What makes a logo great?
The greatest brand in the world
If you were asked to choose the greatest logo in the world, chances are you may or may not select one of the corporate identities below depending on what you believe a quality corporate identity to be.
Less is always more!
Over the years, many business owners (and graphic designers) have made serious mistakes when designing their logos. These mistakes may appear to be minor when the company is starting up, but in the end, can often end up costing a great deal of money to correct.
It is my hope that I can help to educate you about the attributes of a quality logo and to guide you through the process of design and implementation. I have shared some simple tips that will help you to know what to look for and how to avoid some pitfalls that many companies experience.
For the most part, the logos above are not complicated, flashy or using a lot of different colors; in fact they are quite the opposite. Most of these are so easily distinguishable that we can name the companies and the products associated with them without seeing the company name written beside the mark. These simple logos have allowed these huge companies to build strong brand awareness all over the world. This simplicity allows advertisers and marketing agencies to use the logo for a variety of reasons in a variety of different ways without negatively impacting the advertisement the logo is shown on.
Whether it is in print ads, packaging, on signs, social media, websites or television advertising, these logos do what many fail to do. The odd thing is that it doesn’t really even matter if we like the look of the logo or not. The simple recognition of these logos forces us to associate the company image with the brand experience, regardless of the media used to communicate.
What makes these logos so much better than other logos?
If these logos would be considered great, then what makes them more noticeable and better than many identities that we don’t remember?
The key factors in all of these logos is that regardless of their use, the graphic communicates a consistent image of the company it belongs to regardless of the visual media it is applied to. A good logo should communicate the same image in a black and white ad as it does in a full color television commercial. If it fails to do this then you probably don’t have a very good corporate image. Your logo should also be flexible enough to be easily recognizable at a very small size, or at a very large size. This allows your logo to build consistent brand recognition on a billboard or on a business card. You would be amazed at how many poorly designed logos cannot pass this simple test.
Your logo should be flexible enough to be recognizable at a small size, or at a very large size.
In a typical day we are being bombarded by hundreds of different logos and advertisements. The next time you are out, try analyzing the various ads, and signs you see as you are driving around. Can you differentiate between the good effective brands and the ineffective ones? You might surprise yourself that with a little bit of knowledge you will start to see why the successful companies brands work while other poorly branded companies struggle. If your company is looking to invest in a quality corporate image then it is not only important that you understand the following rules when developing your brand, it may be the difference between a brand that succeeds or fails.
Planning Your Identity
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Branding is about clarity and purpose, not only about the product it is selling for a particular point in time. For example: Let’s say that your company currently sells a specialty product or service. You hire a designer and describe in detail what you are selling and what you hope to see in your logo. The designer then creates an icon or mark that incorporates that product directly into the new identity. This seems reasonable enough when developing the logo right? Well, this is a common mistake many companies make. Remember a good logo is one that is adaptable for today and tomorrow. If your product or service changes it should not kill your complete brand in the process. How well would the Nike “Swoosh” work for selling golf clubs if it had been incorporated into a running shoe icon? The truth is that it wouldn’t. The reason Nike can use their current logo mark to sell shoes, golf clubs, clothing and possibly many more products in the future is because their brand can adapt when the company pivots.
The Golden Rule of Branding
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The McDonald’s brand delivery process flows in the following ways:
Client: Children
The Golden Arches logo steers the younger customer towards their brand by using the big yellow M sign and a secondary reference to a colorful playground. The parent is forced to drive in to the restaurant (rather than using the drive-thru) in order to please their child (and to stop the screaming). Once inside the child is tempted by the different Happy Meals— all which come with a toy — which only helps to increase the brand experience. Once the food has been purchased the family can enjoy the play area and complete their brand experience at McDonald’s.
Client: Adults
The McDonald’s brand also pivots to appeal to an older clientele. This is a much simpler process and is based on a completely different purchasing decision. The Golden Arches logo steers the adult customer towards their brand by using the big yellow M sign and/or a secondary reference to a drive-thru window, or perhaps a giant poster of a new food item. For an adult the brand experience revolves around value and convenience more than the fun experience, but the logo works just as well for both types of customers.
Regardless of the tactics used, the golden rule is to make sure your logo is leading your customer to a brand experience, then through this experience, delivering your product. It is through this process that your customer experiences all that your company offers in a clear and concise way.
