What is a logo and what makes a good one? Let’s talk about it.

Before we go deeper into the topic, we should briefly clarify the main purpose of a logo. Using simple symbolism, a good logo acts as the key visual of a brand. It should be memorable and visually pleasing while transporting important information about a company. Furthermore, it should clearly distinguish a brand from the crowd of competitors.

Little marks and logo designs by vacaliebres aka Alberto Vacca Lepri.
Little marks and logo designs by vacaliebres aka Alberto Vacca Lepri.

So what is actually a logo?

Consisting of simple graphics or text, a logo is a symbol that clearly identifies a brand. A good logo shows what a company does and which brand values it represents. The creative task of designing a logo is all about creating the perfect trademark for a company, while the style also depends on current logo design trends. It mostly consists of a graphic symbol or company lettering (logotype)—often combined with a slogan.

The diverse requirements for good logos.

As already mentioned in our brief introduction, a good logo should distinguish a brand from its competitors. Using only simple graphics or text elements, it acts as the key visual of a company. The visual language should be memorable and visually pleasing. Before starting to create a logo for a client, graphic designers usually study the logos of competitors from the same niche of business. This is the best way to familiarize yourself with the respective topic and to develop visual imagery that on the one hand clarifies the business, but also differentiates the company from its competitors. A good logo design should pay attention to all these aspects with as little visual effects as possible.

Unfortunately, nowadays we can see more and more logos that are literally stuffed with unnecessary visual effects. As a result, such logos not only look overloaded, they are often not suitable for use on all kinds of media. If you are working on a logo design, please keep in mind that the graphic should look good in any size—ranging from super small like favicons to big scales as seen on posters or billboard ads. Furthermore, it should be suitable for any common printing technique. The right color scheme helps to make your logo even more recognizable but don’t forget that a good logo should also look great by using only one color or if it’s printed in only simple black and white.

A unique logo increases brand awareness.

When thinking of brands such as Apple, McDonald’s, Nike, or Mercedes Benz, we immediately have their logos in mind. Of course, it was a long process for each of these brands over many years or decades to build up this brand awareness, but if we take a closer look at their logos, we can find a common ground: all of them are based on a very simple and memorable design or typography. This way, logos can create a strong visual association with a company. This association helps customers remember a brand.

What are the main elements of a logo?

Usually, logos are composed of lines, geometric shapes, or typography. Depending on the respective client or brand, logo designers have the full creative freedom to combine all of these elements in the best possible manner or to use them individually. Logos with typography can range from a single monogram-style letter to an abbreviation or even the full name of the brand.

How to choose the right color?

Choose wisely, we have to say. Colors can trigger certain emotions and it’s quite important to work with a color palette that fits with the brand as well as the respective field of business. Logos can be monochrome or multi-colored. No matter which color or color combination you choose, you should never forget that the logo should always work well even without the color—just think of simple black and white prints.

So what makes a good logo design?

That cannot be answered in one word—it is probably a combination of all of these principles. A good logo is unique, easily recognizable, and simple but brilliant in its shape and color. On WE AND THE COLOR, you can find a lot of inspiring logo designs.

We hope this little guide will help you to focus an all the aspects that really matter to design a good logo for yourself or your client. Do not hesitate to browse through our popular Graphic Design and Branding categories to find a wide range of outstanding work created by talented freelance graphic designers and leading branding studios from all over the world. In addition, you can find a handpicked collection of graphic design assets in our Templates category. This section is filled with plenty of premium products that help you to speed up your workflow while creating awesome designs in no time!

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