What makes a good logo?
““It reminds me of the Georgia chain gang”, quipped one of the executives, when he first eyed the striped IBM logo. ”
History of design is full of examples of logos clients had to warm up to. The executive team at the Conservation International originally hated their new logo but once they realized there’s a profound story behind it, they were on board. So when dust is still settling on your newly designed logo, and the excitement about your new brand identity is through the roof, how do you know if it's actually any good? And by good, I mean effective, meaningful and well-made. Well, let me help. A good logo is…
Simple.
Simple logo design does not mean a business model or brand message is simple. On the contrary, it shows a strong awareness of the logo's purpose and its customers’ needs.
Simplicity is difficult to achieve, yet absolutely worth the effort, because simple logos are always better than complex ones - they're easier to relate to, understand and remember.
Recognizable.
A very detailed and complex logo may look impressive at first, but consumers need help getting used to it. A simple logo, on the other hand, helps create a faster impression and is easier to feel connected to.
Emotion-provoking.
A good logo should not only be instantly recognizable, but it should trigger an emotional reaction right away.
Appropriate.
A logo design should always be appropriate to the industry and the audience. A logo for childcare will have different qualities than a logo for an energy drink. Unless it’s a childcare facility where kids are given energy drinks for breakfast. Scary.
Distinctive and memorable.
Distinction means uniqueness within the market. A strong logo will be one of a kind, and after being in use for a while, people will link it to the business it identifies and never mistake it for its competitor.
How do you create a logo that’s unique? In the beginning, you focus on making the logo recognizable. So recognizable that the silhouette gives it away. Working in black and white helps create a more distinctive mark since it clearly shows if the idea works or not. Color, although important, comes after the shape and form of the design.
Responsive.
A responsive logo is a primary logo that exists in several, slightly different and scalable variations. The need for flexible logo design has grown with the demands of a digital environment but relates to the print space as well. Trying to fit the same mark simultaneously on a billboard and on a pen is a challenge. Instead of trying to fit a logo into a space that is too small or crowded, a good logo comes in different versions for maximum visual impact and clarity.
Should a logo be self-explanatory?
A logo is not (and should not) be an illustration - it doesn’t need to include images or symbols of all the products you sell or services you provide. Your entire, holistically-designed branding will need to do that for you.
It is only by association with a product, a service, a business, or a corporation that a logo takes on any real meaning. Often, the less a logo says the better. The Mercedes logo isn’t a car. The Apple logo isn’t a computer. The Nike logo isn’t a shoe. Yet they’re all relevant and appropriate within their respective markets.
““A logo derives meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolizes, not the other way around.””
That’s right, what gives logo its meaning is the quality of things it symbolizes.
The Mercedes logo has nothing to do with cars but it's a great logo because of what it represents. Together, the Mercedes-Benz star's 3 points are a representation of the company's drive for universal motorization — but each point also has its meaning. The points represent land, sea, and air — domains the company believed they would one day dominate with Mercedes-Benz engines.
Not many people know that Steve Jobs named Apple after... well... apples. There's no hidden meaning, no story, no big idea (which Steve Jobs openly said he regretted) but just his favorite fruit. Is it an iconic logo? Absolutely. But it's iconic because it's etched in customers' minds as a symbol of creativity, dependability and the newest tech.
And have you ever noticed what's in Bacardi Rum's logo? A bat! It has seemingly nothing to do with rum yet people recognize and enjoy Bacardi all over the world. In 1862, Bacardi's creator's wife noticed a colony of fruit bats hanging in the rafters of the distillery and recognized their importance to the Spanish and Cuban Taíno Indians as symbols of good health, family unity, and good fortune. She suggested using a bat as the symbol of BACARDÍ rum, and soon locals began to ask for “el ron del murcielago” – the rum of the bat.
To sum up, a good logo is an investment in the future of your company and it will last you for years. I mean YEARS. I don’t know if you know that Chase’s logo that is still around and doing well, was designed in the 1960s.
A poorly designed logo reflects poorly on the business, and on the contrary, a well-designed logo (preferably combined with a well-designed identity) shows the public that the company cares.
