Signtronix Signs - Logo Design Considerations
Design A Logo For Your Business
Logos move with the times and the best advice that any business person can be given is to ensure that your company’s logo is not trendy now and passe tomorrow. The company logo represents the company’s identity and brand to the consumer, thus must be chosen very carefully. Even huge corporations commit horrific faux pas with their logos. Procter & Gamble has been haunted by Satanic allegations for decades over its man in the moon logo. NBC dropped the peacock in 1976 for a dual trapezoid N, but no one checked that it was a clone of a Nebraska TV network who sued and they had to settle out of court. The peacock quickly returned. You certainly don’t want to be in one of their situations but with the proliferation of millions of logos how do you know that your designer hasn’t just ripped your new logo off some unsuspecting website?
There are ways to ensure that not only does the logo triumph your company’s brand, but you also won’t be sued by the original owner. Whenever you are designing a logo, you have to incorporate what the company does into the graphic. An abstract letter or strange symbol is far too generic, says nothing about you, and was likely peeled right off the web. Look at the great historical logos such as GE, Ford, Coca Cola, and Kellogg’s. Each one speaks of turn of the 20th century heritage and tradition.
Then there are the great mid-century logos such as the CBS eye, BMW propeller, and the fabled Mercedes three pointed star. Modern logos can also be designed superbly well. Who doesn’t recognize the simple, striking FedEx, Mobil, DQ, Ikea, Sony or ESPN logos? However, a logo doesn’t have to be just block type to be effective. Look at Kool Aid, Tic Tac, MasterCard, Pepsi, Bic, Kraft and Best Buy. The latter especially as the words are set inside a sales tag that so eloquently speaks of the company’s entire essence.
Along those lines, the torn movie ticket of Blockbuster is also effective. Could there be a more descriptive logo than the NBA, or a better fit for Windows than the Microsoft flying window? And who doesn’t recognize Colonel Sanders or the Golden Arches? But modern logos can go wrong as well. The logos that are just too messy and intricate to be truly effective include Wendy’s, ReMax, Quaker State, and United Way. Be simple. Be original. Be clear. Make sure that there is relevance to your brand. Then your logo will be a success.