If the person – a mirror of the soul, the logo – it is displaying all the essence of your company. You cannot even guess, but sometimes logos say much more about the company than its description.
Any company, any business or startup is facing such a moment, when it is necessary to clearly define the logo. This is very important, difficult and time-consuming task that cannot be delayed by one month. There is a logical question: how to create a logo, what should be the logo, what color is responsible for what in the various logos. Believe me, a lot of questions will arise, and each of them requires a detailed and reasoned response.
Almost any logo detail – its color, shape, font, small parts – brings hidden information to the client, and the subconscious mind can influence certain desires, decisions and preferences. For the development of your company is very important that all the details of the future logo are meaningful, have a certain value met all the set criteria and topics.
Therefore, if you are wondering how to create a logo, or a very long time looking for useful information on the color of the logo and its impact on the subconscious buyers, in this article you will find answers to all the questions.
I would like to say that the article is written not merely on the basis of theoretical facts, but based on their own experience of creating logos for several large companies, as well as on the experience of good friends with the PR and design studio.
How to create a logo: Practical tips and tricks
1. Consider a business
The shape and logo details largely depend on the scope of your company. Not even from the most fields of activity, and from customers, their preferences and vision in this field. If you are a serious business, for example, the supply of industrial equipment, the logo must be made in strict tones, with clear forms. Looking at the logo so the client must immediately clarify three factors: the seriousness, responsibility and reliability. Nothing superfluous in such logos must not be present.
In contrast, if you sell clothing for young people, the logo should be bright, with rounded shapes, different curls and fancy images. Focus on what is interesting to your target audience.
Of course, there are also “anti-logo tips” which successfully operate at the same or do not meet the standard. I do not deny that it is possible to go on this path, and create something unusual, creative, shocking. But usually, the choice of such logo – this risk. Maybe customers will understand and appreciate your ideas, then it will be a super effect, but, most likely, this logo will not be successful.
2. Clearly understand what you want
When comes to the issue of creating a logo, it is usually the customer does not know what he wants. Dialogue with the customer’s design is usually this: “We do not know what should be the logo, but it should, and we like to surprise everyone.” Unfortunately, 99.99% of designers do not have the foresight abilities and do not use the services of psychics at work. Therefore, if you want to get a good logo, you need to clearly understand what you want, and as accurately as possible to put his idea to the designer.
How to do it? Before you order a logo design, you have to search the Internet for images of other companies. Collect pieces of 10-20 people that are most popular. Each finds especially good details and tell the designer. Not necessarily your chosen logos must be of the same scope in which your company operates. The main thing to decide on what is most liked.
Also, along with the “I like” pick and logo of the company that you feel terrible. Specify on what exactly should be you. If this is done, the designer will have an initial idea of how the logo should look like, what elements to include, and what should be shunned. However, here it is important not to fall into a frank plagiarism. Especially if you are going to record the resulting masterpiece as a trademark. If it is too reminiscent of the logo of famous brands, you can refuse to register.
3. Use no more than 2 colors
There are certain companies and areas of business where God himself commanded to use a lot of colors in the logo. For example, the innovative companies that are in the world are something new, and its logo wants to emphasize this. As a rule, it is the big companies with huge investments and prospects. Among the most known – Google, Microsoft, EPL. Also, the colored logo is used the company’s entertainment focus (at least, remember the NBC logo).And do not forget about printing companies on the logos which is a sin not to place the entire palette of colors, thus underlining their sphere of activity.
But companies that can afford to use all the colors of the rainbow in one logo, not so much. Typically, they are no more than 5% and the rest 95 is to adhere to strict rules – no more than two colors. This will give the severity of the logo, and allow focus on the shades, which you consider the most successful in your field.
Use two colors – this is the best choice not only on the basis of aesthetic convictions but also practical. It often happens that the logo to be printed on a black and white printer, any colored logo would look ugly and sloppy. One should not forget that the multi-color logos are a number of problems when used in a variety of printed products. They optimally only look on a white background, and if there is any other, the effect is instantly lost.
