But I know that you don’t subscribe to the mediocre crop of designers and you are keen on designing logos that will stand out from the crowd and brand the business effectively. To help in your quest for becoming an epic logo designer, here are certain tips and ideas you can use to ensure that you don’t create logos that suck.

Create readable logos

The first annoying thing you will see with most logos today is that they are never readable or at least you have to strain in order to mark out what is written or drawn in them. The primary reason for this is poor choice of fonts. Most of the current designers are eager to try out the latest fonts, some of which have never been tested in various mediums. In as much as you are allowed to take advantage of your creative freedom to try different components in design, your choice of font should be spot on so that your designs are readable. Remember, an effective logo should grab attention and the moment it can’t be read, it losses this important aspect.

The logo must be scalable

Many are the times when you see a beautiful logo on the company website, but when they send to you a printed mail, the logo looks so boring and different because it has been printed in a small size. The problem here is that the logo was not designed to be scalable. An effective logo must be scalable enough so that it doesn’t lose its properties irrespective of the display size. Ideally, the logo should retain all its design components when printed in small marketing materials such as pens or business cards or when displayed on large prints such as posters or billboards.

Get the colors right

Color choice is another area where most logo designers get it all wrong. Apart from making the logo visually appealing, the choice of color should also be aimed at evoking the right emotional responses from the target audience. Colors should thus be used effectively to communicate ideas as well as convey trust to the target audience. This calls for having a good understanding of the color psychology in design so that you know when to use which colors during the logo design process. Additionally, a beautiful logo is not the one with all the colors of the rainbow. Remember, the world is edging towards minimalism in design and it is not the number of colors used, but rather the effectiveness of the colors in the design.

Be careful about adopting trends

It may be tempting to base your design ideas on a certain fad in the industry that almost everyone has adapted to. But this is very dangerous since trends come and go. If you design the logo to adapt to a certain trend, the logo will cease to have its appeal once the trend is over. A great logo is one with the ability to withstand the test of time and remain effective for many more years to come. You should therefore aim at coming up with timeless designs that don’t follow fads or trends. This is why corporate giants like coca cola, Apple, Google, Nike, McDonalds and many have managed to create strong brands because their logos are timeless and not based on any given trend.

Use Negative Space

The use of negative space in design is a nice trick for creating beautiful and timeless logos laden with hidden meaning or symbols. The industry standard for logos with negative space is the FedEx logo. It conveys a powerful hidden message about the company’s desire to move forward and also make fast and quick deliveries.

Be yourself

Another despicable thing being witnessed in the logo design industry is plagiarism of logo ideas. Designers are in a hurry to make a quick buck and so the best they can do is to browse logos and copy the designs at the expense of utilizing their skills to come up with original designs. The only way to become a proficient logo designer is to always strive to create original designs. There are so many places and so many things which can be used for inspirations and it is just sad that designers refuse to think and resort to copying.

Check out these logos in just one color!

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The other way of enhancing the branding is to have a powerful logo to act as a perpetual reminder to the current and potential clients about the business. In this piece, we highlight certain fundamental tips for barbershop logo design to set your shop apart from the rest and ensure you can you have a consistent stream of clients.

Adopt a simple and clean design

Simplicity and cleanliness are must-have features for any successful logo. They will make the logo look attractive and reflect on the barbershop in an uncluttered way. By being simple and clean, the logo should have balanced graphics, proper fonts, complimentary colors and a cleverly crafted tagline to pass across the main marketing message in a clear and concise manner. To know how to come up with such a logo, take time and brainstorm on the words that you think best describe your barbershop philosophy, services, values and generally what motivates you to give your best to your clients.

Let the logo reflect your barbershop style

One effective way of branding for any business is to target a niche audience. In the beauty or hair care industry, there is a plethora of styles offered by both the salons and barbershops. Identify your specific niche or style and incorporate some of its elements into the logo. For instance, is your style more hip-urban or do you cater for a specific type of clients such as black Americans? When you are able to reflect your style in the logo, it will make it easy for people to tell what they are likely to get when visiting your shop and you will also attract quality prospects because they already know what they want and they have an idea that they might get it from your barbershop.

