Your logo says a lot about your business, its personality and its values.
It’s often the first thing people will associate with your brand, and a successful logo is just one of the things that will increase your brand’s professionalism and memorability.
Just One Ingredient of Your Brand
Your logo may be the face of your brand, but it’s what is inside that matters most. Customers will come to you based on your service, personality, tone of voice and value for money. Your logo should encapsulate all of the best things about your brand and make it obvious to potential customers what you offer and why you do it well.
Your logo makes up a small part of the visual identity that represents the aspects of your brand, and it’s important to note that a logo alone will not determine your brand’s success. Even though it is just one ingredient of your brand’s identity, your logo is an integral one, which means it’s even more important to get right. For more information, see our brand guidelines post.
Simplicity is Key
Some people may think that the best way to get across what they offer is to include lots of information within their logo. In fact, this can often become cluttered, overwhelming and visually unappealing. Some of the most recognisable logos are simple, for example, the Nike tick and the Apple logo.
A good rule of thumb is to think, “can I sketch this logo out from memory?”. If it’s simple, it’s memorable; if it’s complex, its distinguishability may be compromised. A successful logo will be able to encapsulate what your business does cleverly and simply.
Your Logo Tells a Story
A logo can be made up of a combination of different parts: typography, graphics, symbols and emblems. All of these choices should be carefully considered to make up a visual representation of your brand. For example, a serif typeface connotes a formal, serious and established tone, whereas a sans serif could suggest your brand is more modern, sleek and friendly.
Colours also play an important role in getting across the personality and tone of voice you want to convey. Red is bold and fiery, whereas blue is calmer and more corporate. The semiotics of design choices will say a lot about your brand.
Types of Logos
The term ‘logo’ is actually an umbrella term for the different types of marks.
Wordmark: a logo made up of a standalone word
Combination mark: a logo made up of both text and graphics
Symbol: a logo made up of just a graphic
Adaptability
Logos should be able to adapt to different sizes and screens. This means that they are often responsive and exist in different states, adapting from very small to large formats, whilst maintaining readability. A logo can exist as both a combination mark, a wordmark and as a standalone symbol (for use as an icon). This digital-first approach is important to ensure your logo can be adapted to new technology, both digital and print-based.
Our Design Process
When we design a logo, we will start by researching your business and establish an idea of what you want your logo to show, stand for and speak for. After that, it’s important to conceptualise some ideas in black and white, to ensure they work well in this format before introducing colour. We work collaboratively with clients during this process to ensure we can produce an accurate and creative interpretation of your brand.
