Consider the template

When you create a new store on eBay, you will be presented with a choice of four simple templates to pick one. The color options of these templates are limited and for coherence, you need to choose the template which will best match the logo you want. It is possible for you to create your own template, but for the beginners, it is highly recommended you go alone with the standard templates availed by eBay. The templates are basic but flexible and they make it possible for you to create professional stores without having a lot of design skills. The take away here therefore, is that you should consider keenly your choice of template because you will have to match it with the logo.

Remember the elements of a great logo

When creating a logo for eBay store front, you want the name of your store to be an easy one for potential and current customers will remember fast. The competition in eBay is quite immense and if you present shoppers with tough or obscure names, then they won’t remember it and you will not be in a position to make a lot of money.

It also pays to remember to use colors appropriately on your logo. eBay has very conspicuous colors in their logo and for contrast, it is advisable not to use the predominant colors of the eBay logo on your store. This is likely to appear confusing to your potential customers and your will fail to stand out in order to attract the right audience.

Still related to the name, consider choosing an appropriate image that will tell the story of your store in a short and concise manner. Your choice of graphics should be dictated upon by the kind of products you offer and your potential clients should tell the moment they see your logo what it is all about. Ambiguous images might end up confusing shoppers and this may prevent from marketing your eBay store front effectively.

Uniqueness

Your store will not stand out from the crowd if your logo is just like the rest. Due to this, you must create a completely unique logo to set you apart from the masses. You can go through the various logos of some of the store in your niche to get an idea on what the top guys have done with their logos and also for some inspiration. After that, be sure to come up with your own original sketches and not copied work from other stores in eBay.

Make a scalable logo

The current trends suggest that the number of people accessing the internet with mobile device is almost overtaking the number of people accessing the internet with desktop devices. It implies that mobile users have increased and websites and ecommerce store owners must adjust appropriately to make it easy for the mobile users to access their websites. One way of doing so is by creating a mobile friendly store, but since eBay store fronts are already optimized for the mobile, it is upon you to create a logo that optimized for the mobile devices as well, and this comes down to scalability.

On scalability still, you have to ensure that the logo has the versatility to render properly in different sizes as well. This is because you may wish to use the logo in other branding materials such as newsletters, company letter heads, billboards, and marketing posters amongst others and the last thing you desire is for the logo to lose its quality when rendered on the various materials.

Simplicity

It is also important to ensure that the logo is clean and simple. Gone are the days when you could cram a plethora of elements in one logo and still hope that it will be great. For the leading brands on the world to most promising startups, you will easily recognize that they have simple logos, and mostly depict minimal designs. Since it has been proven that simple logos work best, you should also strive to make simple logos for your eBay store front.

Follow these tips for creating a print friendly logo!

The post Design a Logo for My eBay Store Front appeared first on LogoMaven | Easy Logo Design Software & Logo Maker.

At its initial stages, social media was perceived to be a fad for the teens and the young lads who had nothing but a lot of time to waste away.

But as it has been proven over the short few years that the platforms have been around, social media is a force to reckon with when it comes to marketing and building brands.

By having a powerful social media branding strategy, you can have the ability to increase your following and fan base across the multiple social media sites and have traffic on demand to grow your online or offline business.

But just with every other aspect of branding, a logo will be at the center of it. However, it is imperative to have in mind that there are certain tweaks you need to make to your logo so that it becomes more effective for social media.

Highlighted here are some of the optimization techniques recommended for quality and high performing social media logos.

Keep the Social Media Logo Simple

To begin with, the logo ought to be simple not only to suit use in social media, but simplicity is the current thing in logo design.

The logo should be of the right size so that you can resize it quite easily for the various social media websites.

Consider the right aspect ratio, since a wrong ratio may make the logo lose its effectiveness when used as display picture or icons in some of the sites.

Also remember not to cram it with all the words and all the colors in a bid to try and make it beautiful.

You’d rather have a simple and functional social media logo than a beautiful and less functional logo.

Always Use the Same Image

One of the aims of your logo is to make your company recognizable each time your viewers sees it.

It should be such that they are able to connect the image on the logo to the company name in their minds instantly.

Though logos adapt over time, the best performing ones such as Apple and Nike use the same image across all their marketing materials and such a dedication to consistency has worked wonders in their marketing efforts.

