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we love our business {blog/shop/etc} and we want you to love yours too!
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Simple: Less is More
A logo is your brand mark that will be used on everything you can think of. Keeping it simple will be make it more versatile in it’s use online and in print. Keeping it simple also allows you to cut the clutter and get to the core, or essence, of your brand. Think “iconic” and always see if there’s anything you can take out or edit that won’t hurt your logo design. Editing down is key. If you’re a Project Runway fan like I am, you know how the judges always mention editing down the contestant’s pieces to relate just one idea.
Unique: Design to the Beat of Your Own Drum
There’s nothing I want more for my clients than to look good while still being them. I grew up wanting to be different in as many ways as I could get away with. The last thing I wanted was to be compared to someone else. There are too many sides to me to really peg me as a single label. When I meet a new client, it’s like Christmas morning because I get to learn about who they are, what makes them tick, and what sets them apart from the rest. Their unique stories are so captivating that I see it as a waste to not show it in their logo. You may not think you have a great story to tell, but that’s because you’re too close to it. To others, it could be seem magical or be something meaningful they can relate to. Buyers can smell a fake a mile away and won’t be impressed by nor trusting of you. Be honest with your brand and tell your own story.
Memorable: Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
If your logo can be simple and unique enough to be remembered, you have a winner. Your logo won’t always be seen from the right-side up so be sure it’s recognizable from all angles. Coca-cola and Nike are excellent examples of how a brand mark can be memorable and recognized world-wide, regardless of culture or language. Keep this in mind when designing yours and see if your family and close friends can describe your logo to you a few days after you’ve showed them. If most can remember easily, you’re headed in the right direction.
Versatile: Here, There, and Everywhere
Logos will be used in many mediums in both print and digital. Make sure you have your marketing plan for promoting your business and all the things you will need designed before heading into the logo design process. When you have a nearly finished draft, try placing it on top of screenshots of your website or objects you’ll be printing it on to see if it can still look good in the space you use it on. Some spaces may be wide and narrow, while some are more square, and some are super tiny. Keeping your layout versatile means making it to be broken up and re-arranged to fit the space or making an abbreviated version of your logo.
Enduring: Be Timeless not Trendy
We talked about not changing your logo every time the idea hits you to build trust and recognition in your brand. When designing your logo you want to avoid the latest trend, that may only last for a season or a year, for something that will last 2-3 years. This way, you can re-brand yourself or upgrade your logo less often. Even handmade shops need to avoid going with flow, redesigning is costly when you think of all the things you now have to re-print. Being trendy is not being clever or design-savvy; figuring out how to design something that transcends time is.
Relevant: Dressing for the Occasion
Be sure your logo is a true reflection of what your customers will find in your store. If you have casual jewelry for young adults, don’t design your logo to make you look like you have an elegant luxury line for middle-aged women. You’ll be missing the mark with your target market and your sales will be affected in one way or the other. I like to ask my clients to give me 7 words to describe their personality. These 7 words help guide me to deliver a style that’s suitable for their products and services.
A logo is your brand mark that will be used on everything you can think of. Keeping it simple will be make it more versatile in it’s use online and in print. Keeping it simple also allows you to cut the clutter and get to the core, or essence, of your brand. Think “iconic” and always see if there’s anything you can take out or edit that won’t hurt your logo design. Editing down is key. If you’re a Project Runway fan like I am, you know how the judges always mention editing down the contestant’s pieces to relate just one idea.
Unique: Design to the Beat of Your Own Drum
There’s nothing I want more for my clients than to look good while still being them. I grew up wanting to be different in as many ways as I could get away with. The last thing I wanted was to be compared to someone else. There are too many sides to me to really peg me as a single label. When I meet a new client, it’s like Christmas morning because I get to learn about who they are, what makes them tick, and what sets them apart from the rest. Their unique stories are so captivating that I see it as a waste to not show it in their logo. You may not think you have a great story to tell, but that’s because you’re too close to it. To others, it could be seem magical or be something meaningful they can relate to. Buyers can smell a fake a mile away and won’t be impressed by nor trusting of you. Be honest with your brand and tell your own story.
Memorable: Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow
If your logo can be simple and unique enough to be remembered, you have a winner. Your logo won’t always be seen from the right-side up so be sure it’s recognizable from all angles. Coca-cola and Nike are excellent examples of how a brand mark can be memorable and recognized world-wide, regardless of culture or language. Keep this in mind when designing yours and see if your family and close friends can describe your logo to you a few days after you’ve showed them. If most can remember easily, you’re headed in the right direction.
Versatile: Here, There, and Everywhere
Logos will be used in many mediums in both print and digital. Make sure you have your marketing plan for promoting your business and all the things you will need designed before heading into the logo design process. When you have a nearly finished draft, try placing it on top of screenshots of your website or objects you’ll be printing it on to see if it can still look good in the space you use it on. Some spaces may be wide and narrow, while some are more square, and some are super tiny. Keeping your layout versatile means making it to be broken up and re-arranged to fit the space or making an abbreviated version of your logo.
We talked about not changing your logo every time the idea hits you to build trust and recognition in your brand. When designing your logo you want to avoid the latest trend, that may only last for a season or a year, for something that will last 2-3 years. This way, you can re-brand yourself or upgrade your logo less often. Even handmade shops need to avoid going with flow, redesigning is costly when you think of all the things you now have to re-print. Being trendy is not being clever or design-savvy; figuring out how to design something that transcends time is.
Relevant: Dressing for the Occasion
Be sure your logo is a true reflection of what your customers will find in your store. If you have casual jewelry for young adults, don’t design your logo to make you look like you have an elegant luxury line for middle-aged women. You’ll be missing the mark with your target market and your sales will be affected in one way or the other. I like to ask my clients to give me 7 words to describe their personality. These 7 words help guide me to deliver a style that’s suitable for their products and services.
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About the Author
Kristen is also the Author & Designer behind DIY Brand Design
{all images in this post provided and property of www.ahoygraphics.com}
Really awesome post! I never even considered how important a logo and branding would be! Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeletexo Heather
http://ahopelessnotebook.blogspot.com/