Every company needs a logo in order to create their identity and attract attention to their business.
What makes a good logo?
“Your company’s logo is often the first branding element that people see. You need to make a good impression within the milliseconds it takes for people to form an opinion about your business.”
— Sam Douthat, Eldie’s Creative Director
7 Fundamental Design Elements of a Great Logo
Simplicity
When designing a logo, less is more. You want your logo to be simple so that it’s easy for your target audience to recognize and understand.
The simple design should also be considered “clean” and not filled with a ton of elements.
Here are examples of a complex versus simple logo:
Modern & Timeless
Designers have their work cut out for them: they must figure out how to create a logo that is modern AND timeless.
Design trends come and go, so a logo must be able to resonate with today’s audience while also standing the test of time.
Take Coca Cola for example. Their brand has been around since the 1800s. Their logo has changed over the years, BUT it has remained recognizable and has only had minor tweaks.
Memorable & Unique
Your company’s logo should stand out in someone’s memory. You want a design that is unique and showcases who you are so that it is memorable to your audience.
You can read more about how to create a memorable logo through our blog post “The Three Main Types of Logos.”
Which one of these logos is memorable and unique?
If you saw these two logos and tried to describe them later to a friend, which one would be easier to remember?
Multipurpose
Creating a multipurpose logo ties into the concept of simplicity. Think about the various places your logo will be displayed.
It could be huge on a billboard or tiny on a screen printed t-shirt. The elements in your logo need to come across whether they are seen from a distance or up close.
Can you imagine putting this complex logo on a pen?
Colors
Color is another important design element. Colors convey meaning, so you want to make sure you send the right message.
Blues convey trust and honesty, reds evoke excitement and warmth, and yellow represents happiness and youth.
Additionally, you want to make sure that your logo looks good in one color. Many situations will call for your logo to be one color on a black or white background. If your logo uses color to differentiate graphical elements, that meaning will get lost when the logo is in all black or all white.
Typography
The font choice used in your logo also matters. You want to make sure that the type choice matches the message you want to communicate.
Whether you use a sans-serif font, script fonts, or serif fonts, you want to make sure it communicates well.
What message is this font communicating?
Meaning
The last important design element is meaning. An effective logo communicates the message of your brand and what you offer.
How will your logo communicate your values and mission?
Here are two examples of logos with meaning:
Target’s logo is of a bullseye to represent finding your target in their store. FedEx has a hidden arrow in their logo to show forward motion.
As famous graphic designer Paul Rand said, “Everything is design. Everything!” The design process requires a lot of time, thought, and work but it’s worth it to create a visual identity for your business.
Get a Memorable Logo for Your Business
The design team at Eldie would love to create a logo for your business. We follow these seven characteristics in the logo design process to produce a great logo.
Schedule a free 15-minute discovery call to get the process started!