Similarly, be sure to use the same image as well as colors for the logos you intend to use in social media.

Keep Text and Images Separate in a Social Media Logo

A logo can look very nice when the images and text are intertwined.

The problem with this approach, however, is that the social media websites have issues with dimensions.

Whether you want to have the image displayed on the sidebar, as display picture or on the page, the image will be resized for a couple of times.

If you use a smaller image, as many people use most of the times, things will mesh up all together.

As a result, the social media logo can appear cluttered and unprofessional, rather than help your branding needs in the social media space, it will simply work against you.

Minimize What you Say

There is no need to attempt to include too much text in the logo as if you are trying to explain a point about the company.

That is never the responsibility of the logo, hence you should try to keep the details as minimum as possible.

Don’t try to shove what you do or sell in the logo, but instead use an appropriate image to tell the story.

Besides, your business will appear unprofessional and you may scare away people from interacting with you in the social media.

Consider Recommendations of each Social Media Websites

Most of the social media websites will give guidelines for their social media logo dimensions and the quality of the media they prefer people to share on the websites.

Instead of trying to figure it out on your own, it would be nice and easy if you could just read the guidelines and know exactly what is expected so that you do the right thing the first time.

This will save you a lot of time and energy and will make your logo look great across all the platforms because you designed it just as per the recommendations of the websites.

Test the Logo

The last thing you should ever do is to try and change your social media logo when it is well established and popular amongst your followers.

But since you can’t know beforehand if this is going to happen, it is highly advisable that you take it for a spin by trying out different sizes, colors, images and other design elements so that you know what is working best for you in the social media.

After testing the various components, you can then go ahead and optimize the final design which will have proven to get good reception in social media.

If you need help in designing and creating a Social Media Logo, then download our LogoMaven software, It’s the modern way to design any social media logo.

Check out these famous pink logos!

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Unlike other industries, branding needs for contractors are slightly different. The contractors are faced with the task of passing across the message that they are ready for the next assignment while at the same time distinguishing themselves from the hundreds of similar contractors competing for the same jobs. Additionally, contractors who are still new in the industry face a massive task of getting established.

However, it is important to remember that confidence is grounded in the image. Through the creation of a solid logo, a contractor can create the perception of trust and start to win the hearts of potential clients, and by doing so, the business will be well on its way to growth. Below are some tips any contractor can use to create a logo guaranteed to stand out from the crowd and bring them immense marketing and branding success.

Use symbols associated with the trade

Proper use of symbols is imperative in the design of logos across all the industries. For contractors, appropriate choice of symbols is needed depending on the specific industry being plied. By using images relevant to the industry, it becomes easy to tell the potential clients about the kinds of services offered and they won’t have to struggle to figure out what the business is all about. As a general rule, the images must be simple and clear to understand and preferably, a single dormant image or text should be used. No need to cram three or four images in one logo.

Be niche specific

In as much as you may be one out of a thousand contractors in your niche, you may be providing an add-on service not being offered by most of the other contractors, thus differentiating your from them. For instance, you could be offering more personalized service, 24/7 emergency services, or competitive pricing amongst others. These extra services have the ability to create a huge difference in the client’s perception and so they should be clearly indicated in the logo. They will act as the strong selling points you will use to attract most of the clients interested in your services.

Stick to the colors defined by your trade

Just as with every other logo design, the psychology of color must be considered keenly when creating a contractor logo. Due to the extensive nature of the contractor businesses, there is a wide variety of colors to choose from, and any color chosen must be in tandem to the trade offered. It has been realized that most of the best performing contractor companies prefer to use bold colors such as brown, black, yellow, orange and red in their logos.

These colors are not only bright and conspicuous, but according to color psychology, they represent safety, trust, friendliness and professionalism – great attributes highly admired in most contractors. For contractors offering services related to the environment, there is a general trend to adopt blue and green colors in their logos as these seem to be more fitting for such services.

Let the logo deliver the marketing message effectively

Due to the high competition faced by the contractors, the winning logo must have the ability to pass across a strong marketing message which the potential clients will relate to by just taking a glance at the logo. Out of the marketing message, you can demonstrate trust, expertise and credibility to make people believe in you. The best way to do this when creating a contractor’s logo is to use a powerful slogan or tagline and position it conspicuously on the logo so that it is easily visible.

