Any branded product should have a simple and memorable logo, by which customers can quickly recognize your company. However, it may not be as easy to come up with it as it seems at first glance, because it should be distinguished not only by originality, but also by a pleasant appearance. In our article, we will talk about the rules for creating a company logo and corporate identity, which will allow you to win the trust of a huge number of customers. You will find more detailed theory in the following sections.
What is a logo and some theory
The rules for creating a logo are based on the psychological characteristics of a person. If you want to create a quality brand, then you will have to pay due attention to the theoretical part of marketing. The best place to start is by identifying the logo and analyzing it carefully.
So, the logo is the business card and face of your brand. The creation of such a marketing tool should be given specialattention, because a well-executed logo can significantly increase brand awareness in the market, increase its popularity among competitors, as well as customer confidence.
The rules for creating a good organization logo require a creative and creative approach from a businessman, since the theoretical base presented in our article guarantees only 50% success. If you don't have a creative streak, then you are unlikely to be able to create something truly unusual.
Be that as it may, before starting to develop a logo, it is recommended that you first familiarize yourself with the theoretical part. Especially for this, we have collected 12 rules in our article that will help you create a successful logo for your organization.
Preparatory procedures are the key to success
According to the rules for creating a company logo, development should begin with small sketches on a piece of paper. This path is the only true one if you want to achieve a high-class result. With the help of simple sketches, you can easily determine the ideological lines of the future logo and which contours are best suited for it. If something does not work out, you can always erase the pencil with an eraser and touch it up as needed.
Try to make at least 20-30 sketches on a piece of paper, then choose the final sample based on them, combining certain elements with each other. It is best to have a separate notebook for this and carry it with you all the time. As soon as you have a free minute ora good idea will appear - just put it in a notebook and refine it at your leisure. Also, a separate notebook will allow you to easily show your sketches to another person, since the opinion from the outside is very important, especially in this case.
If nothing works, and ideas just don't want to come to mind, then you should not ignore this stage. Try to start development from the beginning or take care of your direct duties. There will come a time when you will see with your own eyes the unusual arrangement of objects on the street, which will give you a brilliant idea. It is better to spend a lot of time creating a quality logo than to invest a lot of money in expensive advertising later.
Balance rule
The rules for creating a good company logo also include the "Rule of Balance", which is known to almost every successful businessman. The logo should look as attractive as possible and not irritate the human eye with small details, bright colors and other graphic elements. Therefore, it is strongly recommended to pay due attention to the size of the future logo, its color, style, brightness, saturation and everything else.
But don't forget that rules are made to be fun to break. Still, a lot of creative logos do not match the balance, which is why they stand out against the general gray background. However, it is important to see the line between geometry in your work and a piece of high art. You can easily add some unusual catchy element to your logo, howeverit would be wrong to compose it entirely from such elements.
Size matters
The theory behind the logo rules also says that the emblem should be clear and legible, as you will be using it on a billboard, websites on the Internet and, of course, on your product packaging. In order not to miss at the most crucial moment, try to print the logo on your own printer, and only then take the flash drive with the picture to the advertising agency to create a large copy. In this case, it is strongly recommended to make a picture in the highest possible resolution. Reducing the format if necessary is not difficult, but if you increase a small image to a large one, blurry pixels will become visible on it. This should be avoided at all costs.
Smart use of color palette
The combination of colors in your logo is of great importance, since psychologists have long proven that each shade has its own emotional component: some colors are associated with something warm and cozy (red, yellow, orange), while others cause cold and rejection. Therefore, you should pay attention to the basic aspects when choosing a color:
- do not use a lot of contrasting shades so as not to irritate the eyes;
- use the closest colors from the color wheel and don't get carried away with shades;
- most often win those logos that consist of only two colors;
- with the help of shades, try to influencehuman psychology;
- feel free to break all these rules, but always feel the measure.
It is best to experiment with different colors on a computer using special graphics programs and applications. Try to choose colors that your customers will not associate with other brands.
Logo Style
The rules for creating a logo (emblems of an organization or company, etc.) also imply the use of "Logo-style". That is, your logo should not only meet your individual requirements as much as possible, but also be "in trend". Try to analyze what your target audience is interested in, what is fashionable now, and what is considered outdated. You can also get acquainted with the latest stylistic innovations from famous designers who have not had time to bother buyers yet. To do this, you will have to study gigabytes of various information on the Internet or read dozens of different books on marketing.
