Want a Logo That Works? Start with These 5 Principles

What is a Logo?

A logo is a visual mark that identifies a business or product. This visual mark can be made up of graphic images, symbols, icons, stylized text or any mix of these. 

Logos can also have secondary versions, which are variations of the primary logo that may be oriented in a vertical or horizontal manner, a variation with just the stylized text or in only 1 color. These variations allow for flexibility when being used in different situations when the primary logo cannot be used.

 

Why is it Important?

Often, your logo will be the first touch point a potential customer has with your business or product. Therefore, making a positive first impression is important, but it’s more than just something that “looks pretty”. It has to have function and be impactful. Having a functional and impactful logo helps bring recognition to your audience, evokes emotion, informs who you are and what you do and distinguishes your business or product from its competitors. A well-developed logo captures the essence of your business and becomes a valuable piece to your overall brand.

 

Core Principles

Below is a list of 5 core principles to help guide your logo development process in order to achieve function and impact.

Simplicity – Don’t over complicate your logo. While it does need to speak to who you are, it doesn’t need to say everything. Keeping it simple leans into the design being memorable, scalable and legible.

Scalable – Your logo should be able to be scaled up or down to any size without distortion and loss of clarity. To achieve this the design should be created using a vector program such as Adobe Illustrator. This leads into our next tip, legibility. 

Legible – It’s important that your logo can be read at a small scale as well as at a large scale from further away. Consider seeing it on a pen or business card and then on a hanging shop sign. Will people walking by the storefront be able to read the sign clearly, will the next person you hand a pen or card to be able to read and understand without straining their eyes? 

Memorable  – Your logo needs to stand out and be easily recalled after someone sees it for the first time. They should be able to describe the logo to you. While your logo should be simple, you don’t want it boring that no one remembers it or too complex that someone can’t describe it. Look to create a unique element within your logo.

Thoughtful Meaning –  A logo is more than just making something visually pleasing, it’s a vehicle for communication and should evoke emotion. Think about your business’ story: how was your business born, what are your goals and mission, what is your product, where are you located? Your logo should represent a part of your business’ story. Whether it reflects what you do, the location, or your origin story. Keep in mind, your logo isn’t supposed to say everything about your business, it’s just a quick snapshot of it. 

 

The Wrap Up

Your logo is the first touchpoint for a customer that helps identify your business. It’s important that it has function and impact to help drive recognition. Remember, your logo is a snapshot, it doesn’t have to say everything about who you are and what you do. The above list is just 5 core principles to help guide you on your logo process. To learn 5 more, plus a bonus tip on logo design, click here to download my free 10 Principles of Logo Design PDF.

 

If you found this article helpful please let me know by commenting below. 

If you’re looking for help on developing your logo, reach out via instagram or my website. I’d love to hear from you!

Happy creating! 

~Ann Marie 🙂