Intelligent use of colors

There is no logo design which will ever be discussed without reference being made to the color psychology. This owes to the immense importance of color use in logo design. People react differently when they see colors and this call for the intelligent use of colors in your logo design. With regards to designing a logo for barbershop, the choice of color could be determined by a number of factors.

For instance, you may decide to use earth tones to reflect your hair care services or if you are an urban or trendy barber, then going with simple colors such as black and white would still work. Suppose you use organic hair care products and you would want to use this as a selling point, then you may use nature colors such as green, purple or orange.

The size and format of the logo

It is important to remember that the logo will be used in a myriad of places for marketing your barbershop. Probably, you are likely to use it in the social media, in your website, on posters inside and out of your shop and on stationery amongst others. Due to these, it is imperative to consider the size and the format of the logo. Because of the diverse nature of the intended use, the logo shouldn’t lose its quality when printed on small items like stationery or on large items such as banners and poster for the shop.

The symbols or objects

The symbols should be able to let anyone know that the logo is for a barbershop. In this regard, your choice of symbol should be related to the industry. Mostly, some people will prefer to use haircut styles or tools used such as scissors. While searching for the appropriate symbol to use for the logo, don’t be too generic or copy another person’s exact same style. Instead, use them for inspiration and add your tweaks to make it original and unique.

Consider using the services of a professional designer

It is true that you can use a plethora of the online tools and free logo generators to create a logo for your barbershop. However, these options have some inherent limitations which might work against you in the long run. For instance, you won’t have the flexibility to create an entirely unique logo and besides, other people in different parts of the world are using the same tools and same resources, hence there is no originality. The antidote to this is to use the services of professional logo designers who will create for you unique and original logo for your business. You may have to part with some money, but it is worth it for the long term branding of your business.

The post Tips for Barbershop Logo Design appeared first on LogoMaven | Easy Logo Design Software & Logo Maker.

Apple, McDonalds, Google, IBM, Nike and many others wouldn’t have attained the staggering levels of success they are currently enjoying if they never invented their time and resources in having great logos. Therefore, note very strongly that it is possible for your logo to cause your business to fail and that can happen in one or a combination of the following ways.

Alienating new clients or prospects

One of the primary reasons of having a logo for you business is to stand out from the crowd and attract new prospect clients. With a poorly designed logo, you lose the competitive edge to be conspicuous amongst the competition and you will be effectively alienating the prospective clients whom would have been interested in doing business with you. Additionally, a poorly designed logo may attract the wrong crowd which is not suitable for your business and this will do nothing but stunt your growth potential. Therefore, be sure that you are not locking out potential customers by having an ill-designed logo.

Sending out the wrong message

When it comes to using business logos for branding, the logo must have the ability to send out the right message to your potential and current clients. The logo should essentially portray what the business firmly believes in and it should tell the potential clients the business has what it takes to meet their specific needs. People will be more confident in engaging your business if they feel they will get value out of doing so.

And since your logo is the first point of contact between you and your clients, if it delivers the wrong message, then this is likely to make your business fail. Therefore, if you don’t want your logo to fail your entire business, it is imperative to ensure to get the messaging right.

A poor logo may suggest poor quality standards

It goes without saying that success in any business is greatly pegged on the ability to deliver quality products or services. It is a must for the clients or customers to believe they are getting their money’s worth by working with you. A poorly designed logo may create an impression that the business does not take quality seriously. If they can’t design a high quality logo, why should a potential client think that they will get quality products or services from the business? This is another way through which a logo can make a business to fail.

Lack of a great first impression

A successful logo must have the ability to standout from the crowd and make a lasting impression when a potential client sees it for the very first time. This ability to be noticed from amongst the competition is what will be responsible for continuous flow of potential clients to the business. In this manner, it will not be possible for the business to win and to retain prospects if the logo can’t make a good and lasting first impression.