Consider the right choice of fonts

If your logo is not decipherable, then people will have to strain when trying to read it. For contractors, this might sound the death knell for the business since no one will be attracted to it. The solution to this however, is to use the right fonts that will guarantee readability. The preferred fonts for creating logos for contractors include Eras, Cambria and Gill Sans. It is also preferred that they should be set in bold typeface to create a commanding presence. Additionally, it is recommended that you combine graphics and type by doing away with letters in the company name and include relevant tools used in the industry.

When used correctly, the above tips will make every contractor come up with a winning logo that will make them stand out from the crowd and get the right kinds of customers needed to grow their businesses.

Learn how to build a logo for a used car dealership here!

The post Tips for Creating a Contractor’s Logo appeared first on LogoMaven | Easy Logo Design Software & Logo Maker.

The internet has made it so simple that anyone can make a logo by themselves. There are lots of articles and video tutorials with detailed procedures on how to come up with professional looking logos. Many business owners, especially those that are just starting out and are interested in branding their business have thus found solace in such materials and decided to make logos without the assistance of the professionals. In most cases, such a move is usually instigated by the person’s desire not to spend money on a professional logo designer. Whereas you may be lucky to find a free, suitable program which can help you make a logo in a matter of minutes, embarking on a DIY logo design is never advisable when you are serious about having a professional brand for your business. Additionally, you need to have in mind that there is more to a logo than just a mere name and some symbols on the image.

A logo is the face of your business to the entire world. It is the first marketing tool that your potential clients and customers come into contact with. As such, therefore, it must give a good visual representation of your organization and have the ability to communicate your central marketing message effectively. If you can’t achieve these with your logo, you will miss the whole point of having it for your business. Working with a professional logo designer on another hand will ensure that you get a logo which will fit the branding and marketing needs of your business. Listed below are some of the undeniable reasons why you need to hire a professional logo designer and never go for a DIY logo:

Professional image

It is easy to tell whether a logo has been designed by an amateur or by a professional. Since a logo is the face of your business to the outside world, it needs to portray a positive image of your business or products and services. By just looking at the logo, a potential client should come to an immediate conclusion that you look like the real deal worth doing business with.

But if your logo is poorly designed because you did not want to pay for the services of a professional logo designer, then you will portray a negative image to your potential clients who might then develop cold feet in dealing with you.

Stand out from the crowd

The present business landscape is full of competition. Every business is employing any method they have at their disposal to attract the attention of the limited number of customers. If you are interested in attracting more business, therefore, it becomes imperative that you stand out from the crowd so that you can easily be noticed amongst your competition.

One way of doing so is to have a uniquely designed logo that will dwarf the competition and force the potential customers to take note of you. Unless you are a professional logo designer, you may not understand the finer details of creating a unique logo to make your business and brand be easily noticed. This is another reason for you never to attempt a DIY logo design.

A professional logo designer will save you time

In as much as there are a lot of software you can use to make logos online in a matter, there are no guarantees that you will make the right logo the first time. As with every design project, there are iterations following the first draft which are necessary for the final output. As an amateur trying his hands on a DIY logo design, you may find yourself spending hours unending in trying to create a logo with the free tools. But for a professional logo designer, this is what they do for a living. They will take the least time possible while guaranteeing to give you the right logo for your business.

Ensure that there is consistency in the message

An inconsistent message across your marketing materials will make look unprofessional, and potential clients will lose the willingness to deal with you. This can happen quite easily if you decide to design your logo alone. But when you use the services of a professional logo designer, they have the ability to create a design to be used in the logo and across other marketing materials you will be using in your business. In return, you will achieve a consistent visual branding for your entire business, leading to more trust from your customers and also helping you acquire new customers.

Saves you money

Many people resort to DIY logo design because they think that hiring the services of a professional logo designer is expensive. But they forget that cheap is expensive in the long run. With a professional logo design, you won’t have to keep on reverting from one design another, but you will have a first concrete design for you to use in building your brand. It is the branding capabilities of a professionally designed logo that will bring you more benefits than the initial cost of designing the logo. Therefore, always go for a professional logo designer if you want the best and also maintain your focus in the future.

Here is how to find a custom logo designer. 

The post Should you ever try using a DIY Logo? appeared first on LogoMaven | Easy Logo Design Software & Logo Maker.

