Are you creating a logo for any company or product or brand? Here are the 6 creative logo design tips that every customer wants.
Top 6 Creative Logo Design Tips
1. Preparatory phase (market research and first drafts)
Be sure to research the specific environment of the company. You can discover new trends, branding features for a particular area of the market. Against the background of the obtained data, one can trace a certain tradition in creating a logo (typical colors, visual images, fonts).
Usually, the customer wants a logo that will be:
- get a unique logo;
- express the scope of the company;
- to stand out from the competition and take all the attention to yourself.
These goals are combined into one task – the creation of a stylish and modern logo. Do not hesitate to pay attention to the study of the target market. This will help you form some good ideas faster.
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“Before starting development, I look at analogues, including the logos of the customer’s competitors. I draw my ideas from well-known brands. No matter how much you look at them, you can always find a great idea for a new order. But this does not mean that the logo should repeat the brand. It doesn’t make sense to repeat. Each logo is unique,” says Anastasia, lead designer.
2. Flexibility of the idea in relation to the brand
Start implementing ideas from sketches. Make a freehand drawing. Literally from 5-10 in options. Then see if there are some worthy ideas among your sketches. Do they have an idea? If all else fails, reevaluate your views on the idea and start again. And so on, until you find 5-7 suitable sketches for yourself.
When you find what you are looking for, start working on the drawing in detail. Keep the balance of graphics, colors and lines. Each element of your logo should support the overall idea and composition and blend seamlessly into the overall composition.
See how the Microsoft logo has changed for the Windows program. The ideal composition of geometric lines combines history. The logo was designed in 1985. Recognition of the company has been formed, therefore, changing the logo and the company is approached with great care. One inaccurate action and the attitude of users towards the brand will take another turn.
3. The logo must be universal
The logo is the main unit of corporate identity, it is used wherever possible. To this end, the brand book of the company must place the logo in color, black and white versions and inversion, various compositions and sizes.
If the logo consists of several elements (name and icon), then separately they should still evoke a clear association with the brand. Therefore, check the logo for versatility before developing other elements.
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4. Choose wisely
Font. The logos of most popular brands consist only of text. For them, choosing a font was a crucial step.
Over the past 5 years, a good tradition has emerged – to use sans-serif fonts. Universal solution. This logo looks simple and stylish.
Don’t rely entirely on trends. If a serif font will emphasize emotions, then use it. In addition to the font, the character’s style itself can be rounded, thin, bold, or curved. When choosing it, you need to start from a direct association with the brand, and then follow the trends.
When choosing a popular font, be sure to keep the personality of the logo. Although, with a well-known font, this is more difficult to do. Adjust letter spacing and text density in intervals.
Color. It happens that the logo is more associated with the brand through color, composition. You see the color first, and then you read and recognize the name. Another color sets a certain mood.
A good choice of color can lead a logo to success. Not thought out – to failure. So choose your color carefully. When choosing, consider the following:
- Combinations from the color wheel. With it, it is easier to choose concise and eye-pleasing color combinations.
- Maintain contrast. The colors in the logo should not hurt the eyes and be intrusive. Only soft and harmonious combination.
- Try two colors. The most advantageous option is to choose a couple of colors and complement them with shades (darker-lighter).
- Turn to the psychology of color. Color is a tool of influence on a person. Use habits and associations to reach and evoke the desired emotions.
- Take risks. Sometimes breaking design rules is good. You can find a successful solution. But carefully consider whether your risk is appropriate for a particular task.
- Experiment. Go through combinations of colors, lines, compositions. Sometimes great results can be obtained through relentless experimentation.
Many brands prefer two-tone options. You can play well in contrast.
Emblem. The most popular logo design solution. The emblem can be used as a single logo element and in combination with a text inscription. The symbol is perfectly perceived and remains in the subconscious of a person. A good example would be the logo of Apple, Mercedes-Benz, Shell.
Alphanumeric. This is an abbreviation of the first letters of the name or initials. Usually used as an abbreviation for a long or hard-to-pronounce company name. A good example is the Hewlett-Packard (HP) logo. Most people do not know the decryption, but are very familiar with the company and their products.
Try adding a few graphic elements to the title or modifying the letters. Make sure that they do not intercept all attention from the body text.
With the Chanel brand, everything is different. Their symbol is designed with further application in mind – in the creation of jewelry and accessories. The development of the idea into the future made the promotion of the brand even more successful.
The form. To simplify the perception and memorability of the logo, the designer should enter the sign in a simple shape: a circle, an oval, a square. This technique will also help achieve integrity and harmony. All shapes are listed in the picture.
5. Successful examples or Look up to successful ones
The purpose of creating a logo is to increase brand awareness.
The goal of a logo designer is to make an icon that will imprint itself in the brain of the average person and be remembered whenever the occasion arises. This can be done due to the simplicity of the composition.
Great examples are the logos of Nike, Sony, Mts, Bmw, FedEx, Lego, Nestle, KFC, Starbucks, Canon, Lacoste, and others. All of the above logos have a good composition due to the linearity and the use of 1-2 colors.
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Well -known automobile companies also demonstrate an excellent example. Their logo doesn’t use the shape of a car, notice? When they started, the fashion design dictated the logo to carry the history of the creation and development of the company.
Apple , Microsoft and other companies directly related to technology are following the same path. In the logo, they express and set up an emotional contact with their consumer.
Logo changes affect brands and firms from different business areas. For example, the American company PepsiCo has already accumulated a whole history of changing its logo.
Well-known companies of our time make their logos quick to remember and easily reproducible. Companies from other fields of activity also went to this. For example, Adidas and Nokia diligently come to this result.
6. Check your logo against a short checklist
A checklist helps a novice designer to add confidence in his work. To get started, 5 points will be enough for you:
- The logo is associated with the activities of the company directly or indirectly;
- О reflects the idea, values of the company / wishes of the customer;
- Responsive and versatile as branding;
- Can put item 5 and put the joke “Do you yourself like what you have done?”
- Visually balanced – composition, font, color, graphic elements.
Conclusion
If the goal is to “update the logo”, then show respect for the brand’s heritage. And first, answer the question: “what results do you need to achieve with the redesign”: the target audience has changed, technologies have been updated, the territory of influence has expanded, and other reasons. Because a worthy logo soaks up the company’s achievements like a sponge and demonstrates them like a spotlight.
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