Not only this, but the lack of a good  first impression will have other implications on the business like making the prospects doubt your values and every other thing you claim to stand for. As a matter of fact, it will be an indication that you never took much time and effort to create the logo. Thus, it will not be possible for your business to realize its ultimate growth potential with such a logo.

Affecting talent acquisition

It is important to have in mind that business logos are not just for attracting new clients, but also attracting the right employees to the business. A bad logo may not only drive away talented and experienced employees, but also it can prevent the business from attracting talented professionals from applying for open positions.

A poorly designed logo will send a message to the potential employees that the business is not keen on connecting with their employees, leave alone the customers. A potential employee will thus be left wondering if the business will have any interests in investing in them. If your business is unable to attract the right talent in the industry, then moving forward will be very difficult and the business may as well fail.

These are some of the ways through which a logo can make a business fail. It is imperative to consider each keenly so that you avoid curtailing the growth of your business due to poor logo design.

Learn more about design education here!

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Raster Graphics

Raster is the commonly used type of graphics. They comprise of tiny continuous of colored boxes known as dots or pixels. When creating images or graphics for print, Raster graphics are usually measured in dots per inch (dpi), but when the images are meant for use in the web then they are measured in pixel per inch (ppi). These measurements allow the designers to measure the amount of color information contained in a specific image. The most popular file formats for Raster graphics include jpg, png, tiff, gif, psd and bmp. In the creation of Raster graphics, there are lots of tools which can be used, with Adobe Photoshop being the preferred one by the majority.

Pros and cons of Raster images

One of the greatest advantages of Raster graphics is that they offer greater color detail because they are pixel based. With this, Raster images have a finite number of pixels. Therefore, should you attempt to enlarge the graphic; the computer will try to fill in the gaps of the missing pixels with the colors which it thinks matches the spaces. This interpolation of data is what will make the images appear blurry or pixilated, since the computer cannot guess correctly the exactly colors which ought to be in those spaces.

The second advantage of using Raster is the precise editing that they allow the editors to have. When working with Raster graphics, designers have more precise editing control over the details and the color information. It will interest you to know that all the individual pixels with the color information in Raster images can be edited one by one, therefore, if you are a perfectionist designer, then Raster images gives you the highest levels of customization possible. The editing possibilities are simply endless.

On the other hand, there are certain characteristic of Raster images that are not admirable at all. The first con of these graphics is that they are blurry or get pixilated when enlarged. This is because the images are made of a finite number of pixels and when they are enlarged, the computer tries to guess the right color that should be in the additional gaps. The image will thus appear blurry because the computer has no way of telling the right color which should be filled in the gaps.

The second con for Raster graphics lies on their size. They are large in nature and might sometimes compromise the processing powers of the computers, even for faster machines.

Vector Graphics

Unlike Raster graphics which are comprised of individual pixels, vector graphics uses math to draw shapes in form of dots, curves and lines and they are infinitely scalable. The graphics uses the original math equation to create consistent shapes irrespective of whether they are being scaled up or down. This is why vector graphics are preferred for logos and large scale printing. For creating graphics meant for the web, you are free to use vector or Raster graphics since it is possible to export vector images to popular Raster formats such as png, jpg, etc.

Pros and cons of vector graphics

As indicated earlier, one of the pros of vector graphics is that they can be scaled infinitely without them compromising the image quality in any way. With them, you don’t have to worry about missing pixels, since the original mathematic equation will be applied to the shape consistently at all times.

Secondly, vector images are relatively smaller thus easy to work with and will not affect the processing power of computers as is the case with large Raster files. And finally, unlike their Raster based counterparts, vector graphics are never flattened and this simply implies that the original shapes exist in different layers, giving you the power to modify each element individually.

One of the limitations of vectors is their unsuitability for complex images that might require exact coloring. This is owing to the mathematical nature of how data is remembered by vectors. Though it may be possible to create basic color gradients with vectors, it will not be possible to match the color details available in Raster images, where you can edit each individual pixel.

Learn more common file formats for graphic designers here!