A logo is created in order to steer your customer towards your brand. What is a brand? Your brand is not just a product or image, but an experience that your customer has when dealing with your company or your companies product. Think about the McDonald’s brand for a moment. It appears that it is all about a BigMac hamburger, yet if you ask a child under the age of 10 they will more often say that McDonald’s is all about having fun. The best part about this example is that a child doesn’t understand branding or logos, yet they truthfully express what they love about McDonald’s—pure and simple fun. The food may be a big part of the brand, but all successful brands have the ability to tie an emotional experience together with their product.
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The Psychology of Color
In point number 2, I made a number of references to the big “yellow” M that McDonalds uses for its logo. Why do you think some logos are yellow, others blue and some are red? Just a coincidence? Not likely. Some large corporations spend thousands of dollars on market research in order to determine how their customer demographic will respond to certain colors. Many logos will focus on color as much as shape. Colors can have a lasting impact on how we view quality, value, reliability and industry.
A second example is deep blues, which communicate a sense of reliability and solid reputation. You will see dark blues often being used by financial institutions, law offices and accounting firms. Their objective is to send a visual message that says, “you can trust us”, “we are reliable”, “we have been in business forever”, “let’s do business’.
Other colors like bright red have a completely different impact on us. Red adds an extreme sense of urgency and attention. Almost all fast food chains and gas stations use red in order to communicate a message that says, “if you do business with us, you’ll be in and out in a hurry.” Bright yellows on the other hand are probably one of the most amazing of all colors in how they affect us psychologically. Many of us remember the No-name brand products from the late 70’s and early 80’s. Rows of lemon yellow cans would line the grocery store shelves advertising simple products with big black letters on a bright lemon yellow container.
The reason yellow was used is because it conveys a sense of value or a good bargain. Many fast food chains use a yellow combination including: McDonald’s (red & yellow) and Subway (yellow & green). The message...“Get in quick for a cheap lunch.” The addition of green by subway says “it’s cheap and fresh”.
Be cautious following color trends
A common trend that has been used with new technology companies is the use of brighter almost fluorescent colors. Acid green, bright blue and hot magenta are all the rage with hi-tech companies. Intel and Apple have used new colors in their computer chip and prior iPod advertising which tended to attract the younger generation by being big and bold. It’s easy to find old and new color trends, but some companies have no idea how their color is affecting their customers while other companies obviously do. Be cautious using these colors for your main corporate brand.
Where does your company fit in the world of color?
Don’t make the mistake of using the wrong color simply because you prefer blue more than yellow. In doing so you may do more damage to your brand than good. Using yellow can be great for value based products but could be very damaging if you are selling a more luxury item that should convey exclusivity. Your color should not be chosen based solely on personal preference, but only because it positively affects your clients and effectively draws them towards your brand.
The Winning Rules of Logo Design
Your logo should be clean and simple. It should be void of complex lines, gradients or blended colors. If your logo does use gradients, then a simple flat version should be always created which allows the design to adapt to things like embroidered clothing and other marketing materials.
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Gradient
Flat
Use a simple color scheme. Usually one or 2 colors at the most. If the logo uses full color, then there should always be a single color alternative.
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The logo should be as recognizable in black and white as it is in color.
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Your logo should scale. It should be able to reduce to at least 1 inch square and enlarge up to at least 2 ft. square without loss of recognition.
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A smartly designed logo doesn’t necessarily mean complicated. It is a creative icon or wordmark coupled with a clear visual that will set your logo apart—simplicity with a unique twist goes a long way.
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Can you spot the directional arrow in the Fed Ex Logo between the E and X?
Your logo is your anchor, it’s not your boat!
Many designers try to add every conceivable idea into their logo instead of trying to create an emotional element that anchors the brand. McDonald’s is not a hamburger symbol and Nike is not an image of a running shoe. Let your logo accompany the various marketing collateral vs. trying to tell the entire story.
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A properly designed logo will always adapt to various marketing. The logo is a support element to the bigger idea. Nike markets their running shoes to a variety of different demographics. They could sell basketball shoes and have a support photo of a person dunking a basket, but they could also create an ad for walking shoes that is directed to seniors. Basket ball and walking is the boat. The logo is the anchor that supports the big brand experience.