In this article I would like to point out some of the key aspects of good logo design.

A logo is a business or organisations fingerprint. It is the unique key element to their identity and branding. The instant a customer views the logo they should associate it to the business.

The moment you view McDonald's or Coca-Cola's logos, even if you only see part of it, or in a different colour, what comes to mind? The first thing that comes to mind is the name of the business. This shows how strong an impression that logo has left in your subconcious mind. Isn't that what we all want from our clients logos?

You should design a logo so that it builds a strong, positive and long lasting impression on existing and future customers.

An important factor to consider are that simple equals professional.

Have a look at these two logos:



The first is from a company obviously called Brooktrout, the second is a bit more difficult to decypher, it is for a company called DEG.

If we use our good logo design criteria from above and dissect these two logos you can begin to understand logo designing better.

Q. Are the logos good examples of the business?

A. The brooktrout one is but the DEG one is not.

Q. Can you associate anything to the logo?

A. Yes with the brooktrout one it is obviously something to do with fish/fishing. No with the DEG one.

Q. Could the logo be a unique key element to all aspects of branding?

A. Yes the brooktrout one is very much so, it is designed in 2 colours which is ideal for printed materials, it also looks good as a black and white letterhead. No the DEG one could not be a key element of branding, it is designed in metallic shades with shadows and an engraved hard to read text, it will not lend itself to print and would look terrible in black and white.

Q. Is the logo simple?

A. Yes to the brooktrout one. No to the DEG one.

Q. Is the logo professional looking?

A. Yes to the brooktrout one, it would look great now and in 50 years time. No to the DEG one, it looks like a high tech logo designed for only one medium (the internet) and will only last as long as the chrome look fad lasts.

Q. Will the logo stand the test of time?

A. Yes to the brooktrout one, no to the DEG one.

You can see from the above that good logos are clean, simple, symbolic of the business and will stand the test of time.