The universal elements of a successful logo

While it can be difficult to say whether or not a logo will be iconic, classic or successful there are certainly some brand elements that carry over through popular logo designs. If you are getting a logo designed or you are a professional graphic designer you need to keep these essential design elements in mind. Here are some universal elements that should be included in every logo design.

A symbol of culture:

Most quality iconic logos have some type of symbol or pictorial reference that states the intentions of the company and helps to build the brand. Symbols are usually something extremely simple and they showcase some of the traits that you want associated with your corporate culture. Picking out a simplistic symbol design to go into your logo makeup is important. When we look at some of the most iconic logos like apple or Nike, there’s no need for text an iconic symbol can actually be the full face of your logo.

Color swatch:

All iconic logos need to have clearly defined colors. Remember that any color spectrum can have a distinct psychological effect when it comes to your clients. Picking the right colors on the right elements for every part of your logo as well as making sure that they fit into a specific color swatch can create a uniform nature for your logo and ensure that your logo will create a specific feeling when people see it. Never forget the use of color in the logo design and why color is so important to producing the best iconic logos.

Slogan/name:

Many iconic logo designs also include logos as well as potential slogans across the design. These slogans or your company name will need to be displayed prominently and using an easy-to-read text format. Don’t be afraid to try several different types of text and many different messages in your logo design. Create something with staying power and something that is instantly catchy. Remember that along slogan often won’t be read by the audience so don’t be afraid to do a little bit of testing to see what type of text you might be able to read in just a quick glance. If you have a long company name you could also consider using an acronym or shortening the name specifically for your logo design.

Font types:

Font types and type settings are also extremely important to creating a good logo design. Experiment with a few different type settings and work at finding a set of fonts that work to accomplish your goals as a company. Certain fonts will create a specific feel for your products and this is important to consider. Using the wrong fonts may not reflect your corporate culture well and may spread of very poor message about your company.

Simple shapes:

Many designers today consider designed to be more of an element of assembly rather than a finicky process of creating art. Adding simple shapes and symbols to a design can help to provide emphasis on certain design elements as well as draw the eye across the logo design. Including a triangle, square or circle in specific areas can draw the eye around the logo design and potentially even place emphasis on a particular slogan or design element. By laying out a few simple shapes off to the side of a logo design in in design, a designer can mix and match these essential elements to draw the eye in various directions. Simple shapes are commonly used in conjunction with patterns and the main symbol of business culture for a logo design.

Clarity:

Any logo design needs to have a well thought-out premise and a clear message. This is perhaps one of the most essential elements of logo design. Without a proper clear message it’s possible that the message of the logo can get very confusing and that the message may not resonate well with the target audience. Have an honest and clear intention for your logo and a message that you want to convey. Declare what the company is about and what you are trying to portray with your branding and advertisement. With a clear picture of what you want to accomplish, often a logo can come out much more planned and improved.

Unique creativity:

Showing someone a logo design that they have never seen previously or a unique design element that has never been done before can create a huge impact when it comes to actually reaching an audience.  Creating something iconic means putting some of yourself into it. Remember to carefully balance all of the other design elements but includes some unique inspiration to really separate the logo design that you are making from other logo designs in the marketplace. While all of the previous design elements are important to creating a successful design, creativity creates longevity.

Learn if it is a good idea to crowdsource a logo design here.