Creating businesses is in a boom in this generation, whether start-up technology companies, food businesses, content creators, name it. Whatever industry you want to focus your endeavors in, one thing that’s constant is the need for businesses to invest in their communications and marketing.
And what usually do businesses use in communications? A logo.
Yes, your business’ logo matters more than you think.
What is the purpose of a brand logo?
Just think of the brands that are quite popular today. The social media platforms you use, the drinks you purchase, the clothes you wear, and the technology you utilize everyday — they have all invested in their brand logos.
But, why exactly? What’s in a logo design?
In the business of communications, image is king. There is a lot of power for even a singular piece of graphic design to hold, the goal being to create something to carry a responsibility of individuality and communication.
Customers make a judgment within the first 7 seconds of meeting your brand (be it virtually or otherwise) and a stellar logo definitely plays a huge role in that initial impression. Let us further illustrate this point with some numerical data from recent research:
- 80% of well-designed logos have the potential to be iconic and stand the test of time, think Nike, McDonald’s, and Apple iconic — that’s the goal.
- Since a great logo design shows that a brand invests in itself, and by extension, the service it provides, amazing logos increase consumer confidence by 75%.
- That is why, over the past 5 years, 78% of brands have undertaken redesign efforts for their existing logo.
Simply put, creating a good logo design is a long-term investment that will benefit your brand today and long into the future.
Are you hoping to create a logo that would stand out
A designer’s job is really simple. Doing something outrageous or something minimalist will make you stand out for sure. But there’s much more to consider before you get a designer working on your brand’s logo.
For a logo to function effectively, it has to make a strong and right statement. To achieve that, a clear understanding of your brand’s value, goals, mission, and vision is a must. Once you have a good grasp and establish your brand’s attributes, use them as communication goals for your logo, equally reflecting your target audience.
Once you’ve taken the time to understand what you need your logo to say, it’s time to start designing. You can evaluate your designs with key design principles in mind.
Here are 10 business logo design tips that will help your brand make the most impact:
1. Start by establishing your brand identity.
That’s right. The first step is not the sketch or the logo concept. It’s knowing your brand. Before you even come up with a logo idea, it’s important to establish what this logo is supposed to represent. It’s the virtual ID of your brand, and it’s important to make sure that it truly captures who you are.
For example, a law firm might opt for clean, traditional design aspects to convey trust; while a tech startup has the option to go for a sleek, minimalist professional logo design that highlights innovation. This first tip is non-negotiable as it helps ensure that your logo is aligned with your audience’s expectations of your brand.
2. Keep the design simple.
The best logos give the viewer an immediate and clear sense of “you.” In general, less is more and simplicity is simply just the best. This is why the bitten Apple is tagged as the most memorable logo. The same principle applies to Nike’s simple swoosh. Both are easy to recognize, easy to reproduce, and rather timeless.
So, when designing your logo, less is more. Simple effects, patterns, and typography will do the job. A clear, uncomplicated design will work across all media platforms (be it your website, social media, or physical marketing collateral) and stand the test of time.
2. Make your logo memorable.
A logo should be easily remembered after just a glance. That’s typically all your logo is going to get from most people. A logo that’s complex or is overly stylized will be difficult for the viewer to understand and can be easily dismissed.
The mark of a successful logo is one that is immediately associated with your brand and vice versa. That’s why it has to be unique and reflective of the true essence of your business.
3. Make sure your design is fresh
Don’t settle for a similar logo as with your competitors. You can search for logos in the same industry and look for patterns, but avoid mimicking them. For example, you can follow business color psychology basics and use the same colors that businesses in your industry are using, to wit:
- Blue to establish trust and dependability for banks and tech companies
- Red to invoke excitement and urgency in food and retail
- Green to suggest growth and stability from health and eco-friendly brands
But that is where the similarities should end. You want a brand logo that is uniquely yours, because fresh designs make sense and communicate what companies want them to. But if you do the same, you lose all the hope of getting noticed.
4. Make it a logo that is modern, yet timeless
Just to be clear, modern is different from trendy.
A trend is something that’s hot today, but may not be sooner or later. Modern is less stylized and more restrained. It captures relevant characteristics of the times without losing itself. It should be modern in that it should be contemporary but not so complicated with trendy components. Over time, tweaking your logo to a more modern approach would be easier.