The world we live in is a bright, busy and a fast moving one. Wherever we go, we are surrounded with several colors, and so the majority of people find multi-colored logos to be the most appealing. But this is not to insinuate that beautiful logos must always have multiple colors. If anything, most of the top brand logos in the world have only one color, and they appear to be deceptively simple yet, they have been a strong component in the branding endeavors of the respective companies.

Though they appear to be simple and easy to understand, single color logos have been proven to communicate the brand message concisely, and they become very effective in doing so when they are combined with expert design skills. Since they are just one color, they are easy to remember; hence, they create a permanent imprint on the minds of those who see it. Due to this, they become active brand ambassadors, thus aiding in the marketing efforts of the company and the ultimate success of the brand.

Careful observation on some of the world leading brands will reveal to you that they are either made from simple symbols, or they use just one color. Presented below are a few of such logos and a demonstration of the prowess that one logo designs can have.

IBM Logo

IBM has without a doubt created one of the world’s most beautiful logos. The logo features horizontal stripes which signify the speed and the dynamism of the company’s products and services. The logo is simple, attractive and captivating at the same time. It is an all blue logo, and it has been used by the corporate giant to define the brand and the quality of the products. Besides, the single color blue represents the company’s superiority, confidence, uniqueness and the critical roles it plays in revolutionizing the Information Technology Industry.

The Coca-Cola Logo

The coca-cola logo is another demonstration of how one color logo can be effective in marketing the brand of a product. Though the logo has undergone a number of transformations from the initial design by John S Pemberton in 1886, the concept has always revolved around the use of just one color and a contrasting one in the background. The initial logo featured the typeface written in black against a white background while the present has the letters written in red against a white background. So famous is the logo that you will never miss to recognize it no matter the part of the world you find it.

Twitter Logo

Twitter is only a few years old and has completely revolutionized the concept of social network in the world. One of the things that can be attributed to the success of the social network is its strength in branding in which the logo played a huge role. This is another one color logo design, which is not only beautiful but laden with a lot of relevant meanings. The logo features a bird, which has now come to be known as the Twitter bird; it has a beak and a body pointing upwards towards the sky. According to Bowman, the Twitter logo represents hope, freedom and limitless opportunity with regards to the social media.

The Samsung Logo

The Samsung logo also makes it to the list of the best one color logos. The blue colored logo is not just simple, but also elegantly designed in a beautiful color .It works so well for the corporate organization.

Bass Logo

The Bass Breweries has entrenched its name down the books of history as one of the oldest and most renowned breweries in the world. Founded in 1777, Bass is one of the largest beer producers in the world with a capacity to produce up to one million barrels annually. But apart from the age and the immense popularity of Bass, the logo is another thing worth taking note of and which has done a great job in promoting the brand worldwide. It is a one color logo design, with the characteristic triangle and the name of the company written beneath it. Being in color red, the logo is strong, distinct and easily memorable, thus giving it all the features a super logo needs to have.

The Nike Logo

The Nike Logo, commonly known as the Swoosh comprises of two simple curved lines and it is the simplest logo imaginable, but it carries billions of dollars worth of marketing and branding associations. At its most basic meaning, the swoosh represents speed and motion – fundamental attributes in the sporting world where the brand has found a home. But the deeper meaning of the logo can be traced back to the Greek Goddess of Victory, Nike, who is believed to have influenced thousand of brave warriors. The name “Swoosh” came about to refer to the fibers used in manufacturing the Nike Shoes. Definitely, this is a one color logo that will remain effective for a long time, and is in the list for the most beautiful logos.

These are just, but a few of the one color logo designs illustrating that a logo must not just be multicolored. Other one color logos, that are also beautiful logos, which are also world leading brands include Apple, Yahoo, Skype, Mercedes Benz, BMW, and Target amongst others.

Learn how much you should pay for a custom logo here. 

All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. AppMaven LLC or LogoMaven is not affiliated with any of the companies mentioned on this post. All other trademarks or registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

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When it comes to building a logo that really sticks and has universal appeal there are a number of big elements that come into any logo design. Universal appeal as something that is not easy to capture and it’s important to note that if your logo is your brand ambassador, with a good logo your brand can be universally appealing as well. If you ever have a logo make you feel a certain way or you have particular logos that stick out in your mind, your brand definitely wants to be the next to complete these same actions for others. While there is no set formula for creating a logo that has universal appeal there are certainly some elements of a logo that can make it stick in people’s minds and create a strong impression over some competitors content.

