Hi there! Fathima here from Happiness is... with a guest post for you while Nadia's away. If you haven't come across my blog before and don't know about me, I'm a freelance graphic designer and illustrator and I blog about art, design, illustration, photography, music, cats and pretty much anything that makes me happy. Today I'm going to share some tips with you on what to look for when choosing a logo.
A logo is a huge part of your company and is often the first contact a potential client has with your brand. Because of this it's important to make sure that it's strong, well-designed and correctly represents you. Here are a few points to bear in mind:
Versatility
A logo may need to be used at any size, from being shrunk down to a postage stamp, to as large as a billboard or larger. Make sure that you get a high resolution version of your logo at the end of the process to allow for scalability, even if you're only using your logo at a low resolution online for now.
Keep it Simple
Keeping a logo simple and clear will really help to make it stand out strongly and become recognizable and memorable wherever it's used. If it has too much detail, this will all be lost and will look messy when it needs to be used at a small size.
Black & White
A logo needs to work in black and white as well as colour, because there will be times when it needs to be used in black and white only. If your logo relies on colour to make it work, this won't come across if someone has to print it in black and white.
Classic
Remember that your logo needs to last you a while, if not forever, so be weary of choosing a style or effect that is trendy at the time. You want to go for a look that won't look outdated in six months' time.
Be objective
Of course you want your logo to look fantastic and to represent you, but it also has to be appropriate. If you love pixel style fonts but need a logo for your new accounting firm, you need to choose a font that's best going to represent your company.
Do your research
Before going to a designer to get your logo created it's a good idea to think about what you want from your logo. Ask yourself questions, do some looking around, and make some notes of elements you may have come across in other logos that you liked. Also make note of all the places it will most often be used to ensure that it suits its purpose. This will firstly help to give the designer a starting point and will speed up the process, and secondly will ensure that your business doesn't outgrow your logo or get tired of it too soon.
sources: meat & bread, alex petrov, jenny wilson, fresh, R, foot, the gallimaufry, ee, thread, walker, tim, the wigwam cabins.
sources: meat & bread, alex petrov, jenny wilson, fresh, R, foot, the gallimaufry, ee, thread, walker, tim, the wigwam cabins.
If you're on the lookout for a new logo in the near future, I hope this helps make your process easier.
peas & happiness
* fathima *