Logo
noun
- a symbol or other small design adopted by an organisation to identify its products, uniform, vehicles, etc.
One of the most important elements of a company’s identity is its logo. Not only will the logo be applied to all company’s material, such as packaging, stationery and signage, a logo is also one of the first elements that consumers recognize when engaging with a company.
The role of a logo is not only to serve as a symbol of recognition, but also to give consumers a feeling of the personality and level of professionalism of a company.
When creating your logo, there are five things to keep in mind to ensure that it’s effective:
1. Research
Research is the foundation of an effective logo. It enables the designer to get familiar with the mission, vision and personality of the company and its target market. By knowing what attracts the consumers and what the company’s personality is, makes it easier to put complimentary colours and fonts together.
2. Size
When designing a logo it is important to keep in mind that the logo needs to be legible and recognizable on a large – and small scale. Large scale includes, for example, billboards, and small scale includes, for example, letterheads.
3. Colour
Different colours evoke different feelings and moods. When it comes to choosing the right colour for a logo one needs to keep the message in mind.
Study shows that 95% of the world’s logos are designed with only two colours and only 5% are designed with more than two colours. There’s no ground rule to how many colours should be used when designing a logo, but what is important is to test the logo and see how it will be applied in colour, greyscale, and black and white.
4. Simplicity
A memorable and recognizable logo has a basic shape and communicates to the consumer in a way which they understand. A complicated design can lead to consumers not understanding the message that the logo wants to portray, as well as visibility issues. For example, when the logo is on a billboard next to a highway, it may be difficult for consumers in passing vehicles to clearly see the logo, or to even notice the logo.
5. Font
Five of the most common font categories that are used in logos are serif, sans serif, script font, handwriting font and display font.
Many logos are designed by only using fonts. These logos can set the personality of a company. When you want to combine fonts in the design of a logo, you need to use fonts that will complement each other. Letter spacing, font weight and the use of uppercase or lower case evokes different feelings and moods. For example, a casual and friendly feeling can be created by using lowercase, where uppercase creates a more sleek look.
Nowadays it is easy to create a logo with the help of online logo generators and stock logos that can be downloaded.
A unique and challenging logo is built on in-depth company research and its target market. An effective logo will be designed from scratch to successfully convey the personality of a company in the visual form of a logo.
Need a logo designed for your organisation?
Contact The Blue Room – our experienced Design Studio Team are able to create the perfect logo that will help your brand stand out. Call us on 021 553 0315 or email info@theblueroom.co.za.
To find out more about our Graphic Design and Branding services, click here.
Written by Melanie Reyneke, Graphic Designer: The Blue Room