Logo design is an absolute visual science. In creating one, you are embarking on a psychological exploration of what will make a demographic pay attention to your brand. It’s exciting and fun for a person like me. I can spot and totally appreciate a great logo, but to create the perfect logo myself? Well, as much fun as it is, there are the occasional “banging-the-head-against-the-wall” moments.
Adobe just happened to have a pretty excellent article on their site some years back which discussed some things that make a logo a good logo. They really broke apart the science and appeal of a good logo doing its job. I learned a little from it, perhaps you can too. Check it out.
FYI: The article is no longer around, but here are some major takeaways from that article.
“Ensure the logo works in multiple environments.The best logos are memorable, but they also have to function and work in a variety of modern environments and across digital platforms, communication channels, and physical objects. Great logos resize easily and can be reproduced across a variety of different contexts — they should be scalable, responsive (for mobile-first design), and identifiable across a variety of sizes, shapes, dimensions, and applications.   Find the sweet spot of complexity. Color or black and white? Detailed or simplistic? Abstract or literal? The best logos can be reduced to one or two colors and resized easily. If it can’t, chances are it’s too complicated and not likely to be legible or memorable. While it’s not a rule that logos should be produced in one color, it can be indicative of whether or not it is at the right level of visual complexity. One way to test the utility of a logo is to envision how it would reproduce stitched on a ball cap. If it would work well there, it is probably simple enough for most any application.   Watch trends, but aim for timeless.The “flat” design and minimalist approach may be hot now, but in a decade, logos in multiple colors with extra detail may be on trend. Design trends are seen through a moving window — timeless logos stand out visually by differentiating themselves from what has already been done in the past. Use sites such as Behance.net to get a handle on current design trends, but also pay attention to the great timeless logos to visualize how designs can adjust to the flavor of the day and stand the test of time.”The key point made, in my opinion, was the last point… “watch trends, aim for timeless”. This is the key to a great logo. I recall Wal-Mart changing their logo and visual scheme many years ago to much scorn from the public. However, as time proved, this change was necessary and the visual direction they went with their logo design and marketing worked like a charm. They have a very identifiable marketing presence and, further, their identity certainly works with their demographic. Timeless. They mentioned Adobe Capture in the article and for those of you who are not familiar it is a very effective tool when looking for color schemes, brushes, patterns and more and stores it for use in your projects using Adobe software. For more information on that very handy tool, go here. David (Cali Dingo)