Six Secrets of a Perfect Logo Design

Have you ever wondered about the importance of a Logo in creating a brand identity? If not, this is the right time to explore the hidden truth behind something as basic as a logo and how it resonates with your consumers.

The right logo says everything without saying a word and evokes a sense of connection between a consumer and the brand.

However, a perfect logo doesn’t come out of the blue. It is a set of characteristics that helps a brand develop an outstanding logo design depicting the brand story at a glance.

Today, this post will teach you six secrets of a perfect brand identity.

What Makes a Successful Brand Logo?

The design industry has tons of successful logos, among which some are outdated while others endure a timeless quality.

Do you know the secret behind these fantastic designs? It is the combination of the following characteristics which can also make your brand speak volumes.

Simplicity

“Make it simple but significant.”

When we talk about a perfect logo, the very first secret is to keep it as simple as possible. It takes into account the use of simple shapes, colors, and fonts to make it easier for your viewers to resonate with the brand story.

As Leonardo Da Vinci stated, “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” The mantra applies to the logo industry as well, as complex designs do nothing except for creating confusion for the viewers.

Serving its sole purpose, which is the brand identity, a perfect logo should help consumers quickly remember it at a glance.  

To make it even easier to understand, a logo should always use one or two colors along with basic shapes to make the most out of it.

However, on the other hand, these colors and shapes should resonate with what the brand stands for and the type of work the brand does.

For instance, have you ever wondered which are the most famous logos around the world? They are the simplest in terms of shapes and colors.

Take the Royal Dutch Shell logo, for example. The logo represents a red and yellow colored shell, which is the name of the brand, whereas the colors came from the Spanish flag as the brand has roots in California, where its first stations were set up. The area was largely settled by a group of settlers born in Spain.

Another example is “Subway.” The logo has two arrows, one on the first letter, ‘S,’ and another on the last letter, ‘Y.’ These arrows depict a “food on the go” feature; the yellow is one of the chief food colors stimulating the tastebuds, and green goes in for veggies added to the sub.

Differentiation

“One size never fits all.”

The second secret to creating a perfect logo is to differentiate it from other competitors in the market.

Making your brand stand out in the Saturated market has never been a piece of cake, but a logo is the only element that can make your brand vibrant among others.

Simply put, your logo should be backed up with sufficient research to be significantly distinct in the competitive landscape. This considers differentiating in terms of packaging, school of colors, and fonts.

A brand trying to capitalize on the success of a well-established brand will never break the ice. Instead, it will create a negative impact on the brand’s reputation.

For instance, a brand selling sodas competing against Coca-Cola featuring a red logo or red packaging will create a negative impact with “it’s not cola.”

You can even use this concept for your own products to differentiate the varieties and avoid confusion. For example, Nescafe creates recognition for its different range of products by differentiating the packaging as well as the color scheme.

Memorability

“The first lesson of branding is memorability. It’s very difficult buying something you can’t remember.”

Memorability is yet another secret to making your logo stand out. When creating a logo, you’re creating the brand identity, and remember, it comes with what the brand does.

This, again, takes into account the usage of simpler shapes and appropriate colors with a hint of what the brand is all about. As the research suggests, the color scheme is the first thing a viewer notices in a logo, and that’s where memorability comes from.

On the other hand, adding a pinch of uniqueness is also a great way to create memorability. Here, you have to resonate with your viewers for them to remember you as long as they are alive.

For example, if you’re creating a hospital logo, red and green are the best colors to play with. Red represents life and health, whereas green expresses a new beginning.

As far as food brands are concerned, warm colors—red, yellow, and orange are the best to play with. Take the world’s most famous food chains, McDonald’s, KFC, Burger King, Hardees, and Pizza hut. All of them use the same school of colors.

Flexibility

“Flexibility is the key to stability.”

When we talk about a perfect logo, it should be flexible to work on a wide range of areas. Flexibility means versatility ensuring that the logo works on different backgrounds and sizes.

The primary way to achieve this is to have a variety of configurations which are called ‘lockups.

Another key point is to keep the background color in consideration. A logo working on a lighter background should have another variant working for darker backgrounds.

However, for logos to work on versatile backgrounds, a rule of thumb is to use black and white colors as the logo’s base. Whereas still, in the case of white logos, you might have to modify the design to an extent to be seamless on black background.

Legibility

“One of the principles of durable typography is always legibility.”

The fourth secret to a perfect logo design is legibility. This takes into account getting to know the brand’s name by simply looking at the logo.

The best approach is to write the full name in the simplest form, like Colgate and Samsung.

Another approach is to incorporate the brand name initials in the logo, which can help a viewer know the name instantly.

However, replacing alphabets with shapes is never a good approach to making your brand stand out.

Execution

Last but not least, execution is another important factor to look up to. You might have an outstanding idea, but a poorly executed idea loses all the potential to stand out in the market.

In simpler words, a perfect logo entails a history of well-defined color theory, definite shapes, and typography design. Perfect execution makes all the difference.

McDonald’s redesigned its logo over a period of time, and it only became simple with time. One can see how perfect the execution works for the iconic fast good brand.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, a logo is the silent ambassador of the brand. However, the only difference is this ambassador doesn’t sell directly; it helps consumers identify the brand and ensures brand loyalty. 

As the last note, anyone can make a logo, including your niece, colleague, and neighbor down the lane, but a real logo design agency knows the secrets to making it pitch perfect.