Here are some of the biggest design elements that your logo needs to have in order to have universal appeal:

Simplicity:

Less is definitely more when it comes to logo design and keeping things clear is extremely important. Adding too many different shapes, texts, colors or images can drastically change the way that your logo can make an impact with the market. Avoid adding too much and keep your logo symbols so they can have a greater chance at obtaining universal appeal.

Impact:

A lasting impression is absolutely important for creating universal appeal. Creating this lasting impression involves a simple yet consistent color scheme. Your logo needs to stick out in a crowd and have visual appeal. This doesn’t necessarily mean creating a bright and flashy logo with two primary colors. Instead focus on using bold/ clear fonts and a color palette that is impactful and reflective of your brand. A memorable logo needs to really make you feel something and stick out when you see it. Imagine a row of storefront signs in a busy mall, now design a logo that is going to draw people to your store when they have so much other choice.

Unique:

While emulating the styles of iconic logos can be a good starting point for any classic logo a logo design needs to also offer something new. Without any type of unique aspect to your logo it’s very easy for it to get lost in the crowd. Make sure that your logo can be seen easily and there has at least some type of unique concept that sets it apart from the competition. This is the design element that really takes a while to perfect but if done correctly your logo can have a universal appeal because it’s something that people have not seen before.

Relevant:

Making sure that your logo is modern and relevant is also extremely important. Your logo also needs to be extremely relevant to your business. Keeping with the times in keeping with your corporate culture is a way that you can create a logo that says everything about you in just a few seconds. Fonts and styles that misrepresent your company or emulate an older style of design will not have a universal appeal for your customers.

Versatile and repeatable:

A quality logo will be versatile to the point where it can be duplicated and used across lots of marketing material. Creating logos with universal appeal means generating a logo design that will work on your website, in print material, on T-shirts and a variety of other placements. People should be excited about wearing your logo and about what it represents. Without a versatile product that can be showcased in many materials, you could be missing out on lots of opportunity for brand awareness.

Fully scalable:

With the help of a professional design program you can work to create a logo design that fully scalable. The problem that you can often face however is that the design can lose its impact when it is resized. You should do some initial research through mockups to see how your logo might look on a billboard, on printed signage, on business cards and on websites. If you can create a logo that looks just as good on a mug as it does on a bus ad you have definitely done your job correctly when it comes to scalability.

A timeless design:

Remember that most logo designs should last at least 10 years. Logos that have universal appeal however don’t need redesigns every decade. When we think of some of the most iconic logos that have been around for many decades, they have seen minimal redesigns as well. Good logos can override design trends and can in fact be the trendsetting logos themselves. By creating an iconic logo at the beginning of your business it can carry you through to international success and beyond. While a timeless design can take time to perfect is truly only the timeless logos that gain universal appeal and exposure.

Learn how to be unique without being bizarre. 

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The choice of a color is a crucial factor in every graphics design project. Color has a different meaning, and their use is warranted on varying occasions. A thorough understanding of the graphic design color theory is thus necessary for every designer who aspires to learn the right use of colors to improve the quality and effectiveness of their designs.

Whereas the topic of graphics design color theory is wide and extensive and sometimes can be very subjective, here are the important things you need to know about colors, how to make the right choices and how to bring them together in design.

The visual effects of colors in your design

Graphic design color theory lays a lot of emphasis on the visual effects of the colors you choose to use. According to the theory, if you use colors that don’t blend well together, or you choose too many of them, or maybe you decide not to use enough colors, then your design is likely to drive people away and miss an opportunity to pass your message. It is ideal to settle on a scheme in the beginning and stick to it till the end of the project.

Some of the major applications of color according to the graphic design theory is to attract attention, convey specific messages, group related elements together, and enhance the general visual appeal of the design. You can use a small dose of a contrasting color to draw attention to particular elements in your design.

You can also use colors intelligently to create or set the mood for the design. For instance, according to the graphic design color theory, mixing warm and cool colors can be used effectively to create depth in any design. Darker colors on other hand are suitable for creating balance on the visual weight of the design.

While trying to create various visual impacts with colors, it is important to take note that you don’t use too many colors just as you normally avoid using too many fonts in your design. Ideally, you need just enough number of colors to give a good contrast but not too much to make the design lack similarity.

