How to Design a Logo

2 | How to Design a logo
The sleek simplicity of the Nike “Swoosh”, the old-fashioned curls of
the Coca-Cola red script, the emphatic symmetry of McDonald’s golden
arches, and that nice big bite taken out of the Apple apple. These are
examples of logos whose emblematic design features are ingrained in
our modern psyche. Whether the company they represent invented
their product or not, each of those logos are intrinsically linked to their
industry, defining how we visualize the appearance of sneakers, soda,
fast food and consumer electronics. These are logos that transcend the
bounds of their graphics; they’re icons of modern life.
These examples are reminders that the importance of a business’s logo
can’t be overstated. The simple graphical and visual details in a logo
are what customers and consumers will immediately be drawn to when
looking at a company’s website, their ads, business cards and any other
products and materials that a company produces. With the proliferation
of branding and ecommerce, logos have never been in greater demand.
At the same time, consumers today are savvy and quick to judge; logos
are therefore the most important component of business marketing
How to Design a Logo

because they are a consumer’s first -
and sometimes only - impression of a
business. While this has led to a boom in
logo design services, it also means that
the bar for logos has been set high.
Designing a logo for businesses and
brands might seem simple, but it
requires more than Photoshop and
InDesign skills. Logo designers have to
work well with customers and be able
to establish a clear and legible message
and identity through design, fulfilling
a business’s needs without being
redundant or commonplace.
So let’s get into the specifics. This is
what you need to know to design a logo.
How to Design a Logo

There are all sorts of logos. Just like
the companies that they represent,
logos run the gamut in terms of
their shape, style, color and tone.
The whacky psychedelic style of the
MTV logo is pretty different from
the straightedge flatness of The
Gap. Nevertheless there are some
basic features and trends that reflect
best practices for logo design. Of
course, sometimes a client will want
to intentionally go against the grain
and buck common sense trends as an
identity statement. For the majority
of the logos you’re designing though,
you’ll want to follow some basic
guidelines.
The first thing to remember: go with
simplicity. 93% of logo designs are
simple. There’s a reason for this; it’s
effective. Simplicity makes an impact
because it’s easy to view and because
any small variation in the design stands
out, which makes for more effective
and powerful messaging than overly
dense or complicated designs.
Think about the Apple logo. It takes
something familiar and simple and adds
a charismatic flourish with the bite
taken out of it. The commonality of the
apple, the associations with health and
intelligence that come to mind, and
then the fun of the bite taken out of it
fit the balance of sleekness and whimsy
Keep the Design Simple

that define the company’s identity.
The IBM logo, on the other hand, is a
simple, blocky, bold serif font that is
striated. This simple break in the font
makes the understated logo dynamic,
which is in line with the company’s
reserved but strong identity. What’s
simpler and more straightforward than
the Target target? The name is not even
necessary anymore because its symbol
is so easily identifiable as a target: red
center, white circle, red circle. Presto!
It’s visually absorbing - a target is meant
to direct attention - and also suggests
subliminally that the Target store is a
destination, somewhere to aim yourself
toward and where you can hit the
“bull’s-eye” and get whatever you need.
Keep the Design Simple

Color is the most dynamic feature in a logo and also
probably the most difficult thing to determine. Colors
have so many associations that you have to be thoughtful
in deciding which to use.
While logos come in all sorts of colors, the most popular for
top brands are blue (33%), red (29%), gray scale colors (28%)
and yellow or gold (13%). Of course there are tons of top
brand logos in green (Starbucks), brown (UPS), pink (Barbie)
and all variety of other colors.
The first thing to consider when thinking about color is how
many colors to use. Check out the logos for top brands and
you’ll notice that most only have one or two. 95% of top
brands, in fact, use only one or at most two. This is another
way in which designs are kept simple so as to make a more
significant impact. Using a limited palette intensifies the
associations linked to the color and therefore needs to
Match Color and Message

be considered when taking into account the
message your client wants with their logo.
Think about the logos for Gap and Levi’s.
Their basic formal elements are the same:
a single color quadrilateral with the brand’s
name printed in white inside. Yet the character
of the logos is dramatically different. The Levi’s
red is active, it speaks to intensity, daring,
a cowboy-style confidence and flare with an
old-fashioned appeal while the Gap blue is
calmly confident, conservative, stable and
also feels more contemporary.
The old versus new quality of red and blue
comes through in Coca-Cola’s and Pepsi’s
logos. Coca-Cola red invokes the long history
of Coca-Cola, you’re reminded that it’s been

around since the late 19th century - just like Levi’s. The Pepsi blue is
meant to appear more recent, which is exactly how the company has
characterized itself. Pepsi’s block sans-serif font is also meant to contrast
with the old-fashioned character of the Coca-Cola font. Unlike Gap’s logo,
however, Pepsi includes red, as well as white, to give it a dynamic, yin-and-
yang like contrast that makes it edgier, more assertive and youthful.
Pepsi is in that statistically small category of logos that has more than two
colors, but there are plenty of other major brands that have effectively
used many colors so as to appear unique. Google is the most notable
among them. The current, and recently redesigned, Google logo is the
company name written in a flat sans-serif font with the two “g”s in blue,
one “o” and an “e” in red, another “o” in yellow and the one “l” in green.
The logo design thus appears playful, fun and very distinct. This style, in
some ways, has come to define the character of tech company casual.
NBC has used the rainbow colors of its peacock logo to great effect as
well, establishing a distinct and evocative logo that remains immediately
recognizable.

