The purpose of a logo is to identify a company or product with the use of a flag, mark, signature, or symbol. Logos derive meaning from the thing they symbolize, not the other way around; in other words, logos are there to identify, not explain, so what a logo means is more important than what it looks like.
To make it easier, we prefer to be called by our names, Jane, Joe, Jasmine, rather than by a description of ourselves, like 'the guy who is always 15 minutes late for class' or 'the girl who smacks her gum during lectures.' Similar to this, a logo should not literally describe the details of a business, rather simply identify the business in a way that is easy to recognize and remember.
1.) Basic Logo Design
An effective logo has 5 basic principles; it must be
- simple
- memorable
- timeless
- versatile
- appropriate
Let's examine these principles:
- a logo must be simple for easy recognition; effective logos feature something unexpected or unique without being overdone
- a logo must be easy to remember, thus, simplicity is a must, while clutter is a no-no
- a logo should last the test of time and not look outdated in a few years
- a logo must be versatile and work across many different media, whether the Internet, business cards, letterhead, packing labels, large signage, etc.
- a logo must be appropriate for its intended purpose; for example, if you are creating a logo for a child's toy, you would want to use a color scheme and fonts that relate to a child. Those same fonts and colors would not work with the design of a logo for a lawyer's office
2.) Learn from others designs; for example, the Nike swoosh was created by Caroline Davidson back in 1971. The design is simple, memorable, very effective, and easily scalable to any size without losing any intent or quality. It also has great symbolism as the swoosh represents the wing of Nike, the Greek goddess of Victory.
It's also important to understand that a logo does not need to illustrate what a company produces or offers; i.e., a computer company logo doesn't nee to show a computer, a motorcycle company logo doesn't need to show a motorcycle, and a phone company doesn't need to show a phone.