4. Remember that the flowers have the semantics
Three leaders among the flowers involved in the company logo – a blue (33%), red (29%) and black or gray (28%). Another 13% of companies use yellow. Other colors claimed a negligible share of firms – green, purple, pink is not more than 5%. The explanation is quite simple: the leaders of color are most visible and striking. In addition, each of them carries its hidden message to the consumer. Red energetic and aggressive: it is a frequent color logo car brands (Toyota, Jaguar, Audi). His love of the brand, emphasizing modernity, promotes energetic lifestyle (Canon, Coca Cola, MTV, Red Bull, MTS). However, red is often perceived as a youth color (more youth is a combination of red and yellow): it is not suited to companies whose business wants to emphasize “moderation and accuracy.” It is better to fit the blue – it soothes and adjusts to the pleasant. This is the best color for technology companies (Intel, IBM, Samsung, and Siemens): it molds the metal and glass. Among the car companies love him, those who emphasize not energy, but the simplicity and reliability (Ford, BMW, and Volvo). For the same quality of his love banks, payment systems (Visa, PayPal) and postal services. Blue sets a positive communication, that’s why he is the leader among the logos of social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Flickr). Black – minimalistic and precise: it is necessary to use it with great care since it can easily add a tinge of gloom. He emphasizes the quality and representativeness (Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, and Nike). However, in most cases, do not use black as the main color – it serves mainly to highlight the inscriptions (Renault, Lego). Yellow – this is the perfect color for food companies (McDonalds, Burger King, and Subway) and the entertainment industry.
5. The picture or text – which is more important?
41% of companies used in their logo only text. You also have to decide what is more important – a beautiful graphic image, or successfully written text. On the one hand, the text raises brand awareness, the name will always be at the hearing, and it will be easy to read. But on the other hand, the absence of images minimizes the hidden message to potential clients.
Small companies, as we believe it should choose a text version of the logo is also because they rarely have a good designer, able to successfully draw the image and well-positioned text. Professional designers, who specialize in creating logos, take for their work than one thousand dollars. Sometimes these costs are not necessary for small companies.
The vast majority of small companies choose precisely the text, although if you look at the company’s world-renowned and here you can find similar logos. For example, YouTube, Skype, Yahoo!, and Google they all go along this path.
“For small companies, the situation is not so terrible. You can do as one of my friends, who painted in Photoshop incomprehensible and below a beautiful script was written name of the company,”- says the head of Design Company. As an example, and the company logo of Nike, which was designed by an amateur, but it became known to the whole world. And few know that the logo of Disney – it’s just a beautiful painting of Walt Disney, which was taken as a basis.
6. Use of the company name is highly desirable but not required
About 10% of companies with a logo design do not use its name. It’s very strange because visibility is deteriorating at times, but the fact remains. The most well-known brand, which is used only a picture, is the apple of Apple. Even in 1978, there was a rainbow logo, which seemed to shout to the whole world: “We are a new, but rather unusual company. From us, you can expect a lot, and you will see it. ”
Image only pictures on the logo have its roots since the Middle Ages when the opposite guilds hilarious tin sign with the ousting of the goods produced in this workshop. But then it had a monopoly on the manufacture of, and if the buyer saw a shoe in front of the store, I knew that this is where he would buy the shoe, and nowhere else. Nowadays competition is huge, and the boot image is unlikely to help you tell us about yourself to the fullest.
If you do decide to restrict the picture, then go the Apple route and take a vivid and memorable way. Although our advice is sensible: do not risk, because Apple – is a unique company, and will be very hard to repeat their success. Choose the version of the logo that combines the picture and image.
7. The correct font
If you choose a text version of the logo, the font is an important component. Of course, it is much easier to pick up than the color or the right image, but there are its own peculiarities. The font is also easily tied under the direction of your business, as well as rectangular shapes and curlicues that we talked about above.
Try not to use the standard fonts that are already known to all. If you write the usual Times New Roman or Arial, then many will find you lazy who do not particularly care about the appearance of the logo.
But there are exceptions. One has only to look at the logo of the social network. And when asked how long they can create the logo, the response was immediate: “30 seconds. I just got the name of the standard font and I liked it.”
But again, it is the exception rather than the rule, and not on the is equal in the creation of logos. Choose unusual fonts that are little known. Yes, it is possible and to do something interesting, if slightly modified a little recognizable type of writings.
8. You must select the original image
Choose the correct and successful image for your logo – it is a challenge. Say at once, the task will be extremely difficult, and do not be discouraged if the first attempt does not find anything sensible. Who of you know does it look like the Apple logo? I am sure that every now imagined the bitten apple. And now remember looked like the very first logo of the company? You know? It was a conglomeration of various elements, depicted on canvas landscape, tree, sitting under a tree, Isaac Newton, who was biting the apple. To be honest, it was a very lousy logo. As a result of it’s simplified to a minimum and only left the apple.
Believe me, in the course of the work of your company logo, will also change and evolve, acquire new traits and characteristics. This is a normal and integral process of development of any company.