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Top considerations:

Your budget: If you have a fully outlined budget yet and you are just blindly looking for quotes for a logo design, you should strongly consider what you are willing to spend on logo design and look at services based off of this. There are logo design prices to suit nearly any budget. But, it is important to note that by spending a little more you can often get access to more seasoned professionals who will produce a better/more engaging product.

If you want to work local: Working with an international logo designer can be an excellent way that you can cut down the price on your logo design. It is also a great way to have access to a logo designer regardless of where you are. Sometimes working local can offer its own advantages. If you want a designer that can visit your business and learn more about corporate culture as well as meet with you to go through the mockups, working local may be a good choice.

Do I know what I’m about?: Understanding your own corporate culture is essential before getting any type of logo design. A logo will act as the face of your company and will work for your brand recognition. You need to make sure you know what you are about and what your companies about before starting to look for a logo designer.

What style do you like: Put some of your ideas on a piece paper, like the type of style you would like your logo and the type of imagery/text you might want to include in the final design. This can make the process of quoting your design and initial meetings with the graphic designer much easier.

After satisfying some of these conditions you can start the search.

Searching online:

Most people will immediately turn to online sources as a means to find a professional custom logo designer. The Internet is an excellent resource for finding a custom logo designer. But, it’s important to note that many of the first page results and sponsored links will often be package deals from graphic designers who have little to no experience. These deals can seem like a really great buy but some of the package deals that you might see where you can get a logo design in 24 hours for $50 will only provide you with a product that is temporarily satisfying and not really worth the cost. They are often created using template designs and with zero consideration of your target market.

Check out a few design pages that come up after these initial sponsored results. Don’t be afraid to look through some of the portfolio items of a custom logo designer to see the type of products that they have produced in the past. Finding a designer that really takes pride in their work at a designer that has years of experience in the industry can make sure your design carries weight. Designers that have extensive experience will often provide exemplary customer service as well.

Checking LinkedIn/Freelance websites:

Freelance websites and sites like LinkedIn are great way that you can get in touch with freelance graphic designers that are interested in taking on clients. This is a fantastic way that you can break it side of your own local area as well. If you don’t mind working with a custom logo designer that using in your area, you can use a platform like freelancer.com or LinkedIn to contact someone with the qualifications and experience you need. Any of the meetings that take place between you and your graphic designer will most likely happen over Skype or some type of cloud-based meeting system. This can be a great way to share ideas back and forth and it’s nearly as effective as an in person conference or meeting.

While many freelancers like to work fast to maximize their income, most talented logo designers have experience and realize that the average logo may take several days or a week to actually perfect. Make sure that any freelancer will be performing market research, multiple drafts and revisions of your logo so that you can get a polished product you can be satisfied in.

Use these top tips for finding the best custom logo designer.

Here is why you should trust a professional for your logo design. 

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• What long term, short term and mid range goals do you have for the product/service/company/cause that you are working with/developing?
• Is there any direct competition in your marketplace or anyone else in your local community trying to do the same thing?
• Do you need to convince prospective clients and change their mind about your product/offer?
• Do you want to get people’s attention and inform them about what you are doing for your project?

If you answered yes to any one of these questions you definitely should consider logo design for your project. If your company or your project is still in the beginning stages and you are looking at it as more of a basic hobby, you could probably put a logo on the back burner or do without one entirely. A logo is really a sign of professionalism and if your project is more casual effort or something that you simply want to spread through word-of-mouth, you should hold off on professional logo design especially.

If you have decided that it’s time to get a logo it’s important to remember that you have some options available to you. There are also some top considerations to make when it comes to the type of logo that you need and how immediate your need for a logo may be. Here are some other main points that might influence your decision for a logo:

What do you need the logo for?

When many people decide that their project needs a logo they don’t consider how often that they might actually use a logo for their purposes. If you are running a small accounting business out of your basement you may only need to have a logo for a small sign and letterhead. If the vast majority of the business for your company is actually completed through word-of-mouth advertising or a small newspaper ad, you could probably get away with using just a simple logo template. When you need to compete with many other people in the industry and you rely on large scale advertisements as a means to capture an audience however you should strongly consider using a professional logo design.

