'.
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 (at the outside) to 'grab' the viewers attention. If your logo needs to be deciphered, or has an elaborate 'back story' (see metaphor light) there's probably little chance that it will communicate the essence of your company, service or product effectively.

A tagline is nice, but not as part of your logo.
A tagline is the phrase or few words that describe a company, or the company's mission. Generally stated, taglines are featured under the logo (or in circular logos - around the logo). They're cool and all, but it's not advisable to include them in the initial design phases of your logo. Wordy taglines will require a small font that will become illegible at smaller sizes. Also, a tagline can create a lot of visual clutter in many applications. It's always better to have that ever-so clever tagline as a separate element that you can add when appropriate, or when doing so will not interfere with the design integrity of your logo itself.

Strive to be 'different'.
You'd be surprised how many clients have asked that we design logos that are very similar to their competitors. Kinds misses the point, no? The idea of your own logo is just that - your own logo. 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 idea here is to be different than your competitors. To stand out in a cluttered marketplace. To have a logo that's better than theirs Or, at the very least - different.

Color is a secondary factor in your logo.
The most important part of your logo project is the design itself. Oh sure, it's nice to see your logo in the colors that you will eventually use, but in the initial stages of any design process the colors are of secondary importance. They can always be changed,or edited later. Now, having said that...

Consider color choices carefully.
Whether you utilize a two spot color, or four color process design will greatly impact any reproduction costs in the future. While not critical in the initial design phases, your choice of corporate color will have a ripple effect throughout all you corporate 'look-and-feel' material and is a decision that should not be taken lightly in the final stages of the design process.

Some web colors cannot be reproduced.
In traditional media that is. And vice versa. Some WEB colors are beyond a CMYK range - meaning that the color cannot be printed using CMYK or Pantone equivalents. To make things more complicated, sometimes WEB safe colors CAN be converted successfully. Best advice - if there's a particular WEB-safe color you wish to use, our designers will be glad to tell you of it's usability is outside of your monitor

Keep your logo 'metaphor light'.
While it’s nice for your logo to actually ‘mean’ something (i.e. – this color represents growth, this dot represents our product) sometimes clients wish to write ‘War-and-Peace’ with their logo’s metaphors. An overworked logo is not a pretty sight. The most memorable logos are also the most simple; the memorable complex logos are often highly rendered illustrations (see here for the anatomy of an illustrative logo), not a bunch of geometric shapes. Dozens of swooshes, dots and colors – all professing to ‘mean’ something will not mean anything to the first time viewer even though it might be a 'cool' back story to tell. Click here to see what makes a great logo.

Understand that your logo is just the beginning.
True, it's an important beginning, but a beginning never the less. Don't expect your logo to single-handedly develop your company's 'brand'. Far from it. It is only by repeated use of your logo, combined with graphical elements (your marketing artwork, ads, etc) as well as the old-fashioned stuff (business ethic, customer service, etc) that will create your 'brand' or corporate image. Having said that, however, your new logo is the corner stone of these efforts, and its pretty important to get it right.

Repetition. Repetition. Repetition.
You want to know why the Nike logo is so successful? Is it because it's a 'great' logo? Far from it. Other than being remarkably simply, the Nike 'swoosh' is painfully uninspiring. No, the Nike logo is successful because it's been seen a cazillion times more than any other sports logos. On TV. On the shirts of top athletes. On the sports equipment of almost every professional sports team out there. Simply put, the Nike logo is so successful because it's been driven into our subconscious by constant exposure. And that's the same philosophy you should take with your logo. Granted, you don't have the promotional budget of giants like Nike, Apple or FedEx, but do what you can. Plaster your new logo everywhere. Every scrap of paper that leaves your office should feature your logo. Put it on your car (could be a tax write-off too). Letterheads, Brochure. Presentation folders. Use your new logo until you're sick of it. And then use it some some more. In fact, that's a pretty good rule of thumb - at the point you're getting sick of your logo (and you'll be tempted to change it - see next tip) it's just starting to get some traction.

Don't change. (Almost) never.
Once you've developed your logo, it's in your best interest to keep it. Brand recognition takes time (some studies state that viewers have to see a logo three times - or more - before they'll remember it the next time). There's an awful lot of logo clutter out there, so only be repetition will your logo break through. If you're going to change or update your logo, think very, very long and hard about it. If you decide to go ahead, then make sure you get it right that time. Changing a logo dramatically more than once (in a short period of time) may tell your audience that you're flaky and unreliable. Not good in business.

Ensuring a successful project.
Tips for getting the most out of working with The Logo Factory.

Naturally. we'd like to claim that every one of the company logos on our website are a result of a hitch-free process. While it's true that the vast majority of our design projects end successfully, there has been the occasional project that's run into snags and require special attention. Here's a brief checklist of some things that can help ensure a successful design project. You can also read about logo design - some things to avoid.

Micro-edits. Cool, but of limited consequences.
As designers, we are trained in many aspects of design, graphics and technology. By the time you view preliminary designs, we have attempted every variation of that particular design, having moved swooshes, right, left, up and down. Micro-tweaks will not improve the design if it is not to your liking. Best to tell your designer that you’re not happy with the design, and work from fresh proposals. It’s highly unlikely a design that does not have the ah-ha factor can be forced into a logo that you love by moving its elements around.

All monitors are not created equally.
While we utilize every technique available to standardize color issues, there are some technical issues that are beyond even our capabilities. Your designer will assist you understanding some color issues that may affect the way you view your logo colors. We'll make sure that there are NO surprises when you print your logo. For best color accuracy we suggest using the Pantone Matching System.

Don't be afraid to ask questions.
We've set up The Logo Factory so that you can communicate with us via many ways. Our staff are among the most knowledgeable logo-designers on the planet, so their wealth of pertinent information is extensive and ALL available to you. They also wish to assist you in obtaining the best design possible (after all - to a large part, it is their creativity and work on display. They want to look good too...)

Logo design can be a frustrating experience.
Sometimes it's fun, but like any creative endeavor it can also be like 'pulling teeth'. "The design is not just 'right'", "It's just not setting me on fire" will sometimes be your reaction to designs presented. That's okay - we can't win them all (thought it would be nice to 'nail' every logo project out of the gate - it's just not possible). And remember, it a designer is creating revisions after revision in the quest for your perfect logo, they are not meaning to hold your plans up. We're all on the same page. You want a logo that you feel is worthy of representing your company. Our designers want to produce business logos that look impressive in our graphic design portfolios. As a business factor (and in terms of The Logo Factory's 'bottom line'), finishing up your logo in the shortest time is the desired outcome. The additional time that these rounds of revisions take, is being performed in your, and the project's best interests. Be patient. You will get 'there'.

Send all your revision requests by e-mail.
A simple piece of advice. While are designers are generally available by phone, and they are more than happy to assist, it's usually advisable to send your logo revision requests via e-mail. Even as a 'follow-up' to a phone call. Notes can be lost, directions can become garbled. Best to write 'em down and leave a 'paper trail'.