Choosing the right color scheme

The graphics design color theory dwells heavily on how designers can choose the right color schemes that will allow them to come up with great designs. One important consideration to have in mind is first to understand the meaning of that color. As a rule of thumb, you need to begin with the dominant color, and this can be obtained from the logo or other marketing materials like brochures.

The other way to settle on the dominant color is to think about the words you are likely to use when describing the company or the business. It mainly points to the emotional response you want elicited on the people who will be seeing the design. For instance, McDonald’s used yellow and red because these colors are known to increase appetite and make people impulsive. It played well with their business of selling food. IBM on other hand used blue since it wanted to make people associate their products with trust and stability.

Here are a few color schemes and their meanings that you can always incorporate in your designs:

Monochromatic color schemes

Monochromatic schemes are effective when you need to establish an overall mood of the design because they are clean and elegant. As per the graphics design color theory, these schemes have a way of producing a soothing effect, and they are also easy and gentle on the eyes.

Complimentary color schemes

Complimentary color schemes are created when warm colors are used against cool colors. Graphic design color theory suggests that these colors should be used when you need to create an intrinsically high level of contrast and to achieve a dramatic look at the same time. These colors are vibrant, extremely eye-catching they work together to intensify each other.

Analogous color schemes

According to graphic design color theory, analogous schemes are almost similar to monochromatic schemes, only that they provide a lot of nuances since they are drawn from a wide band on the color wheel. The analogous schemes are preferred when you need a second and a third color to support the dominant color.

Triadic color schemes

Graphic design color theory suggests that the triadic color scheme offers a strong visual contrast without compromising the harmony and richness of the color. They are not just like the normal complimentary color, but they add vibrancy especially when used with unsaturated colors. One of these colors can be used as the dominant color while the other two are used as accents.

Even though graphic design color theory provides a lot, consistent practice is important to develop the competency and confidence to use colors in the right manner.  Don’t shoot yourself in the leg if you fail to get it right the first time. Keep on trying and know that it is a skill that you can learn and master with time.

Check out this article on color as well!

The post What You Absolutely Need to Know About Colors appeared first on LogoMaven | Easy Logo Design Software & Logo Maker.

Company logos have always been important branding tools long before the concepts of global marketing campaigns; social media and television commercials were in use. Through the years, businesses have undergone different changes in an attempt to rebrand and gain wider appeal across their target audience. Due to this, most companies have altered their logos considerably with some introducing completely new designs with no correlation with the first ones. Other logos, however, have displayed incredible staying power and have remained the same for many decades or even centuries since the companies were founded. Though, most of the oldest logos in the world have managed to retain some of their important visual elements though others have been slightly altered.

But while the logos undergo changes and all sorts of alterations, the original intent behind the company’s logo will always be preserved and rarely known to many consumers. For instance, Shell started off as a shipping company that transported kerosene to India then brought back shells to sell in Europe. Hence, they used a shell image as part of their logo, and this has been retained to date, making it one of the oldest logos in the world.

Many companies also like retaining their original logos and use their longevity as a selling point to their customers. It is also a show that they haven’t lost roots to their founding principles, and this works to add a lot of credibility to the company before their clients.

Listed below are some of the oldest logos in the world that are still in use today. They still have a strong international presence, and they haven’t been altered significantly from the very first designs.

Stella Artois

Stella Artois logo was first used in 1336 when the company was founded in Belgium. Though the company has experienced numerous changes in management for the centuries they have been in operations, they still retain the very initial logo featuring a horn and a star resting above the name label. Presently, Stella Artois is not just found in Belgium alone, but it is present in more than 80 countries around the globe. It’s also important to point out that it is the leading Belgian beer in the international markets.

Twinning Tea

Twinning Tea logo makes it as one of the oldest logos in the world, having been around for over two centuries since the company was founded in 1887. The logo features capitalized fonts under a crest of a lion, and it has been used continuously without any alteration for the period that the London-based company has been in operations.

At the inception of the company, tea consumption did not feature a lot in the lives of many people in Britain. Coffee, beer and gin dominated most of the breakfast during the early years of the 18th century. But towards the end of the century, tea became one of the popular drinks, thus boosting Twinning Tea and in the process enhancing the brand. After ten generations, Twinning Tea is still a family owned business with a global presence and its logo makes it to the list of one of the oldest logos in the world.