Advertising needs a logo:

If you do advertising for your business or your project you need to have some type of logo design in place to increase brand awareness. Even if your plan is to develop a few brochures or to send out your business plan to a few potential investors, advertising of all types needs to have some kind of logo for your brand. Depending on your level of competition you should consider getting a full-blown professional logo especially if you are advertising in a major magazine, regular classified ads or in online advertising. Setting yourself apart from the competition and really getting noticed usually requires an extremely professional logo. Using a template design in a national advertisement will only work against you. You may be surprised at the number of leads that you can generate with a professionally created logo over something simple that you made in an online template.

Put yourself in the viewer’s perspective:

A brand without a logo or brand with poorly made graphics can give you a feeling of unease in a particular idea. If you want people to have confidence in what you are doing you need to have access to a professional quality logo. A poor logo is like having multiple spelling mistakes in your business proposal, it just doesn’t instill any confidence in your company, your brand or your idea.

Another big aspect of putting yourself in the viewer’s perspective is that most likely people will be looking at your project with fresh eyes. You need to be able to convince strangers that what you are doing is professional and that they can trust you. If you are able to emulate the style of other professional organizations and have an official logo for your brand it can make you seem more established and more professional even if you have only been working for a month.

While not everyone will need a professional logo for their brand immediately, in order to establish a brand identity and to experience growth/longevity a brand needs to establish a logo for the future. Take a look at what you want to accomplish for the future and see if a logo can help you to accomplish those goals immediately.

Check out these tips on how to give your brand personality. 

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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.

It is common for design clients to ask their designer for revisions once the assignment is done. Whereas it is within the rights of the client to ask for revised work when they are not satisfied, too many revisions might have far reaching consequences on the designer as well as the final value of the work. As a professional designer, it is expected that you understand your work and in an ideal case, you should never offer any revision. But in case you have to, what would be the ideal number of design revisions to offer to clients.

Truthfully speaking, there is no definite answer to this question. It is a subjective one with a lot of factors involved. Some designers will agree to do one, two, and three or up to even five revisions whereas other will be clear right from the start and tell clients that they don’t offer any design revisions. Also from the client’s perspective, they will expect a certain number of revisions for every design work they give. Some are ridiculous to ask for an unlimited number of revisions, which most designers will never offer.

Revisions mean little confidence in your work

Too many checks will give an impression that the designer did something wrong hence there is a need to correct. Even though you may not feel confident about your experience and your levels of competency as a graphics designer, you must be careful with the kind of message you pass across to your clients when you allow too many revisions. Essentially, you are telling them that you were not confident about your work the first time hence you are willing to work on it until they are satisfied. Have in mind that nobody wants to hire a designer who won’t get it right the first time.

The question that begs, therefore, is how you limit the number of revisions you make or how you avoid them completely. Discussed below are various approaches you can use to navigate through too many design revisions from clients:

Be selective when accepting clients

The internet has made it so easy to access logo design gigs at very cheap rates. However, most of the professional designer will never offer their logo designs services cheaply. Clients who don’t understand the dynamics, as well as the importance of professional logo design, are the ones who will be quick in asking if you offer any revisions even before they order for your services.

If you consider yourself a professional designer, then you can limit the number of design revisions to offer by simply selecting whom to work for and those to turn down. Fortunately, you can gauge your future interactions with the client the very first time you start to discuss the project. If you feel that they are the “unlimited revision” type of client or they, show signs that they don’t trust your skills hence will be asking for many revisions, save yourself the trouble and drop them.

Do your research and discuss your reasoning with your client

Most clients will request for design checks if they don’t understand your reasons and why you did what you did. One subtle way of ensuring that this doesn’t happen and that you are with the client on the same page is to do a thorough research on the project and have a solid reasoning behind the design.