While everything covered so far are tried and true
characteristics of successful logo design, designers
today are finding that they’re having to be more and
more daring and innovative in their logo designs to get
them and their clients noticed.
Minimalism is a dominating trend in logo design today.
More than just keeping your design simple, minimalist
design is intentionally austere and uses basic formal
components (line, shape, color) as a means of contrasting
with the trend toward overdesigned logos. It’s simplicity
at an extreme and because of how basic these logos can
appear, they are very effective at getting your attention.
Monoline design, with wireframe outlines of geometric or
basic forms that are stripped of color and text have made
Keep an Eye on
the Cutting Edge

a big splash with new and growing brands. Creatively using
negative space is another way of grabbing consumer
attention and has become increasingly popular. Maybe the
most famous use of negative space is the FedEx logo in
which the space between the “E” and the “x” creates an
arrow, a subtle and powerful image that, once you notice
it, you can never stop seeing it.
There’s also a noticeable shift toward handmade looking
logos and fonts. It’s related to the artisanal and local
trends in consumption. Logos that appear sketched out
by hand or cursive-style fonts and simple graphics that
look like doodles are therefore becoming great marketing
tools. This approach also mollifies the impersonal
character of websites and ecommerce, in which
consumers never actually interact with a human being.
The handmade appearance immediately leads consumers
to think positively about the people behind the operation.
Keep an Eye on the Cutting Edge

If you’re a freelancer offering logo services on an online
marketplace, you need to simultaneously invest time
in doing a good job on your designs, which will get you
positive feedback and lead to more clients, while also
being able to take on as many jobs as possible. As a result,
you might have basic graphics that you often employ
in some of your logo design. While that is acceptable
practice, you want to make sure that you’re still fulfilling
your clients’ expectations and also that you’re not
crossing over into plagiarism territory.
Plagiarism - taking someone else’s work or ideas and
passing them off as your own - is a slippery slope. You may
not realize that your designs are flirting with plagiarism until
it’s too late. But it’s tough. You can’t simply scroll the endless
sea of the internet looking at logos to make sure you’re not
copying someone else’s, and, luckily, you really don’t have to.
The main thing you want to avoid is directly taking imagery
Maintain Originality

from another design. You can be inspired by a logo design
without taking its fundamental graphic or textual features.
It really comes down to being ethical. If you’re up-to-date
in the industry you’re designing for and aren’t directly
taking from any logos that you know of, than you’ve done
your ethical due diligence. If in the back of your mind,
however, you know that you got your idea from another
logo and that little voice in your head is saying: “it’s a bit
too similar,” then you should revise your design.
It can be hard for logos to even gain a copyright since
they’re often so basic. A simple shape or geometric
form really doesn’t qualify for trademark or copyright
protection. More complex logos that display a great deal
of creativity and authorship, on the other hand, can.
Nevertheless, it’s quite hard to be charged with copyright
or trademark infringement for a logo. If you have good
intentions and act ethically then it’s very unlikely you’ll
face any issues.
Maintain Originality

Design, of course, isn’t the only thing you have to take
into account when designing a logo for a client. You have
to balance a variety of factors to accommodate your client
and to balance your own responsibilities to other projects.
This is where communication is central to your practice.
If this is a big commission and you have time to really make
something special and powerful for your client, then make
sure to hear what they want out of their logo. What kind of
message are they trying to achieve and what do they believe
their company is about. You can do this in an interview, or
you can develop a questionnaire with detailed questions for
your client to fill out. That doesn’t mean you should create a
bland logo that simply checks all the messaging boxes your
client wants. Be creative and daring based on the personality
Balance Clients’ Needs
and Design Needs

of your client and their business, and make the
case for your design choices. Articulate how
your logo accomplishes the goals your client
wants, while also being engaging and attention
grabbing in exciting ways. Designing for a client
should be a partnership, it is about your creative
abilities coming through and fulfilling the needs
of your client.
If a client is displeased with the logo designs
you’ve produced, but you feel it’s great work.
Make a case for yourself, but don’t over do it.
This, ultimately, is about their identity, not yours,
so accommodate them, without letting yourself
get entirely lost. Good communication skills go
a long way to being able to do the kinds of logo
designs you want to do and to getting more
clients and expanding your own practice.
Balance Clients’ Needs and Design Needs

Lastly, always be upfront about cost. There’s no
set standards for the cost of logo design, it varies
depending on client needs, expectation, time
commitment, design reputation etc. etc. Come up
with either an hourly rate or a flat charge for the
entire design. Establish what that should be based
on how much work you think their design will
require. Check out logo design service websites
and online marketplaces to see where you can
expect to fit in in the pricing hierarchy depending
on where you’re at in your career and how large
your design portfolio is.
So, good luck with your designs. Logos are
everywhere and while they may flash by most
peoples’ eyes, every logo has a story and a creator
just like you. Who knows, maybe the next Nike
“Swoosh” will be designed by you.
Balance Clients’ Needs and Design Needs
All images are subject to copyright.
€ $ £

How to Design a Logo

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