7 Secrets to a Perfect Logo
LogoDesign.com Staff
There are a lot of articles on logo design best practices, but we’ve never come across something that concisely states the secrets to creating mind blowing logos. So we decided to develop one ourselves, and here it is!
1. Design your logo using Microsoft Paint.
Microsoft has a plethora of design tools to design stunning logos. Microsoft Word is a great start. They have some amazing arrows, shapes and fantastic wingdings…not to mention their detailed clipart. But you’d be even better off with Microsoft Paint, as it provides you with a more technical set of tools.
2. Use Papyrus or Comic Sans font.
If there’s a more sassy and eye catching font than these two gems, we haven’t seen them. Papyrus looks like it was written on an old scroll, so it will make your business look like it’s been around a while, and plus, it’s really classy. Using it also makes you look like you’ve hired your very own calligrapher, and that’s big league!
Comic Sans shows your fun, creative side with its informal bounce and unique slant to the right. It’s like a cute little poodle that people can’t help but fall in love with.
The best part with these fonts is they’re rarely used.
3. Use as much detail as possible.
Show every detail you can about your business in your logo design. A good vet clinic logo will include images of all the animals the clinic has treated, not just dogs and cats.
Be specific and detailed. For example, if you are a library, you want to add as many elements as possible to attract the greatest number of patrons. Why just do a book, when you can do a book, a picture of your building, a librarian, a person reading by the glow of his living room fireplace, and an owl? Do this and the library card applications will come flooding in!
Got a fax number or license number? Demand that your designer squeeze it in to your logo. People want to know this.
4. What type of business are you?
LLC? Incorporated? Sole Proprietor? Always, always include this information in your logo, otherwise people will be thinking, “Is this guy a limited liability company or what?”
A designer might tell you differently, but remember, your designer doesn’t always know what’s best about marketing and design. Only YOU know what’s best for your company, and YOU are the one that got that company incorporated! So let people know!
5. Vote by committee.
Your logo is too important to put in the hands of one or two people. Include as many people as you can in the decision making process. If possible, make it a company-wide affair, and don’t stop designing it until everyone is satisfied. Have you asked your 2nd cousin twice removed what she thinks? Why shouldn’t she be involved in this important decision? She probably took a design class in high school.
6. Out of ideas? Add a swoosh!
Swooshes are the meat and potatoes of logo design. The swoosh represents speed, customer satisfaction, interaction and forward-thinking. Can you imagine Nike without their swoosh? Look what it did for them? Why shouldn’t you tap into that creativity?
If you don’t know what to do with the swoosh, take your competitors logo and add a swoosh. It shows you’re like your competitor, but better because you’re in motion.
7. The more colors, the better.
Why limit yourself to just one or two colors? You never know what your customer’s favorite color is, so play it safe and if possible, include the whole color spectrum. Leaving out that lime green stripe might cost you a sale.
Use these secrets and your logo will be looking fantastic!
