Creating Effective Logos

Mrs. Seale

Webpage Design

5 Principles of Effective Logo Design

A good logo is distinctive, appropriate, practical, graphic, simple in form and conveys an intended message.

1. Simple

• Simple logos are often easily recognized, incredibly memorable and the most effective• Remember, the basis of the hugely

effective international branding for the world’s largest shoe manufacturer is a very simple graphic swoosh.

2. Memorable

• Surprising to many, the subject matter of a logo is of relatively little importance

• A relationship between a symbol and what it symbolizes is often difficult to achieve

• The only mandate in the design of logos is that they be distinctive, memorable, and clear.

3. Timeless

• Will the logo still be effective in 10, 20, 50 years?

• Leave trends to the fashion industry • Don’t follow the pack. Stand out.

4. Versatile

• A logo should be able to work across a variety of mediums and applications• A logo should be designed in vector format, to

ensure that it can be scaled to any size• Can the logo be printed in black and white? Color?• Can the logo be effective small (postage stamp) or

large (billboard)?

5. Appropriate

• The logo should be appropriate for its intended purpose.• Ex: If you are designing a logo for children’s

toys store, one could use a childish font & color scheme.

• A logo doesn’t need to show what a business sells

• A logo does not need to be self-explanatory

Learn from other’s mistakes

Learn from the BestTop logos in the World

• The name does not describe the product sold (94%)

• The by-line tag is not included in the logo (90%)

• The font style is clean and clear (84%)• The logo design uses one color only (74%)

(white & black don’t count)• The logo design uses letters only without the

symbol (74%)• The logo design is a made-up name or

ACRONYM (72%)• The logo design is rectangular in shape (66%)• The logo design is one word only (62%)• The background is filled and solid. (52%)

THS Logos