7 Mistakes to Avoid When Designing Your Logo
One of the most memorable aspects of your company brand is your logo. While a logo does not make your brand in itself, it plays a huge part in helping people recognize who you are. Creating the perfect logo for your company brand that will effectively accomplish its purpose is not an easy task. Anyone can quickly come up with a logo to slap on your materials, but there is much more research and refining that has to take place if you want it to do its work. That’s why I want to highlight 7 mistakes you should avoid when designing your logo.
1. Choosing the wrong font.
The font you choose has a huge impact on the overall design of your logo. Poor font choice can communicate a different (and sometimes unprofessional) feel for your brand than you intended. Don’t ever let your choice of font become just an afterthought in your design.
2. Getting caught up in the trends, instead of choosing a timeless design.
You want your logo design for your company to be something you can keep for a long time. Having to change it frequently because the design trend has faded will only hurt your company as it will be harder to establish your brand in your customers’ minds. Just following design trends that are sure to come and go will leave you with a logo that is no longer “cool” months down the road. Think of brands like Nike…they’ve been around for years and their logo has withstood the test of time.
3. Choosing a design that is complicated and has to be explained.
Having a logo design that has to be explained to be understood is not helpful for your business. Your goal with your logo is for it to be memorable. The last thing you want to be stamped on people’s memory is that your logo does not make any sense.
4. Designing your logo completely different from your overall brand
Your logo should be in sync with the rest of your company’s efforts…from your letterhead to your website. Remember that it is not your logo alone that communicates your overall brand. Your logo should give people an accurate view of what your company is like. Consider how you want your business to be perceived by potential customers when you are designing your logo. Make sure it works in harmony with your overall brand.
5. Trying to include too much in your design, making it complicated.
I sound like a broken record, but brand memorability is key. A loaded or complicated logo is going to make that very challenging. If your logo has so much detail that it cannot even be reproduced at certain sizes, there’s a problem. Remember, too, that you will likely want your logo printed on different types of materials. An overly complicated design is sure to make things like embroidery or screen-printing difficult, if not impossible. Remember that over-complicating a design also includes things like using too many fonts and colors.
6. Not keeping consumers in mind.
We all have our own personal opinions about what we think looks good. However, when it comes to your logo, your own opinion of what looks nice won’t be enough. The goal of your logo is to communicate something to a far greater audience than just you. If you want your logo to work for you, consider the audience you are trying to reach when choosing your design.
7. Hiring an amateur to create your design.
When it comes to your logo, cutting corners is a big mistake. Hiring an amateur designer could result in a design that makes people view your company as amateur and unprofessional. Hire someone who can design a logo that will help you establish trust with prospects and customers.
That’s just 7 common mistakes people have made in their logo design. There are many more I could mention, but hopefully you are getting the main idea I’m trying to communicate. Your logo is too valuable to be making these design mistakes. Don’t just settle for a design that is quick, cheap, and cool in the current times. Choose a designer and a design that will help you establish a positive and memorable brand in the minds of your potential customers. And don’t forget to use a design that can be displayed on the types of marketing materials that you will want to use for your business.
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