Logos can communicate a lot of information in a glance. Sometimes more than you intended.
When designing a logo, don’t make these ten mistakes:
1. Avoid the accidental double entendre. 2. Don’t play copycat. 3. A logo should be visually distinctive, not visually identical to another logo. 4. The designer’s name is rarely part of the logo design, and when it is, it should be subtle. 5. Never use clip art or stock photos in your logo design. 6. Never use all upper case letters in your logo design. 7. Make sure there’s space between each letter and number in your logo design (unless that’s part of the identity). 8. Never use an ambigram in your logo design; always opt for an alternate version that’s readable without rotating it first (and if you must rotate it to read it, so much for being able to read it). 9. Don’t use a really complicated design that just screams “I’ve got too much going on!” unless you’re selling something complicated like Windows or tax software, or a really complicated product like an aircraft carrier or computer network server rack—or maybe even then! 10. Keep it simple and keep it memorable—no one likes logos that are
There are many mistakes that can be made when designing a logo. In this article, we have listed 10 things you absolutely must avoid.
1. Being generic: Your logo should not look like something else that is out there on the market.
2. Having too much text: The less text you have in your logo, the stronger it is.
3. Being boring: It’s important to add some life to your logo design with colors and images.
4. Not being creative: You can be creative by using different fonts and colors that go together well and are pleasing to the eye.
5. Being too literal: You want your logo to represent what your company does, but you don’t want people to think of just that one thing when they see it, as it will make it seem generic and outdated over time.
6. Using only one font type: Your logo design should use more than one font type so it looks interesting, unique and professional.
7. Focusing on only one element: It’s important to work on the whole design, not just one aspect of it, when making a logo design – especially if you’re planning on printing it onto signs or business cards later!
8. Not including a tagline: A tag
Logos are one of the most visible and important parts of a brand identity. But designing a logo is a difficult job, and there are many mistakes that designers often make.
You’ll find this article useful if you’re just starting out in logo design, or you need some advice on how to get started on your next project. We’ll cover topics such as good logo design principles, logos that stand the test of time, logos people remember and more.
Logo design is a tricky business. There are many rules to follow, and if you don’t follow them correctly then the result will be a bad logo.
Here are the mistakes that designers make when creating a logo:
1) Assuming that the client knows what they want
While it’s true that clients will usually have some kind of idea of what they want their logo to look like, this isn’t always the case. A good designer will be able to take that initial concept and turn it into a workable and eye-catching logo design. The designer will also be able to tell if the client’s ideas are unworkable or simply not very good.
2) Not taking advantage of the design brief
When designing a logo, it’s absolutely essential that you pay very close attention to any instructions or information provided by the client. Even if their brief is not particularly helpful you should still make sure that you cover all bases and ask for clarification if necessary. You may think that your client shares your understanding of their needs, but it’s easy to fall into bad habits without realising it.
3) Focusing on style over substance
A lot of logos seem to have been designed with little consideration for whether they’re actually going to work in practice.
Once upon a time, some folks asked me the following question:
“How do you make a logo? I’m designing my own logo and don’t know where to start.”
This is what I wrote in reply:
The first thing to remember is that logos are not graphic designs. They’re communication tools.
Second, logos are never about what they look like. The point of a logo isn’t how it looks, it’s what it says. For example, take the Dollar Shave Club logo:
It’s not a very attractive logo; it’s more of an afterthought than anything. But that’s not important. What matters is the message behind it: Dollar Shave Club sells razors for cheap, online. It doesn’t matter how the logo looks; all that matters is what it says. And if you want to make your own logo, you need to keep that in mind.
Or for another example, consider the FedEx logo:
It’s not one of my favorites, but now that I know its history I can see why they designed it this way: originally called Federal Express (FedEx), their name and symbol was designed to suggest speed and efficiency. You might not think so just by looking at it alone, but once
1. Not getting a designer to do it for you.
2. Making it too complex.
3. Being too literal.
4. Having no concept of white space and negative space (and why they’re important).
5. Trying to create a logo that is “cool.”
6. Designing a logo that relies on color alone to convey meaning (this is called a “color mark” in the design world and rarely creates the intended message).
7. Being too trendy or trendy at the wrong time (think of how dated the logos from 1999 look now…).
8. Being overly literal with your concept (e.g., making an apple in a fruit bowl look like an apple, when it could have been a much more abstract representation of whatever your business is).
9. Not considering brand extensions/future evolution of your company as you create your logo (will this mark work for other things like stationery and apparel?).
10. Not doing proper trademark searches before launching a new logo and letting someone else come along after you and “steal” your mark by either using it first in ways that are similar or registering it as their own intellectual property.”
1. The designer’s name needs to be prominent
New logos should always have the designer’s name front and center to make sure everyone knows who created it. You don’t want your design work to go uncredited, do you? Be honest, it’s not about ego, it’s about getting credit for your hard work and effort. If a logo is done by one of a team, then the team members names should be included in the logo. You wouldn’t hide behind your design like that would you?
2. It needs to be simple
Your logo can be as complex as you like but it is usually simpler than you think. When you first sit down with pen and paper to create your design most people start drawing out lots of details, shapes and lines that are really not necessary. As you design your logo try to get rid of any unnecessary details or shapes until you simplify your logo into its most basic form. Only then should you add any extra detail if necessary. The simpler it is the better, which is why we need to remove any unnecessary lines and details in order to achieve that simplicity.
3. It needs to be memorable
The way a logo looks has an effect on how memorable it will be. You don’t want