Business logos are your company's identity. It is your brand and identities your company by sight even without words. There are hundreds of logos that the public would recognize even if the words on them were removed. They are such a part of our lives that they have become icons not logos. Although your logo may not become a national brand it should be easily recognizable within your marketplace.
Simplicity, Acronyms and Design Color
Use simplicity in your logo design. Good logos are simple and memorable. They do not use 10 colors and lots of high detail artwork. The simpler a logo, the easier it is to remember. Companies such as AT&T, General Motors, Ford, UPS, AIG, Chevron and Wells Fargo use simple logos utilizing initials and a maximum of two to three colors. These logos are one of a kind and simple for the mind to recreate. Logos with lots of colors and details are difficult for the mind to recreate.
Logos should incorporate your company's name and industry, if possible. Long company names should be displayed in initials while short names can be spelled out. You want your logo to be recognizable at a brief glance. If your logo is too complex or has a long name, it will be harder to remember. Be certain that your initials will not spell something negative that might quickly become the recognized name of your company. An example would be the law firm of Crenshaw, Reagan, Anthony and Pacho. This would not be a good acronym for the company. In this case, rearrange a couple of the names in the title to make it Crenshaw, Reagan, Pacho and Anthony (CRPA).
Incorporate only primary colors into your logo design. Strange or specialty colors are expensive to recreate and often difficult to remember. Vary from this key if you are using a second step color. Blue, red, green, brown, black are great logo design colors.
Design Creation
Choose a logo company to design a custom logo. Do not use a standard clip art portfolio or online logo creator tools. These logo companies use a standard set of clip art designs that you may be sharing with other companies. This is not original. You want your logo to be as original as possible. Look for a company that can also build a web design around your logo. A good logo does not have to cost a fortune and should be catchy.
Design a picture or character to represent your company within the logo. For example, an oil company could use a drop of oil or an oil rig, a timber company could use a Douglas fir tree and a landscape company could use a picture of an Ironwood tree. For industries that are more difficult to depict, the logos can incorporate symbols such as a phoenix or a general trait of the business. A running person or a speeding figure could depict fast service. In some way your logo should incorporate your business, your business name and possibly your industry. Keeping it simple and achieving all of these aspects will produce a good logo.
Design Professionalism
Your logo must look professional, fit on a business card, website, company stationery and express the general idea of your business. It acts as your trademark and brand, and will be the focal point of your advertising and marketing campaigns. The logo must be clean and not offend any group. The logo will need to be designed with an online format for your current or future website. Recreating this logo later for a website may be difficult. Have a web design made during your initial design layout.