Additionally, before you go deep into the design, have some time with the client and discuss with them your thought process, telling them what you intend to do with elaborate explanations. This is so that the client gets a clear picture of what you are doing and incase they have any reservation or concerns about the design; they will point it early enough so that you factor it in the design to avoid design revisions once the project is over.

Formulate a revision policy

Another smart way to handle revisions before they even occur is to have a revision policy clearly stated in your website or indicated in your early discussions with your clients. As noted earlier, many clients will always expect a certain number of revisions. You can limit the revision to one or two or use the One Concept Approach, where you don’t offer revisions, and you let the clients know this beforehand.

The advantage of taking this design revisions route is that the clients will trust you right from the start because you are confident about your work, and they will be less inclined to ask for revisions once you are done with the project.

Know how to deal with revision conflicts

In instances when you get into design revision conflicts, you need to find away to resolve the situation in the most amicable and professional manner. A good method would be to revisit the project goals as well as your earlier discussion with the clients to diffuse any confusion that might arise. You can also show them the original drafts if you are certain that you have done the right thing. However, if the work parameters changed during the project, then it may no longer be a revision and a complete review of the project may be necessary.

Learn how to create a logo with universal appeal here. 

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If you are building a website you know that you are going to need a professional logo design. The problem that many companies forget is that there could be a need to produce a logo that can be used both for web use as well as print materials. If you want a logo that is going to be able to be used for display in stationary, webpages, business cards, posters and signage you need to have a very versatile product. Here are some top considerations that you should keep in mind with your logo to make sure that it can transfer to print from online designs.

File types:

One of the best styles of logo to use if you are planning on recreating or regularly printing your logo on a wide array of materials is a vector file. This type of output can be commonly created in programs such as indesign. The nice part about this file format is that you can scale your logo design to almost any size without the image losing its crisp nature. This means that you won’t end up with pixilation or distortion in your Logo image even if you are using it on a website or on a large scale poster. You can also make sure to save your logo in a few different file formats for future use. Png files are great for online use and they allow for 256 colors. JPG or JPEG files are just fine for sharing in word documents, powerpoint presentations and simple materials. You should never attempt to print using JPG or JPEG files as this will often lead to an unprofessional and distorted image. High resolution vector images or PNG files are a much better way to go for printing. Understanding the right file types for use with your logo is important to maintaining your brand image. Keep file types in mind especially when you are going to be recreating your logo many times over.

Consider how a logo might be seen in print vs web:

You know how your logo will be used on a webpage to display your brand culture. When you think about some of the products that you might use a print logo for example you need to approach the logo or find a place for the logo where it can be utilized in the same way. This means that if you designed your logo to be the focal point of your site, it should be front and center in your print advertising. This could mean having the logo of your company in the middle of your webpage as well as a print logo at the middle of your brochures and business cards. Maintaining consistency between your online materials and print logo materials only leads to stronger and more calculated marketing/branding solutions.

See if the message changes:

A good logo or marketing design should engage the user directly. If you are planning on using roughly the same campaign online as you would offline, make sure that your design can still engage the user regardless of where it may be shown. A great example here might be creating a billboard ad. A user may be more inclined to view a banner ad on the subject for a longer period because they don’t have to drive past a banner add while reading it. A billboard may also contain more blank space or different scaling dimensions in relation to some of your other web material. Scaling some of these items before you print them will help you to identify trouble spots and make sure that items still showcase your methods and your design well, before the printing process begins. Remember to mock up your print logo first to see how it looks on a large scale.

The layout:

The layout for your web content and your logo is bound to be a little bit different from your print content. Don’t be afraid to get creative or have a bit of variance between your print logos/content and your online content. Changing up your logo and branding just a little bit so that it presents better on a notebook or business card is not a bad thing. Just be sure that the new branded logo still reflects your original web work or vice versa. Make sure that you present a unified branding front even if you have to make small tweaks between print branding and online logo creation. This is especially true in large scale print. The layout of a website page or a banner advertisement will not often be scalable to a large scale print design. Rather than having a lot of extra blank space or design elements that simply do not resonate well in print, do some testing ahead of time and be sure to adjust the design as necessary. Use the printing space you have, just as you maximized the space available on your webpage for proper presentation.

