logo design guidelines

Logo Design

Guidelines

Some popular logos

Other logos

What are some of the features that they have in common?

Be sure that your logo

... has a distinctive and bold design

... is easy to see at a glance

... is not saturated with imagery and fonts to clutter its look. (2-D drawing usually better)

... contains appropriate imagery

... uses easy-to-read font

... communicates your business clearly

... looks good in b/w, as well as in color

... looks good and clear in any size, down to 1"

... conveys one message

Likewise, the book says…• Logos should be representational

… suggest a concept

• Logos need to be scalable…billboard or head of golf tee

• May need more than one version…e.g. output black/white or color

An example of logo evolution

…So we broke down the four main parts of the mark — color, shape, typeface and the Siren. After hundreds of explorations, we found the answer in simplicity. Removing the words from the mark, bringing in the green, and taking the Siren out of her ring. For forty years she’s represented coffee, and now she is the star.

…We improved composition, brought in more sophisticated stroke width and spacing and a smoother line flow. (source: Starbucks.com)

NEW!& IMPROVED?

One more thing I thought of:

Slogan should not be inextricably built in.

More Guidelines & Examples

• This is an excellent gallery of logos. http://www.logodesignsource.com/thumbs.html

• The 7 tips make an excellent checklist. http://hubpages.com/hub/Seven_Tips_for_Creating_Your_Logo

• http://www.grantasticdesigns.com/logos1.html

• http://moorec.people.cofc.edu/logo_basic_shapes.pdf (These are examples I played around with, -- thus demonstrating the power of InDesign. All parts of the logo came from InDesign; only one clipart used in one of them! )