Basic Essentials of Effective Logo Design

When it comes to logo design, it is essential to have certain basic elements in place to do its job and make people think about and remember the company it represents – and, hopefully, become customers. An effective logo will capture the attention of potential customers, but even those who don’t necessarily fall into that group will be aware of the logo and what company it represents.

Here are the 5 basic essentials of effective logo design.

  • Take a look at all the company logos that you know, from Nike to Apple and more. You’ll see they are astounding in their simplicity. This makes them easy to recognise no matter where you see them.

  • It is not just being simple that makes the logo design memorable. It is its relevance to what the company represents. Take the green apple with a ‘byte’ out of it. What could be more relevant to that company?
  • When a logo is timeless, the company doesn’t have to reinvest in making a new one, something that costs a lot of money. They can then invest that money into other important parts of the business.
  • Logos are found in many different sizes on backgrounds of diverse colours and textures. They have to be clear and easy to see, whether they are on a billboard by the highway or on a mobile phone screen or an article of clothing.
  • The logo of a company must speak to the public in a way that makes them sit up and take notice, but it has to be appropriate to what the company offers. For instance, a logo of a mermaid would not be appropriate for an undertaker’s business. The most appropriate logos really stand out in people’s minds and become memorable.

So all five basic elements are interwoven together, with each one supporting the other.  If just one were left out, the logo design would not be nearly as good. For instance, if the design were not appropriate, it would cause confusion to the public because they could not understand the relevance of it.  Or if it were not versatile, it would not be highly visible when it had to be reduced to a small size.

Some logos depend on their colour to make them memorable, but they should also be recognisable in a different colour in case they need to be placed on the same colour background.  So even though all the basics are there, there are still other important factors to consider when designing a logo.

A logo needs to be modern, have clarity, be attractive and educate the public. While the logo is important, it is only a small part of branding as a whole. Branding provides that emotional element as people look at the logo and remember what the branding has told them about the company.