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The keys to good logo design

Thread title: The keys to good logo design
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05-06-2005, 06:39 AM
#1
Julian is offline Julian
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  Old  The keys to good logo design

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.

05-06-2005, 07:42 AM
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derek lapp is offline derek lapp
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good discussion raisor, but a good logo is determined by what it's for, not how it's done.

this, i find, is also mislading.
first, logos aren't limited to companies alone. and also, flat is a better choice of words than simple. something can be flat & <2 colours, but still be something complex in construction => http://www.newyorklimousineservice.net/ the limo guy is a part of the typography in the oficial logo.

simple = professional i again find misleading, because simple isn't always the way to go, like Warcraft - simple in concept but a flat b/w logo doesn't do the game justice. it depends on the medium. in the case of blizzard the abilty for b/w print isn't a factor so it's not held as a condition of the logo.
logic/quality = professional. in the same case, th warcraft logo is very brandable, but it's also taken the visual element a stemp further and encapsulates the game it's representnting. if you saw a flat b/w flat logo of just WoW would you think world of warcraft? i might not, if i wasn't surrounded by the game from associates, but if i see something of the similar texture, regardless of what it's actually presenting, gold+rough says WoW to me.

because WoW is a game that's only going to be featuring high tech visuals, either in promotional banners or in screen caps, it's going to be large scale design and minimalism isn't going to be the best path for this medium. knowing when to throw away the traditional methods is what seperates the amatures to me.

good topic though.

05-06-2005, 12:50 PM
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smashingjay is offline smashingjay
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Though I agree with dereklapp's statement that the term 'simple' is misleading, you can have visually complex logos that are clear and understandable. Using the term 'flat' is worse, as many logos have the illusion of depth through the use of perspective, gradients, shadows, and tapers.

I would suggest that a logo should be developed with consideration of all output possibilities. It should not rely on shading and photographic blurs in its most basic form. It should be be developed completely with lines and outlines and when and if gradients are used they should decay well enough that the logo remains intact and clear.

On the subject of the WarCraft 'logo' - WarCraft is a product. Logos represent companies and brands not their products. Products generally have package design or presentational design. The WarCraft stylized name is part of packaging and presentation but doesn't represent a brand. Blizzard Entertainment has a logo. It is one dimensional and looks great in black and white although it is usually in a light blue/cyan(ish) colour.

Regarding Julian's suggestion that Brooktrout's logo will 'stand the test of time', it is alot less 1990's than the DEG logo but it is still using typeface and colours that may over time find itself outdated. Design is almost always susceptible to obsolescence and may need to be addressed. The colours or the typface may need to be changed to reflect more current appeal in the future. Just think about all those western styled typefaces that were used in the seventies or the cold sans serif typefaces that were used in the eighties.

What a great topic though. BTW, I am not a graphic designer.

Jay

05-07-2005, 06:17 AM
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Julian is offline Julian
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Thats some great thought provoking comments people, thank you!

05-08-2005, 01:14 AM
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DateinaDash is offline DateinaDash
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Nice article Julian, great points raised by all....and I agree, the warcraft thing isn't a logo as such. Thanks for sharing

05-17-2005, 11:03 AM
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InvertedStyles is offline InvertedStyles
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Yes, Julian has a good points there.
That would really help if you were to make a logo. It also depends too.

05-18-2005, 11:45 PM
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dmadray is offline dmadray
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really great discussion guys. smashingjay made alot of sense but I think I get julian's point of simple. It's like I say, "simple but effective"

05-23-2005, 01:13 PM
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Jabbie is offline Jabbie
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very intresting to read.. thanks guys..

05-23-2005, 06:36 PM
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A1future is offline A1future
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Very interesting. Personally I believe the simpler the better. The most important factor is that once you see a logo it should have an impact on you. It should have a retentivity factor, so that the next time you see it you knw that you have seen it earlier.

05-23-2005, 06:41 PM
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Jabbie is offline Jabbie
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Originally Posted by A1future
I believe the simpler the better
You stole my line :P holy words

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