The following is a guest blog post by Alice Jackson from Designhill.
The importance of a logo cannot be understated. It is the graphical representation of a company’s identity and this small symbol is so powerful that it can make or mar your company’s reputation. No matter how amazing your services are, how unique your products are if your logo is poorly designed then you will have a tough time catching the attention of your audience.
Even the best of designers find it challenging when it comes to designing a compelling logo. To save you from some major bumps and bruises in the design process, we have covered in this blog 6 of the biggest mistakes that logo designers make.
Now, you have found this informative blog, I am sure you will not be one of them. So, here are 6 most common mistakes in logo design.
1. Relying too much on Trends
Design industry is often dominated by different design trends from time-to-time. Many times, logo designers make the mistake of designing a logo based on the latest design trends.
A company’s logo design is its identity symbol and needs to be timeless and if it is designed as per the trends then it may start looking dated and cliche soon. Trends disappear in a puff of smoke and that is why relying too much on these trends when designing a logo, can do more harm than good to the organisation. Though you can always take inspiration from the trends but make sure the logo you design is long lasting, unique and eye-catchy.
2. Inappropriate use of Typefaces
A good typeface can make a logo design look memorable similarly a bad typeface can make it look unprofessional and I am sure you don’t want to take chances here. A logo designer needs to make a wise decision when it comes to picking a typeface, use of too many typefaces in a single logotype needs to be avoided for the best results. Each typeface has a personality and being a designer, you need to pick a font that reflects the icon’s characteristics and coincides with the message of the brand.
Though many logo designers often include too many typefaces to make the logo look attractive but end up designing the one that looks amateurish. Ideally, it is recommended to add one or two typefaces in the logo design rather than multiple typefaces.
3. Poor Colour Selection
This is the most common mistake that designers often make, they arbitrarily choose colors for the logo and some cannot wait to add colors. Understanding the psychology behind colors is important to design an impressive logo. As a designer you need to pick colors that resonates with the personality and core message of the brand. A thought process and reason should be behind selecting a particular color scheme else it may not do justice to the company’s image.
Secondly, adding colour needs to be your last decision, so first, you need to check the logo in black & white and grayscale. A good logo looks great in both black & white as well as in colour forms. So, it is suggested not to hurry to add colours in your logo for the best results.
4. Use of Raster Images
Another mistake made by logo designers is designing logos using raster images. The downside of designing in raster images is, they cannot be scaled to any size. Raster images are made of pixels and scaling to different sizes makes the image blur or dramatically affects the quality of the logo.
Thus, it is good to design your logos in vector graphics such as Illustrator and Adobe so that your logo can be scaled to any size. A well-designed logo is always versatile and looks great when reduced to stamp size or enlarged as the banner size that without compromising on the quality. So, make your logo you design is versatile and looks good in every size.
5. Creating a Complex Design
Someone rightly quoted “Through simplicity comes great beauty”. Your logo design needs to be simple and effective. The very purpose of the logo gets defeated if your logo is complex and your audience need to struggle to understand the meaning behind your logo.
A logo design with too many colors, a bad pairing of typeface and too many icons can make your logo look complicated and may misrepresent your brand. All the established brands be it Apple, Mac Donalds, Nike, FedEx, all have one thing in common, their logos are simple yet memorable. So, as a designer, you need to strive to achieve simplicity in your logo design so that it becomes memorable in the minds of your audience.
6. Plagiarism
This is one of the biggest mistakes that a logo designer can make but unfortunately, it is becoming too common these days. Any professional designer understands the importance of an original and unique logo design.
The purpose of a logo is to represent a company in the best possible light and when designers copy or steal the idea from others work then it negatively affects the branding of the company. Moreover, plagiarism can also result in legal ramifications and you may end up paying a heavy price for the same.
Over to you…
Design your next logo keeping the above mistakes in mind and there will be no looking back in your career as a logo designer. Who knows you may design the next stellar logo that enters the hall of fame. Be inspired. Happy Designing!