The ideal logo conveys, in a glance, as much about your company as you can squeeze in, plus a little bit of magic! You want to convey:
- What your company does
- Your corporate culture and target audience
- Professionalism
You do this with a combination of these 8 key elements:
1. Symbols –instantly makes people think of traits that you want associated with your company.
2. Colors – each color in the spectrum has a psychological effect that you can use to your advantage.
3. Words –your company name and slogan, in as few words as possible to get the message across. The catchier, the better!
4. Fonts – the style of the lettering conveys a certain feel as well. Using the wrong font can definitely send the wrong message!
5. Shapes – basic shapes like the circle, square and triangle appeal to the logical side of our brains and bring additional symbolism.
6. Clarity and boldness – You want something that looks great whether you make a lapel pin, a bumper sticker or a billboard out of it. Don’t pussyfoot around it – declare who you are and what you’re about proudly!
7. Creativity, artistry, inspiration – It takes a careful balance of all of the elements, plus a bit of inspiration to make a great logo.
And if you’re very lucky…
8. Magic –the final, indefinable element that can make the simple into something legendary.
You’ll know when you’ve got the magic working for you when you’ve successfully created *feelings* from these elements that:
- Pique interest and make people want to know more
- Make your company memorable and stand out against others in your field
- Inspire brand loyalty
Let’s look at a few successful examples:
Apple – It’s deceptively simple, but it carries the implied meaning that they’ve taken a bite out of the apple from the tree of knowledge…or perhaps we should we say, a “byte”. It’s Biblical, it’s simple, and a little bit naughty. It used to even have a rainbow, but now it’s mostly seen in a metallic and monochromatic tone.
Starbucks – It’s round like an official rubber stamp, but it’s got a magical little mermaid inside to tie in the meaning of the name—the seafaring first mate who joined in the obsessive hunt for the white whale in the book Moby Dick.
Coke – The font and swirl beneath imply flowing and bubbling, and the bold redness gives the sense of energy. Just what Coke does for you—helps your energy flow!
Nike – just the swoosh is enough for you to know it’s a Nike product. It too makes you feel like you’re moving. The company is named for the winged Greek goddess of victory.
All logos used under the Wikimedia commons license.