Bass Ale

Bass Ale Company was founded in 1777, but their current logo has been in used since 1876. The logo features a red triangle with the word “Bass” written beneath it. One interesting fact about this one of the oldest logos in the world is that it was the first registered trademark ever to be issued by the British government. The simplicity of the design helped the company become one of the leading beer producers in London during the late 19th century.

Shell Oil

Shell Company was incorporated in 1897 as a shipping company that shipped kerosene to India then brought back seashells to sell in the British markets. The company later merged with Royal Dutch Petroleum Company and retained the logo that is now synonymous with the energy giant. The first Shell service station was opened in California in 1915, and this is the time when the yellow and the red color schemes were introduced. The Shell logo remains to be one of the oldest logos in the world, and the company is currently worth $260 billion.

Levi Strauss & Co

Levi’s logo was first used in 1886. It featured two horses, and it was used as a method of growing the market share before the patent of the jean making process expired. The logo became so popular that customers started referring Levi products as “those pants with two horses” giving birth to the Two Horse Brand until later on in 1929 when Levi Strauss trademarked the name, Levi. It is now one of the oldest logos in the world, and the company employs over 16,000 employees worldwide.

Sherwin Williams

The Sherwin-William Logo was first used in 1905, and it hasn’t undergone many alterations since then. The only changes on the logo of this manufacturer, distributor, and retailer of paints are the addition of the red and blue color and the writings “Cover the Earth”. The initial concept has been retained, and since the logo has been in use consistently for more than a century, it makes it to the list of the oldest logos in the world.

Check out these top sports logos for inspiration as well!

The post Let’s Take A Look at the Oldest Logos appeared first on LogoMaven | Easy Logo Design Software & Logo Maker.

For many people just starting out in design, the process of choosing the perfect typography is usually such a bewildering task. The choices seem to be endless with no straightforward way of knowing what to select and what to ignore. For someone to get it right in choosing the right type-setting, however, a combination of firm rules and lose set of intuition, as well as a few of years of experience, is necessary. But this is not to allude that you have to be an experienced designer to become a pro in using typography. It is only that you become perfect with consistent practice, but anyone, including the very new in designing, can still get it right with their typography the first time. Here are five important guidelines on how to choose the right typography-:

Understand the context of use

One secret to choosing the right typography is first to understand the context of use. This is of grave concern because, as designer, you are working on a design that will be used by other people and not for your personal use. Many beginning designers are fond of considering their individual preferences in the choice of type-setting, and they focus on what appeals to them. This is a destitute approach because you are egocentric on the design.

As a designer, you need to have a set of workhorse typography you can always turn to when the project demands. Of course, you will be comfortable with other typography more than others, and you will be naturally inclined to use them as opposed to trying new ones. It is imperative that you understand different typography and know exactly the particular contexts when they can be used without ruining the entire design.

Group Fonts in Families

Learning to group fonts into families will not just help you on how to choose the right type-setting for each design project that lands on your desk but also will save you a great deal of design time. The secret to grouping fonts into families is to have some structure that you can use to categorize mentally the various types of typography you encounter.

Typography can be divided into different categories, but for a good designer, you need not to keep track of all the types. Most of the expert designers only watch about five groups, and these are the ones they work hard to become proficient in using so that they can always adapt them and use them for different projects. There is already several classifications of fonts, but you are free to classify some as you dim right and in a manner that will enhance your skills as a designer.

Decisive use of contrast

Now that you understand the context under which you will use the typography, and you have also grouped them to suit your project and design habits, it is time to apply the principle of decisive contrast in the use of the typography. This is a paramount principle because many designers are misled into believing that every design must have a high contrast to be considered great. This is grossly wrong and as a designer, it pays to know when to mix and match and it pays even much better to know when you need not to mix and match in the first place. Whenever you are in the middle of a design and you are faced with a situation where you need to add additional typography, the rule of thumb is that even with the addition of the typography, the design should remain the same and if it has to change, then it has to change a lot. This is what is known as correspondence and contrast in design lingo. Avoid incremental variations or being wimpy with the contrast.

Whenever multiple typography is used in a single layout, the aim is to make them coexist peacefully without distracting the attention of the viewer into thinking that they are more than one design on the item.

