I believe a logo is successful if it’s simple and unforgettable. Is there any way to determine whether a logo is good, best or worst? Here are some important points that a logo must have to be successful. Well, not always but more than 90% of time.
If you are looking for a logo design. You can remember me. Just drop me your requirements here.
Features for a Successful Logo
1. Objective
Designer should never forget the objective and target of a logo. The logo should represent for what it is intended for. Example: A fast-food chain should have logo related to food or cookery, not a butterfly or a mobile. Research the target audience of the logo. Are they general audiences, children, youngsters, corporate officials or senior citizens. Also think of social, cultural & emotional effect of the logo. For example: do not use any symbol from religion until you have idea of it, also do not use symbols of world war or a tragic twin tower symbol which can trigger negative or sentimental effect on viewer. Think of appropriate color or always stick and play around the company’s corporate color. Keep the company’s goal and motto in your mind. But sometime there will be situation when you should think out of the box.
2. Simple
Do not use complex symbols and shapes in the logo. Avoid unwanted or meaningless shapes from the logo. Keep it straightforward so people can understand and remember the symbol. Logo should be easily understandable by not only normal person but also a school going child. Because we know that how greatly a child remembers McDonald’s and Lego’s logo. Rather than asking smart or other designer friends for feedback on logo, ask to normal (non-designer), old or children for the feedback. If they remember, understand and like the logo, then you can consider it a success.
3. Unforgettable
Memorable logo can be achieved by combining above two features, appropriate and simple. A simple logo correctly representing a company’s function will always tick viewer’s head. But sometime this rule can be untrue. We can take example of Apple Company. Apple’s logo is distinct and we also know that they do not sell fruits. Also another example is logo of BlackBerry Company, the logo is combination of fruit blackberry and a mobile phones button. And if you can notice how they beautifully become an alphabet character “BB”. One can get thousand meaning from one logo and sometimes, just one.
4. Adaptable
A final logo should be very flexible on adaptation because a logo can be placed anywhere by our clients, on a big hoarding or small pin up batch or on a carton box. Therefore designing a logo in vector and printable color format is important.
Things to remember for adaptation are:
- Scaling – Logo are placed form 16×16 feet of hoarding boards to 16×16 pixels of favicon (small icon you can see as website’s logo in any explorer’s header or tabs). Therefore the meaning of the logo should not change while changing the dimension.
- Color – Designer should confirm whether the logo is used in web or print. If it is used only on websites and screen, we can use RGB color mode. But if it is for printing purpose then it should be developed in CMYK color mode.
- Media – It’s not of concern if the logo is used only in websites but if the logo is used in printing materials, designers should also notice what printing press or medium is going to be used. If the logo is going to be printed on full color offset print designer has flexibility to use color. If it is going to be printed on carton boxes or t-shirts or rubber stamp with only one color or screen print (which is officially called), logo should be converted to compatible forms.
5. Time proof
We cannot argue that a logo can be time proof, I mean ageless. We all have seen how big corporations have changed or modified their logo in the history. Can we call them a good logo? Well that really depends. But a good logo should be anti aging and go on with the generations for 40 to 50 years or more.
If you are looking for a logo design. You can remember me. Just drop me your requirements here.
Article on how logo of pixel-vixen.com was prepared. Read.
