Keep Your Logo Simple, and other design tips
I have mailing list of over 100 people who are all involved in one way or another in the business of hair accessories. There are hobbyists who only sell to friends, small businesses in their local communities, and big online retailers. We all have the same goal and share a lot of information.
One thing the members of the group are great about is helping one in another in brainstorming things like business names and logo ideas. So, I see a lot of those logos bandies about. I have a couple tips that I would like to share, because all too often the logos I see people choosing to use in the end are complicated, multi-colored designs.
1. Make sure your logo is just as attractive and easy to recognize if it is printed in straight black and white – no grey, no half tones, nothing except solid black and white. There will come a time you want a simple version of your logo for invoices or low-cost flyers. When you get into color, costs go up, so you want to always have a b/w option.
2. Use clean lines and simple designs. Think about what your logo might look like if you need to shrink it down to a 1-inch square. What does it look like if you make a copy of a copy of a Xerox machine? Will it become incomprehensible once you make it small? Is there so much detail that it turns into an unattractive blob?
3. Your logo needs to be easy to remember. If a customer sees your logo, will they remember it? This is your brand, your image. Think about how the Nike swoosh is burned into your brain. Ideally, your logo will incorporate something just as unique, simple and memorable.
4. Make sure you keep your logo in a vector-based file format for future use. A jpg might work if you are putting your logo online, but it won’t print well.
One thing I do a lot of as a freelance designer who specializes in corporate and industrial business work is what I call logo repair or logo recovery. Often, a business or individual will have a copy of their logo that someone else designed for them, but not in an appropriate digital format. They will have a printout or a low resolution jpg and when they need to have print jobs done, they no longer have a clean logo in a print quality format. I go back and re-design their logo, often improving it as I go, and give it back tot hem in an appropriate vector file format. If you need a service like this, please drop me a line via my contact form. My prices are super reasonable.
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