Don’t be afraid to bend a few rules

Good designers are those who follow standard fonts and norms in design, but the great artists are those who are not afraid to intelligently break some of the rules and come up with unique designs. Occasionally, you can go a little bit overboard and try what your intuition is telling you as far as the current project is concerned. You will never understand how to choose the right typography if you are timid to explore on your own and do what the books are not telling you.

“There are no rules,” really!

When it comes to how to choose the right text, it boils down to one thing – there are conventions but never iron-clad rules on which is the best typography for each and every particular project. As a designer, you need to know about the basics then you will adapt yourself to the conventions and create your rules as you move along. With experience, you will no problem in deciding on the typography but it is always good to be flexible enough so that you have the competency to work with different typography on a countless number of projects.

Use this guide for helping you pick the best colors for your text as well!

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How do you choose the best logo colors? While a startup company can provide a vast amount of value to its marketplace as well as deliver innovative solutions to its target market in order to maximize the impact that it is able to be made with its logo many elements need to be considered. Choosing the right color combination in any logo is just as essential as choosing the right graphic or the right text style. If a color scheme is offputting, unprofessional and unrelated to the content in the logo design it could easily lead to a company being passed up or having the target audience search for a new option. Here’s some of the top tips for choosing the right color combination for any logo design.

1. Understand your target audience:

Choosing the best logo color combinations for your brand is extremely important and choosing your color scheme for your own style habits is a fatal mistake. Choose the main color to resonate with your main target audience. Pick bolder colors for younger individuals or a softer color palette if you are trying to make an impact with a demographic like young mothers. Consider the emotions that each of the colors potentially signify in individuals and select colors based off of the feelings that they elicit. Colors should also at least match well together and by putting together several different colors you would like to use for your logo into a color swatch you can help to position them differently in your logo design. While it’s not a good idea to fully copy a competitor you could look into other businesses in your industry and capture a large swatch of some of the colors and basic schemes that they use to better understand the colors that are commonly used to appeal to your target audience.

2. Use the right ratio for your color scheme:

One of the most commonly used ratios in a color combination in a typical best logo colors is the 60%, 30%, 10% rule. Most common logos are made up of three different colors that make up other branding material. Designers will often pick one strong color that is used for at least 60% of the logo design. The second color will then complement the first selection and be represented in around 30% of the design. The third color is represented by just the smallest margin of a logo and usually just in 10% of the total color in a logo design. Make sure that you are extremely sure of the primary color as this will make up the majority of your logo design. After you have established some complementary colors for your logo design you can mix and match what you will use for the 30 and the 10. Laying out color schemes with 4-5 choices will help you to try several different designs in color schemes that would work well for reaching out to your audience.

3. Look into psychological meanings:

The best logo colors can have a huge effect on us psychologically. When it comes to the types of feelings that you would like your logo to convey in other people it’s important that you place an emphasis on the psychological feelings that each of the colors in your logo bring to people. While colors like blue have a calming and peaceful psychological effect that would be perfect for an environmental company or yoga wear company, if you are interested in high impact excitement you could use colors like Red and white to wake people up and really get them to notice your logo design. Think of how various colors make you feel and don’t be afraid to look into some of the main psychological responses to best logo colors and how the color schemes that you land on might help you to convey a secondary meaning or feeling from your logo.

4. Be logo unique:

While primary colors are an excellent way to get started with the creation of your color scheme, it’s important to be unique. Having your own special shade or at least colors that are slightly different from your competition can help you differentiate yourself in the marketplace. Having some type of unique color scheme for your business can make your brand even more recognizable. It may take some time to find a color scheme that works well for you that’s completely unique but with your own iconic colors people may only need to see a color swatch to associate a color with your business.

5. Think of natural inspirations:

While it’s important that a business color scheme elicits a certain response, its also possible to draw inspiration from a corporate environment or even the area around the business. We start to associate a number of different colors with the time of year like fall colors or spring colors. You may even want to take natural inspiration from various colors in your business. For example, if you are a brewer one of the most obvious colors that you could pick would be some of the colors from your beer products. If you have a particular shade of ale or lager for example you could incorporate this natural color into your branding.

Use these top five tips for choosing the correct color combination. Don’t forget to check out our Top 5 questions you should ask clients starting a logo design project as well, to see how you can improve the flow of your design project.

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