By integrating both modern logo trends and tried-and-tested design principles, it becomes easier to ensure that your iconic logo will connect with your audience today (and when your business continues to grow in the future).
5. Make it proportional and well-balanced
The best logos are designed using principles of proportion and symmetry. Be sure your logo utilizes proportion values as well as symmetry to create a pleasing, balanced aesthetic quality.
One of the best ways to take the proportionality angle up a notch is to use negative spaces cleverly. The unused areas around or within the logo can add depth, meaning, and memorability. A classic example of this is the hidden arrow between the “E” and the “x” in the FedEx logo, which is meant to symbolize speed and precision.
6. Make sure all the design elements work together
Your logos graphic and typeface should work together and enhance one another. Even if you determine times these two elements can be used separately, they should still remain complementary.
Choose a color palette and typography elements that complement each other, making the logo an entire piece that makes an impact as a whole. Additional tip: to make sure that design works, limiting the palette to 3 colors and using legible, classy fonts are the best ways to go.
7. Ensure scalability.
Your logo should look just as good on a business card as it would on a billboard. Neither should look too pixelated nor too cluttered. Most brands use vector-based designs so the logos can be scaled without losing their original quality.
How would you know that the design is scalable? Try shrinking the design to the size of a social media profile picture, then adjusting it to the size of a large poster, and so on… If in any of these steps, the loge loses clarity or detail, then it needs refinement.
8. Make the design versatile.
While we’re at it, let’s also discuss design versatility.
Your logo will be used in a number of ways and in multiple contexts: on your web design, t-shirts, caps, pens, keychains, banners, black or white backgrounds. Your logo has to maintain its integrity and serve its purpose no matter what the use.
Whether you’re launching a new company or a need for a symbolic logo to represent your brand, a strong logo design is essential. A logo can never represent everything a company is, but a good one will say something distinct that your target will naturally respond to .
9. Get feedback and revise accordingly.
Even if you already love the design of your logo, it’s still the audience’s perception that matters the most at the end of the day. So, before publicizing the logo, share the concept with your stakeholders, team members, or even to customers.
Gather constructive feedback, but don’t take the criticism personally. Iteration is part of any design logo process. In fact, the most famous logos have also undergone multiple tweaks over the years.
10. When in doubt, work with an (outsourced) graphic designer.
Designing your business’ logo can be overwhelming, especially since the stakes are high. Many US companies turn to outsourced graphic design teams in the Philippines for quality, cost efficiency, and access to diverse creative talent.
Why outsource a graphic designer for your logo design?
A good logo maker or designer will be able to understand all of these elements and create a logo that would work in all situations. They will also take into consideration any other branding elements that are part of your brand and create a logo that complements them. With the right talent and people, an effective logo can certainly be accomplished.
You can follow these 9 logo design tips to make sure that your logo design stands out or you can opt to pick only the 10th and work with someone who can help you realize your logo vision. When you hire an offshore designer, you also get the following benefits as you start the design process:
- On-demand expertise
Work with seasoned designers from top graphic design firms in the Philippines who have created logo designs for various businesses across all industries and benefit from their experience and expertise.
- Cost savings
It has long been established that the cost of outsourcing is way less than that of hiring in-house teams, and the same applies to building offshore design teams who can work on your brand’s logo (and more!)
- Scalability
When working with an outsourcing solution provider, you can easily expand or contract your design team, depending on your business needs.
- Fresh perspective
Offshore teams can bring unique creative ideas influenced by global design trends. This way, you can ensure that your logo is both modern and at par with global standards.
Philippine outsourcing companies and creative agencies like KDCI Outsourcing specialize in empowering your business with dedicated offshore design teams that understand both the creative and strategic aspects of branding. By partnering with the right team, you can ensure that your logo (and all other designed collateral moving forward) are aligned with your long-term brand goals.
Considering a logo design? Let KDCI Outsourcing help you.
A business logo is the visual representation of your brand’s identity — and to have the right logo, it’s important to work with the right people.
At KDCI, we specialize in finding graphic design teams who have the skills and experience you need, as well as the attitude and cultural fit that will allow them to easily integrate with your in-house team.
Whether you're looking to hire one logo designer, a full-time graphic designer, or looking to build an offshore dedicated design team, KDCI has the right tailored outsourcing solution and engagement model for you.
Contact us to learn more about how you can hire offshore graphic design talent or build an offshore design team with us!
