If your goal is to build a brand or get your website noticed, the first thing people look for is your logo.
Your logo is your brand identity and a visual that people should be able to immediately identify. The best kind of logos are inextricable with a certain brand, like Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Nike. Your brand has the same potential.
Here are some tips as to what you can do to build your own unique logo.
Color can make or break your design
Arguably the most important aspect of your logo will be the color scheme that you choose. A good logo is versatile and there is no one correct color scheme to choose from.
If you choose grayscale, it can have as much impact as it would with a palette scheme. You just need to ensure that the colors you choose complement one another and grab your target audience’s attention. Ikea is a great example of this because the yellow and blue color scheme complement each other and the logo is easily recognizable worldwide.
Know your audience
Remember the brands that were mentioned in the beginning? They’re not all in the same industry, and each company may have different targets. Some brands have similar audiences because they provide a service that anyone can use, but others are highly specific in who they target.
A classic brand that knows its target audience is Disney. Disney’s target audience is children and families and their cursive, playful logo has stood the test of time. Before you start designing a logo, you should thoroughly research who your demographic is.
Don’t overcomplicate things
One of the worst things you can do to a logo is have the consumer focus on it too much.
Microsoft Windows is worth $63 billion and the logo consists of four small squares that make up a window, proving that less is more. Sure, allow your creativity to run free, but keeping things simple and to the point is sometimes all you need. The key to logo design is brand association, not a flashy concept.
Originality is key
A mistake many people make with their logo is ripping off designs of other companies and trying to make it their own.
Not only can this be considered a failed attempt at plagiarism, but it can bring more attention to the original brand. Chanel’s double C has been duplicated a hundred times over but still stands the test of time as one of the most sought-after brands in fashion. It’s important to study your needs and come up with a design that will represent your website or product.
Consider negative space
The use of negative space in your logo should be subtle, but that’s what makes it unique. Negative space is the space around and between the subjects of an image. Negative space is most noticeable when the space around a subject forms a shape.
For example, The FedEx logo has an arrow shaped out of the negative space in between the capital “E” and lowercase “x.” The best part of negative space is that it creates itself. All you need to do is be creative and shape your logo in a way that gives it a new dimension.
Understand its meaningÂ
There’s often a story or a hidden meaning behind a brand’s logo. Just like the hidden arrow in FedEx, signaling deliveries, or the bitten apple in the Apple logo representing a missing byte, there’s always a story being told.
So make sure you’re creating a logo that’s not only aesthetically pleasing, but meaningful too.
