Useful Logo design tips from branding experts

1. Keep it simple

The designer who created the famous bird for Twitter once said that his main secret: "One logo, one idea. That's a pretty accurate approach because that way you focus on what's most important and don't overcomplicate the design.

The most successful companies today are those that maintain the principle of simple solutions, and this philosophy is reflected in their logos.

- Leif Abraham, CEO, and co-founder of AND CO 

2. A logo is not a puzzle

The most useful advice for you: a logo should not be too intricate and difficult to understand.

Sometimes business owners choose complicated, intricate logos with lots of little details, and when such logos appear in ads on small smartphone screens or business cards, all these details get mixed up into a mess. Such a logo makes no sense at all.

Take the example of large, well-known companies: their logos are written in clear, printed letters in simple, bright colors. Such logos look great in any form, and it's easy for customers to remember them.

- Liz Jammal, owner of Vivid Marketing

3. Color will make you more noticeable

First of all, you should do a good study of your competitors. So you can understand what colors and fonts are used in your niche.

Color is one of the easiest ways to stand out and make your brand more visible: by choosing the right color scheme that your competitors haven't already taken, you can easily draw attention to yourself.

Researching your competitors will also help you decide on a font. You can choose a font that isn't boring yet and will set you apart from other companies. Just make sure that the font you choose suits the style of your business. You don't want to choose crazy combinations just for the sake of uniqueness.

- Ian Paget, founder of Logo Geek

4. Be yourself

The logo should relate to what you do and how you do it. You founded a company and run a business - so be yourself and show who you are with a logo. It's not the logo that shapes the style of the company, no. It's the company itself that reflects what its logo should be because the famous Nike checkmark is just a flourish on paper. The stroke itself means nothing apart from the quality of the products and without the history of Nike.

- David Langton, President of Langton Creative Group

5. Fewer pretty curls

Resist the temptation to use all fashion design techniques at once. A lot of aspiring artists can't stop in time, adding more and more details to a logo: glow, embossing, shadows, and gradients all at once.

You have to understand, in most cases, the simplest logos are the best logos. Get rid of the pretty husks and let your logo accurately reflect the essence of your business. And accept the fact that the simpler the design, the easier it is to remember.

- Paul Beese, president of Mystique Brand Communication

6. Stay away from standard fonts

According to experts, the most important thing in creating a logo is not to use common standard fonts.

Most artists probably understand this, but it's hard to convince business owners to do so. Unique lettering in a logo is a very easy way to make your logo look professional.

- Eric Pitzer, graphic designer for Illumine8 Marketing & PR 

7. Think strategically

A logo is created with the goal of long-term use, so it's important to create it in a vector so it can be easily scaled. Your logo should be easy to read, even at a very small size. And always use the Pantone color model so that your logo is the same color on all promotional materials.

- Jennifer Andos, creative director of Paperfish Creative

8. Research your competitors

When I'm evaluating a logo, the first question I ask myself is, "What does a competitor's logo look like?" It takes a lot of effort and time to design a logo, and every one of your competitors that has been in the market for a long time has been through this ordeal.

Are there any common colors, or does everyone use similar fonts? Do all logos follow the same general idea, and if so, what is it? Companies spend tens of thousands of dollars on these logos, and sometimes they all don't look good enough and don't reflect the essence and theme of the business.

Always check with your competitors' branding, their mistakes will help you create a more accurate and attractive logo and save some money.

- Kenneth Burke, Marketing Director, Text Request

9. Be specific!

Research is the most important part of logo design. You have to understand what makes your brand different from others, understand the company values you are trying to reflect in the logo.

If you know what you want to end up with - it will be much easier to decide in a huge sea of possible variants, to understand what font, style, and color to use. And once you understand that you see what your logo should be, keep specifying. Cut off the extras, change, tweak, lead the idea to the perfect embodiment, until you reach the desired perfection.

- Rob Cohen, director of a strategy at Penguin Strategies 

10. Focus on your target audience

You will never be able to please all the people on the planet, and even the best and most professional logo will only give attention to a certain segment of consumers. But such a logo will create a very strong bond between you and your target audience. These are the people you need to appeal to by creating a logo tailored to their tastes, preferences, and demographics.

Understand exactly who your target audience is and focus on them. Your logo should appeal to them, not you personally."

- Kyle Golding, CEO and chief strategic ideologist of The Golding Group 

11. The logo should look good everywhere

The most important thing when creating a logo is to remember that the image on the screen is different from the printout. A logo may look great on a website, but that doesn't guarantee that it will look as good on business cards, letterhead, and other promotional materials.

The main thing you should do when approving a logo is to try it on all sorts of promotional materials and consult with experts: contact a print shop, and experienced printers will help make your logo perfect for any application.

12. Scaling is very important

The days of complex, intricate logos are long numbered. Today, logos need to look perfect on social networks and Internet sites.

You need a logo that can be reduced to a tiny icon. Think of favicons, those tiny icons when you minimize a window. Imagine your logo as tiny - would it look good? All the best logos can be reduced to a very simple clear picture.

Leonardo da Vinci said: "Simplicity is the highest form of elegance." And it's true. The most professional logos are always simple and have crisp lines; they look amazing and recognizable even in a tiny way.

- Andrea D. Smith, senior brand director, The ADS Agency 

13. Use a vector

Always create a logo in vector format only, that way you can resize it as much as you want. First, create a black and white version and see how the logo looks at different scales, from a business card to a billboard.

Remember: the more intricate the logo, the harder it is to remember. The logo should be clear and understandable, whether it's in print or on a website.

- Caroline Wiesner, lead graphic designer for Strazanac Solutions 

14. Don't forget the point

A logo should tell customers what you offer them. It's not an easy task to put a business idea into a picture. A professional logo must meet the following requirements:

• Does the logo reflect the meaning of your business?
• Is it easy for customers to understand the proposition?
• Does the logo bring credibility to the proposition?

And if you're hesitant to answer any of these questions in the affirmative, then you still have a lot of work to do on your logo to make it understandable and trustworthy for customers.

- Filiberto Amati, Partner, Amati & Associates 

A good example of the essence of service through a logo is essayassistant.net, the platform for students who need help with their academic papers. The logo makes the purpose of the site clear. The simple design allows you to focus on what is important - available services and their variety.

15. One head is good, but two is better

You can easily miss important details when creating a logo alone. It's always a good idea to ask another person to take a look at your work, so they can notice any omissions or faults.

Once you've decided what the logo will be, take the time to check it out. There may be mistakes in the picture, or it looks obscene or offensive, and you do not notice it. You do not want to be on the list of "100 Most Failed Logos.

In many design studios, it is customary to pin pictures of unfinished ideas on the wall, this way all the artists can see the flaws in the work and share their opinions. But if you work alone, ask other people, preferably designers or artists, to take a look at your work.

- Ivan Spasojevic, Ucraft marketer 

16. The logo should be unforgettable

When your business starts to grow, branding becomes one of the most important conditions for this development. You create a company history from the very beginning, when no one knew about you and beyond, to the first customers who still remember the beginning of your journey.

Of course, a good logo depends on a lot of important things, but most importantly, it has to be unforgettable. It's a unique, memorable logo that sets your company apart from the crowd and supports your business.

- Andres Tovar, Commercial Director, Noetic Marketer