10 Mistakes Business Logo Designers Should Avoid
A business logo is an integral part of any successful branding campaign. It must clearly represent a business' message, product and history. To stand out among competitors, it's essential that the logo is flawlessly designed. Your business logo will be the face of your business—the image consumers see on billboards, in magazine ads and more.
10 Design Mistakes to Avoid
Designing a successful logo isn't rocket science. Avoiding common design mistakes can steer you in the right direction, ensuring that the logo will connect consumers to the business and product.
- Copying Other DesignsHow can a business or product be unique if it shares its logo design with another company? Copying a design only dilutes the business' product and reputation and should never be considered an option. Start with an original idea and you'll be on the right track.
- Being TrendyA logo needs to be classic. Trends will come and go, leaving your logo in the dust. As your business builds its reputation and brand, consumers will connect to your logo. Design one that will have a timeless appeal.
- Making Designs Complex While intricate detail may look great in its original form, it doesn't transfer well—scaling a design to a smaller or larger proportion will often cause the detail to become lost. Clean, distinct designs offer a crisp visual with less information to process and can be reproduced without being distorted.
- Choosing Inappropriate FontsSelecting the right font for your logo is crucial. Choose an amateur-looking font and your business looks unprofessional. Choose a common font and your logo won't look unique. Strike a good balance between the logo symbol and font; they shouldn't be so similar that they compete for attention, but they can't be too different that it's hard to know where to focus.
- Using Too Many Fonts and ColorsThe goal is to establish brand identity and recognition. Using more than two fonts and colors makes a design confusing and takes away from the impact it should have.
- Relying Solely on Color for EffectAt some point, in some medium, the logo will be used in black and white or in one color tone. How will that change the look of your design? If your design relies only on color for effect, its identity could be altered.
- Picking Ineffective Colors. Not just any color will do. Choosing colors should be strategic and done with purpose. Colors should be directed at the target audience and used to connect the consumer to the product. Colors can be chosen to reflect the industry (e.g., blue for healthcare) or to evoke emotions (e.g., red for passion).
- Choosing Raster Graphics Instead of Vector. A raster graphic, also known as a bitmap, contains pixels. If the logo needs to be enlarged, a raster graphic will appear fuzzy or pixilated. By using vector graphic software (such as Corel Draw or Adobe Illustrator), you can ensure that the image will be consistent in all sizes.
- Including Inclusions Leave out the LLC, Inc. and Co. It only crowds the logo design.
- Forgetting To Be UniqueYour business' logo should be memorable and make people take notice. Don't be afraid to give it a unique twist!
