A well designed logo is the cornerstone of all branding. It is the tangible identity of a company that distinguishes it from its competitors and makes a memorable impression in the market. It also has to work hard for the company, under a variety of circumstances and so there are certain guidelines, that if followed, take most of the guesswork out of designing an effective logo. Here are 11 strategies for effective logo design.

1. Legiblity

A great logo must be legible. That is, clear and easy to read, and also understandable by the target audience.

2. Unique

It should be memorable and distinctive. Not easily confused with other logos.

3. Balanced

Relative proportions between type and image should be balanced, especially when scaled down to small sizes. If one element is going to drop out before the other, it should be the image or graphic, NOT the text. The text should remain legible at all times.

4. Colour and tone

A great logo should work just as well in colour as it does in black and white. If the colour version has a gradient or tone in the colour, it should be simplified down to a flat colour for one version so that it can be embroidered or faxed for example. You should also think about what happens to your logo when it is placed on the reverse background colour. Don’t let someone else second guess your work when it comes time to place the logo onto other applications, design a version from the start. That way you have control over how it looks in any situation.

5. Flexibilty

Often a logo needs to fit in different sized containers. A sign on the front of a building for example is often long and thin, whereas a skyscraper web banner is tall and narrow. You may have to supply your client with several versions of your logo in different layouts, with and without secondary branding elements. You should also design secondary branding elements at the same time as the logo so that you have flexibility when applying the branding to different applications, such as business cards, websites etc.

6. Evocative

A great logo should reflect the personality of the company. Don’t try and show what the company does, it should reflect a feeling or mood instead. Just ask yourself “is my client corporate and professional, warm and fuzzy, playful, earthy?” etc, and then make sure your logo gives off the same vibe.

7. Simplicity is best

A great logo should not be complicated or cluttered. It’s easy to try too hard and put too much into a logo. Sometimes the most breathtakingly simple logos are the most elegant and memorable.

8. Great typography

A great logo should always have great typography. Consider the personality of the typeface, the font weight and balance, kerning and ligatures. You should customise any off-the-shelf font you have used, especially if it was a free download.

9. Effective regardless of size

A logo may be placed on the bottom of an advertisement smaller than a cm, or blown up on the side of a truck or billboard at very large sizes. Test and scale your logo to see if anything fills in, or changes proportion.

10. Stylized images

Most logos don’t contain any complicated images or photography. If you need to convey an image, it should be simplified and stylised so that it can fulfill all of the requirements listed above.

11. Squint test

As strange as it may sound, you should always squint at your logo and see if passes the squint test. Squinting at it will show you very quickly whether the contrast levels are high enough, if the type is legible and if the colours are working for you. Just because you can read your logo in front of you on your desk, it doesn’t mean it will be read at the speed necessary on car signage or a workers uniform, for example.

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