Choose the right font
The rules for creating a logo for a website or organization also state that a well-chosen font is of great importance for success. This is especially true if the logo contains not only the name of your company, but also some kind of advertising slogan. To find the right typeface, you'll have to test dozens of different combinations of styles, sizes, and additional serifs (bold, bold,italic font).
It is also highly recommended to follow certain aspects when choosing the best font for your logo:
- try to avoid common and classic styles;
- the more original the font looks, the more sonorous your slogan will be;
- one font style is considered perfect, but two or more are not comme il faut;
- make sure the slogan reads well when zoomed out.
When choosing a font, you should pay attention to the logos of popular brands: Coca Cola, Twitter, Yahoo! and so on. All of them used a unique font that is easily recognizable by customers even from afar.
There is nothing more important than recognition
The main purpose of creating a logo is to increase your brand awareness. Even if you decide to create a logo for an online store, the rule of creating logos should not be neglected even in this case. Your site's business card should be "imprinted in the brain" of the average person, who, most likely, has never even purchased your products. Pretty good examples in this case are the Adidas and Nike logos. The original products of these brands are quite expensive, so most people most often purchase Chinese fakes of these products. But why do they strive to buy this particular product, if not everyone knows about the real quality of the original? This is due to the promotion of the brand. A person will subconsciously buy whatconsidered fashionable and popular, even if the product is just a cheap fake.
Don't be afraid to stand out from the crowd
The basic rule for creating a logo is that you should never copy the design of well-known companies. It's not even that you may get into trouble with the law after that, although large companies very rarely file lawsuits against small organizations. It's just that the buyer on a subconscious level will perceive your product as a cheap copy of what is already on the market. Therefore, try to develop your own style, which will be unique and unique.
Also, don't be afraid to break all those rules that have been and will be listed in our article. Yes, it is best to follow some pattern and theory while creating a logo, but the best ideas come spontaneously. They may go against the established norms, but with all this they will have a special charm. So get in the habit of always walking around with a notebook in which you sketch out your logo so you don't miss a sudden moment of inspiration.
Keep it simple and people will reach out to you
Practice has repeatedly proven the theory that the simpler a logo is, the more often buyers will recognize it. The best example is the logo of the Mercedes car brand, which quite strongly resembles a symbol of peace and goodness. Do you know whose logo is the most recognizable in the world? Nike is a sportswear and footwear brand. A simple check mark that even a child can draw.
Of course, in today's world it can be quite difficult to find a brand that will match some simple symbol, but this is not necessary. Most importantly, follow the rule of simplicity, and then people will certainly reach out to you.
Be careful with effects
Photoshop, Adobe Illustratot, Freehand are just some of the most popular graphics programs that people use to create logos. In them you will find many useful features and tools that will make your work much easier. You can also find a lot of filters in them that can be applied during the creation of logos. However, you should not get too carried away with such things, since an excess of details and too contrasting colors have a negative impact on the perception of the logo.
Principle of "pipeline"
This principle consists in the phased implementation of a certain algorithm of actions. If you follow it, you can create a really high-quality sample that will not be ashamed to present to your clients.
- Research the main priorities of the target audience.
- Brainstorming our own and developing some ideas.
- Creating some preliminary sketches on a notebook.
- Developing possible variants of the logos you like.
- Presenting the work to the customer or potential buyer.
- We make the necessary adjustments to the work.
- Re-presentingour work for the client.
With the help of this principle, you will not only get a more efficient result, but also be able to systematize your work, which will save a significant part of the time and money that will have to be spent on brand promotion.
We don't need someone else
You can shamelessly use other people's work only for inspiration, but copying someone else's logo is not only immoral, but also illegal. On the Internet, you can find special galleries of websites that display logos of various organizations and companies in the widest artistic directions. You can browse this gallery for workflow inspiration or to avoid looking like other logos. However, to create a 100% original, it is still recommended to avoid such routes. Be independent of other people's opinions, and success is guaranteed!
As you can see, creating a logo is a rather painstaking and difficult process that requires time and effort. However, if you approach this work with creativity, you can create something truly original and unique. Try not to neglect the rules that were given in our article, especially if you are creating a logo for the first time. However, do not forget that a unique sample of themes is unique, which is different from the rest, since no stamps were used in the work. Keep this theoretical part in front of your eyes, but if it goes against your creative impulse, then it's very good!
