How can you tell a good logo from a bad logo?

24 June 2011

When creating a logo for a company it needs to be instantly recognisable. There can be no conflicting messages sent across to anybody who sees it and it has to be one which people will remember so in the future they will think about it and this will automatically remind them of the business it represents.

There are plenty of bad examples of logos which are forgotten before they are really even noticed. Complicated logos with the name of the company embedded into them makes it difficult to actually see either the logo or the name of the business, so people tend to turn a blind eye to it.

It all boils down to keeping a logo as simple yet as stylish as possible in order to create one which people will instantly connect to. One thing to remember is that if you run an online and offline business together, then your logos have to be identical. If you do not do this whoever sees them will not realise it is the same company.A logo tells the viewer who you are, what your business or service actually is. It lets them know how serious you are about both. It needs to convey to them that you are a true professional in your field of work. They have to be convinced that you are the best at what you do and all this needs to be put into a very simple logo design.

Bad logos will have a dramatic negative impact on your business. So getting it absolutely right is of paramount importance. Apart from the fact that a bad logo may be damaging to your business the other point to remember is that once you have had all you business cards, letterheads and the like printed up and then it doesn’t work, you have gone to a lot of expense for nothing.

A good logo will attract customers to your door. It will let them know exactly what it is you are offering them and whether it is a service or product they may wish to buy from you. A good logo should be easy on the eye without having the effect of blinding the person who sees it with too much unnecessary detail.

It is fine to use bright vivid colours if you have a paint shop or you sell fast food, but if you run an accounting business then the last thing you want is to have a brightly coloured logo on your website.

Knowing your business and how you would like to public to perceive you is an important factor when it comes to designing your logo. If you have a designer do your logo you will need to give them a brief about your business. You will have to describe to them who you are and what your business offers the public. Keeping this in mind the same applies if you decide to create your own logo, in short you need to know your own identity before you can convey it to others.