Logos: What Makes Them Work
by Jared McCarthy
March 1, 2005
Developing a great logo is a strange mix of art, science, psychology and (in most cases) a good amount of luck. Last week, in part one of this two-part series, we discussed some fundamentals of logo development and design.
Now, in part two, we'll look at:
- The pitfalls of literal translation
- How size matters
- How to choose the right logo
- Ways to protect your rights
1. Don't look for a literal translation
If you saw a logo with a hamburger in it, you'd think the place sells hamburgers.
When you see the Golden Arches, you think of McDonalds, not Burger King. When you see a logo with a drawing of a car, you think of a car dealership or service center. When you see the three-point star inside a circle (for hippies, the peace symbol) you think Mercedes, not Buick. A logo with a tennis shoe would lead you to think about shoe stores. The "Swoosh" takes you straight to Nike, not Converse.
Certainly, these logos are among the most effective ever produced. But none have any literal connection with what their companies sell.
This doesn't mean that an apple orchard should not use an apple in its logo. It just means that the orchard doesn't necessarily have to. Actually, logos that are literal translations of the business line may be less effective at building a unique brand identity.
Imagine if every hamburger joint had a hamburger in its logo. Placed side-by-side, they would be pretty difficult to distinguish from one another.
Logos, over time, come to represent the company. They don't have to be literal translations of what the business does.
2. Size matters
Strange as it seems, some logos fail because they were never checked for size.
Before saying yes to a logo design, insist that you see it mocked up in your corporate ID package. You want to be sure that the logo works well on business cards, letterhead and envelopes.
If your logo is going to be part of a product marking, be sure to see it there, too. A logo that looks great on a big presentation board might fail completely when reduced to an inch in size.
Before saying yes to a logo design, insist that you see it mocked up in your corporate ID package. You want to be sure that the logo works well on business cards, letterhead and envelopes.
If your logo is going to be part of a product marking, be sure to see it there, too. A logo that looks great on a big presentation board might fail completely when reduced to an inch in size.
3. How to choose your logo
Don't make choosing your logo too complicated. Have fun with it. There is a tendency for the evaluation process to get long, involved and much more cerebral that it should be.
Remember that your customers and the viewing public are not going to sit down in a boardroom and study your logo for weeks. Neither should you.
Put the proposals on the wall. Ask people to give you a quick impression. Then—and here's the important part—watch what their eyes do. Find out which one they look at first. Get their first impression and get it quickly.
Don't be tempted to tear the design apart looking for hidden meaning or to be an art critic. That kind of stuff is best left to the goofballs who hang out at galleries pretending to enjoy those little triangular sandwiches as they make totally irrational interpretations of what they see. (And, no matter how hard they try, they'll never convince me that they really like Woody Allen movies.) Prolonged discussions confuse the issue.
Try a preview. If it's possible, try out the new designs in a real-world setting. If your logo is going to be on a box of rice, mock-up the box and take it to the grocery store. Put it on the shelf for a test drive. Ask your designer to mock-up a billboard and superimpose it on the picture of a real billboard. (Most of the big outdoor advertising Web sites have photos of their billboards posted online. Grab a few and see how your new design looks in traffic.)
4. Be sure to protect your rights
Whether your logo is brand-spanking-new or has been around since dirt, you have to protect it. Significant time and resources are invested in your logo, trademarks and service marks. But unless you take active steps to protect them, you run a serious risk of losing them.
Logos, trademarks and service marks must be used properly and consistently in order to protect your exclusive rights to them. That's why style sheets and usage guides are so important. Most of the time, these guidelines will be created by the design firm as a part of the total package. If it's not included, the guidelines should be your first order of business before you begin using your new logo.
Style sheets are graphic representations of precisely how logos should appear. They include dimensions, proportions, clear-space requirements, and color references. The guidelines will include how a logo is to be printed and displayed in four-color process (CMYK), spot (PMS) color, Web (RGB) color, and black and white.
Logos should have staying power. Avoid trendy stuff that will go out like Nehru suits. Hire a competent design firm, and do your best to leave your personal preferences and biases aside.
Remember that it doesn't matter if your logo works for you. What matters is that it helps you sell stuff.
