The 6 biggest mistakes logo designers make
Designing a logo is a challenging task to do. It is the logo that tells the story about your brand and its vestige. You can think of your logo as the soul or DNA of your brand. People know you and your brand by this visual ambassador known as the logo. Mistakes can happen anywhere in the fabricating process so you need to know some basic things which can save you from making big blunders in the design. Designviva has listed 6 major missteps that a logo designer can commit while establishing a logo.
Creating complex designs
Complex logos can be difficult to understand for the audience. Putting too much in the logo design can make it fall flat. Highly complex designs are not scalable when printed or viewed in different situations. A complex logo design when scaled to a smaller size looks smudge out. A highly detailed logo takes a longer time to process in the minds of people and thus lose its impact and impression. Logo with too many colors, wrong typefaces, bad fonts, too many elements or icons tends to become complex.
If you see all the popular logos in the world most of them are simple and they get more refined and cultivated with time, so simplicity is the key. “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication”! Simple logos are easy to understand and it maintains its memorability. They are highly scalable, impactful, and versatile. Simplicity does not mean minimal as you can put together various elements without any clatters of fonts and colors. The idea is to extract the main ideas and components and to frame them strategically.
Following too much trend, gimmicks, and fads
No need to rely on current trends whenever you design a logo. The logo should speak about the brand it represents and should be a timeless piece as it carries your brand’s legacy. Recent trends come and go and turn out to become cliches. To embrace the uniqueness in the logo, ignore the latest gimmicks and tricks. If you want to stand out among your competitors, then you need to come up with something dynamic.
Unseemly use of typefaces
Play right with the fonts otherwise it can make the whole logo look bad. Do not use an inappropriate font which is opposite to the brand’s persona. For example, designing a logo for a law agency using comic sans font is unlikely to please as it appears friendly. While sketching your design analyze which font can suit well. Using too many typefaces in a single logo is also a bad decision. Choose that font that reflects the icon’s traits and accords with the message of the brand.
Inapt use of raster images
Raster images or graphics are not ideal. Logos should be scalable with any host platforms. There should be no pixilation issues and the image should be of good quality. Create vector graphics rather than using bitmaps as vector images have high quality as well as they are versatile. From pen to billboards the image should not produce a blurred effect. However, vector graphics may not support detailed hues and some styling events. HTML5 can be used for online logos using scalable vector graphics which can embed the logo directly in the source code. Use an illustrator or adobe to create vector graphics.
Inferior choice of color
Relying on color for creating effects can make the design look bad. Understand the psychology of colors to create an impressive logo. Pick those hues which resonate with the core values and message of the brand. Designviva advises you to first check the design with black, white, and grayscale and analyze if it needs colors. So, make appropriate use of color palettes and gradients. Color can uplift the mood and emotions of the audience. The vibes which your selected tones express should be energetic, enthusiastic, positive, lively, happy, and joyful as per the field you are designing for. Listed below some shades and their representation
- Black: Authority, Power, Mystery, Boldness, Elegance, and Sophistication
- Red: Passion, Love, Anger, Hunger, Health, Excitement and Life
- Yellow: Happiness, Warmth, Innovation, and Caution
- Blue: Professionalism, Trust, Authority, Power, and Loyalty
- Green: Harmony, Natural, Healthy, Renewal and Plentiful
- Orange: Vibrant, Playful, Happy, Artistic and Energetic
- Purple: Royalty, Luxury, Celebration, Education, and Elegance
- White: Pure, Peaceful, Spiritual, Clean and Goodwill
- Pink: Feminism, Innocence, Youth, and Beauty
- Brown: Reliable, Solid, Masculine and Earthly Aura
Plagiarism
Do not copy others as it can negatively affect your brand. Your design should not be common and needs to be unique. A logo should symbolize your brand in the best possible light. Furthermore, plagiarism can lead to legal implications. So, study the market well and embrace the distinctiveness in your design.
Hence, avoid these lapses to create a successful logo.