Keep these top elements in mind when creating a logo that successfully translates across web and print.

Learn why you should avoid the use of stock images in logo design. 

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Having a logo that can actually transcends time is somewhat of an impossibility. While there are a number of logos that have a classic look and have been around for decades, it’s important to note that it’s tough to match the trends of tomorrow through prediction. Designing a logo using modern trends in design isn’t going to make it trendy for a new generation and will encourage at least some form of rebranding. Most logos usually remain modern for around a decade but some of the classic elements of the logo will make it through the rebranding effort to showcase your history. While no one logo design should be expected to carry you through 50 years of business, any logo should be able to get you through at least 10 years in the design industry.

Logos are art and some of the best art can transcend time. When we look back at classic painters we marvel at their talent and their skill. Looking back at classic logos there are many designers who would like to emulate the same style as well. Creating a logo that transcends time means creating something iconic and simple enough that it can be changed and rebranded multiple times into recognizable formats.

There is no way to predictably future proof a design but there are some patterns that you can follow to model the success of other logos that have had success over a long haul. It is however important to remember some of these top tips:

Very few design elements remain popular over time:

Design is consistently changing especially in logo design. A logo design that transcends time is increasingly difficult because of this factor. As programs in technology change different forms of design are drawn to the forefront of art. In the past designs had to be almost entirely hand-drawn and measured out on drafting tables, today we can bring in complex textures and computer graphics as well as utilize various scripts for scalability and customizability. As computer software continues to change we might see a trend pushing toward animated graphics custom 3d textures and more. For any promotions that include your logo and branding you should strongly remember that graphics on your packaging on your website and more should be placed in the background where as your logo and branding should always come to the forefront. This creates a consistency over time and ensures that you can include modern design elements alongside your classic logo.

Typography makes major changes as well:

While the base image or symbol that represents your logo may not change much over time, you can make drastic changes in typography to update your design. Popular type sets seem to materialize every 5 to 10 years and many of the top scripts used in logo design today are very different from that used in the 80s and 90s. If you want a modern brand you should consider regularly changing your typeset and small elements of your logo to reflect the design changes of the time. Creating a meaningful brand means creating a logo and brand that resonates with the current generation and typography can be a powerful tool for matching your logo up with the times.

Many logos don’t stand the test of time but are still functional:

Many of the oldest logos really haven’t been updated but it’s there classic look that helps them to instill trust in us. When we look at Coca-Cola and Nike for example we see that both of these companies have only done minimal changes to their logo and branding over time but it’s the background images and small design elements that have changed in order to modernize the brand. Some other classic logo designs having been so successful in this effort however:

Capitol one: Capitol one to get outdated logo and recently added a solution the year 2008. While One follow the rule of adding small design elements to keep their logo resonating with a new generation, it was too little too late and a little bit cliché as well. Capital one never really had an iconic brand that was future proof but a small design element like this one really doesn’t help the logo resonate any better with a new generation.  The capitol one Swoosh branding is a great example of how a brand can fail at creating a logo that transcends time.

Pepsi: Pepsi regularly spends money to redesign their can and their logo. While the ball symbol in red white and blue has represented Pepsi for many years, the most recent element of rebranding has almost destroyed what was a symbol capable of transcending time. The Pepsi logo is redone at least once a decade and the company changes it drastically every time. Rather than sticking with a product that works very well as an iconic logo, the company prefers a rapid and modern redesign to stay on trend and it doesn’t always work. This is not a logo that transcends time.

If you are trying to design a logo that transcends time remember that it’s an extremely difficult process. If you keep some of these top blunders and tips in mind however, you never far better chance at accomplishing this lofty goal.

Check out these classic logos for some inspiration on creating timeless logo designs. 

The post Can You Design a Logo That Transcends Time? appeared first on LogoMaven | Easy Logo Design Software & Logo Maker.