March 1, 2005
Developing a great logo is a strange mix of art, science, psychology and (in most cases) a good amount of luck. Last week, in part one of this two-part series, we discussed some fundamentals of logo development and design.
Now, in part two, we'll look at:
- The pitfalls of literal translation
- How size matters
- How to choose the right logo
- Ways to protect your rights
1. Don't look for a literal translation
If you saw a logo with a hamburger in it, you'd think the place sells hamburgers.
When you see the Golden Arches, you think of McDonalds, not Burger King. When you see a logo with a drawing of a car, you think of a car dealership or service center. When you see the three-point star inside a circle (for hippies, the peace symbol) you think Mercedes, not Buick. A logo with a tennis shoe would lead you to think about shoe stores. The "Swoosh" takes you straight to Nike, not Converse.
Certainly, these logos are among the most effective ever produced. But none have any literal connection with what their companies sell.
This doesn't mean that an apple orchard should not use an apple in its logo. It just means that the orchard doesn't necessarily have to. Actually, logos that are literal translations of the business line may be less effective at building a unique brand identity.
Imagine if every hamburger joint had a hamburger in its logo. Placed side-by-side, they would be pretty difficult to distinguish from one another.
Logos, over time, come to represent the company. They don't have to be literal translations of what the business does.
2. Size matters
Strange as it seems, some logos fail because they were never checked for size.
Before saying yes to a logo design, insist that you see it mocked up in your corporate ID package. You want to be sure that the logo works well on business cards, letterhead and envelopes.
If your logo is going to be part of a product marking, be sure to see it there, too. A logo that looks great on a big presentation board might fail completely when reduced to an inch in size.
Before saying yes to a logo design, insist that you see it mocked up in your corporate ID package. You want to be sure that the logo works well on business cards, letterhead and envelopes.
If your logo is going to be part of a product marking, be sure to see it there, too. A logo that looks great on a big presentation board might fail completely when reduced to an inch in size.
3. How to choose your logo
Don't make choosing your logo too complicated. Have fun with it. There is a tendency for the evaluation process to get long, involved and much more cerebral that it should be.
Remember that your customers and the viewing public are not going to sit down in a boardroom and study your logo for weeks. Neither should you.
Put the proposals on the wall. Ask people to give you a quick impression. Then—and here's the important part—watch what their eyes do. Find out which one they look at first. Get their first impression and get it quickly.
Don't be tempted to tear the design apart looking for hidden meaning or to be an art critic. That kind of stuff is best left to the goofballs who hang out at galleries pretending to enjoy those little triangular sandwiches as they make totally irrational interpretations of what they see. (And, no matter how hard they try, they'll never convince me that they really like Woody Allen movies.) Prolonged discussions confuse the issue.
Try a preview. If it's possible, try out the new designs in a real-world setting. If your logo is going to be on a box of rice, mock-up the box and take it to the grocery store. Put it on the shelf for a test drive. Ask your designer to mock-up a billboard and superimpose it on the picture of a real billboard. (Most of the big outdoor advertising Web sites have photos of their billboards posted online. Grab a few and see how your new design looks in traffic.)
4. Be sure to protect your rights
Whether your logo is brand-spanking-new or has been around since dirt, you have to protect it. Significant time and resources are invested in your logo, trademarks and service marks. But unless you take active steps to protect them, you run a serious risk of losing them.
Logos, trademarks and service marks must be used properly and consistently in order to protect your exclusive rights to them. That's why style sheets and usage guides are so important. Most of the time, these guidelines will be created by the design firm as a part of the total package. If it's not included, the guidelines should be your first order of business before you begin using your new logo.
Style sheets are graphic representations of precisely how logos should appear. They include dimensions, proportions, clear-space requirements, and color references. The guidelines will include how a logo is to be printed and displayed in four-color process (CMYK), spot (PMS) color, Web (RGB) color, and black and white.
Logos should have staying power. Avoid trendy stuff that will go out like Nehru suits. Hire a competent design firm, and do your best to leave your personal preferences and biases aside.
Remember that it doesn't matter if your logo works for you. What matters is that it helps you sell stuff.
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