Design logo

A good logo design in theory should be able to

• create a positive, powerful first impression.
• create a long lasting one as well. Examples? Just think of IBM's and McDonalds' logo.


In IBM's logo, the horizontal lines are a secondary feature to the main shape. The logo is still recognisable without them.
The McDonald's logo has less tonal contrast, but the perceived contrast between strong, flat colours makes the shapes clear. Note the clear space around the text.


• convey to viewers, your company's ethos, mission and products/services to them.
• builds your brand and gives a polished, more professional look to your business.
• reflect the nature of your business and what kind of services you offer. If it's a bank, then classic and bold typeface works well to suggest solid and protected look. If business is based on speedy service, you might consider italics or dashes to suggest movement.
• be simple and works well in black and white. Examples of excellent logos; Nike's swoosh, Sony, Dell, and BMW. Can you recognize them in black and white? From adistance? or even just a part of it? The simpler your logo, the easier it is on the eyes and the faster it will register in your future customers' minds. Exceptions apply to Governments Organizations, 5 star hotels or exclusive clubs. This is because a good logo for them would more often be classical in nature to give an image of stability and exclusivity.
  

Colors are not as important in a good logo design as you might think. If logo does not look good in black and white, it won't look good in any color. However ,choose only colors that represent company well. (colour name)

• Yellow or sky blue - youthful and energetic look.
• Navy or lavender - a calm, professional feel.
• Red, orange -strong and intense
• Green and magenta - respect.

In the end, think ahead and avoid being too 'modern'. A trendy look might work now, but 5 years later it might look dated. A good logo design should last a minimum of 15 years, as it might be costly to 'update' your logo a few years later.

Strong weight, colour and shape make Dell's logo recognisable.

No matter how you treat the Apple logo, its strong outline shape is unmistakable.
Lotus's unique shape works very well, set in a circle of contrasting colour. The other meaningful shapes (word and letter-form) fit nicely inside the shape, with just enough clear space to keep the elements sharp.

The Nike logo ('Nike' text and symbol, or 'Nike' or symbol alone) are such recognisable shapes, that they can be displayed in almost any colour combinations

Timelessness: Logos are the longest living corporate identity that an organization enjoys, sometimes more than the employees in the company. Successful logos stand the test of time - the shelf life of an average logo is considered to be around 20 years. An evolutionary change may be needed in bringing a logo more in tune with changing business conditions but a sudden and drastic change can more often than not affect the company adversely when consumers are not able to adapt to the change thus bringing the company to square one. Coca-Cola is a classic case in this aspect. Designed in the late 19th century (1886) by the company's book keeper, the logo still looks fresh and attractive and denotes a distinctive feel to the company image.

Able to evoke emotions: Successful logos are able to evoke desired images in the mind of the prospect. Whether it is the font type that expresses this or the accompanying graphic and colors, the message that gets across to the audience. For example, the Michelin man - the logo (cum mascot) of the French tire company Michelin develops an amiable feeling towards the company with the use of a human character.

Simplicity:Times are changing ... and so are the logos. Logos in earlier times used to be very elaborate and 'detailed'. Nowadays they more simpler, minimalistic yet elegant and attractive; somewhat a sign of people not having the time to look at detailed logos.Needless to say there are certain logos that maintain their earlier look but quite a few companies changed their logo to reflect changing times and even changing cultures. The AT&T logo for example experienced such changes making it more sleeker and less cluttered along the way.
Play the Evolution of the AT&T Corporate Signature


At the turn of the century, 3M was more concerned about its survival than it was about a logo. The young abrasives company was comfortable in its descriptor..."Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Company.". The first logo was churned out in 1906 with the current logo designed as recently in 1978.

Adidas:Named after the founder Adolf (Adi) Dasler, the Adidas logo has a triangle cut into three pieces. The three pieces reportedly represent his three sons!

Linux: The competition to Windows and Mac OS, Linux also has a penguin as its logo (and mascot). Named 'Tux', the penguin was chosen from a list of sharks, foxes, eagles and hawks as the Linus Torvalds, the founder of Linux, had a liking for the bird and thought it to be unusual and different for a logo. While the other creatures were fierce and strong, Linus insisted on the penguin being “fat, cute and cuddly - instead of anything else. Incidentally the name 'Tux' was brought up from Torvalds UniX -TUX.

More info:
GoodLogo
WebdesignFrom Scratch