The Four Main Essentials of a Logo Design

A great logo design goes beyond the aesthetics and the obvious components that the eye can easily see. This is not to refute the importance of beauty in design, but other than being appealing to the eyes, a logo needs to serve its greater purpose which is passing the central marketing message to the target audience and help in the branding of the relevant products and services. You may have the most beautiful logo in the entire universe, but if it fails to achieve the branding and marketing goals of the business, then all the beauty and the elegance goes to the drain. To make a great logo, therefore, there are certain logo elements which must be considered in details to marry the physical appearance and the main logo message to make the logo more effective. Here are the four main essentials of logo design-:

The Color

The color of the logo should never be random, and this is one of the essentials of logo design. While considering the color, it is imperative to have in mind that it is one of the visual stimuli to which the brain is highly responsive. Both consciously and unconsciously, the brain will pick or apportion particular meaning to the color that it sees. It is thus important for graphic designers to harvest the power of color psychology to come up with coherence in logo designs which will make the brain pick or give the intended meaning when the target audience lays their eyes on the logo.

Since using different multiple layers of color will evoke different responses in logo, it pays for every designer to have a comprehensive understanding of when and how to use the various colors at their disposal. Most companies will use the responses evoked by colors to determine the color schemes for their designs depending on the particular they would like the target audience to associate with their products or services. Graphic designers, on the other hand, have a duty to have a good understanding of the color psychology so that they can always be in a position of authority to direct clients regarding color use besides using the right colors when designing logos.

Typeface

The typeface will never miss as one of the most crucial essentials of logo design. The choice of typeface can either make or break the layout of a logo design and it is only imperative that it be done very carefully. The fact that there are very many typefaces for designers to choose from sometimes makes it a bit of a challenge to make the right choice without spending a long time thinking. However, this can be shortened and made much simpler if you understand the following about typefaces-:

The moods to be created by the logo – typefaces have the ability to trigger various emotional responses from the target audience. Are you looking to create a serious, fresh, fun, casual or old fashioned feeling on the logo? The choice of the typeface should thus be made on the intended mood.

Number of typefaces used – just like with other elements of design, you need to limit the number of typefaces used as this can cause clutter and make the design lose its meaning.

Caution with new typefaces – there is a plethora of typefaces currently and whereas you may decide to be a bit creative, be careful with most of the new typefaces whose effectiveness have not been seen or are not very apparent.

Readability – whichever typeface you choose, it must be clearly legible so that people can read the message the logo has to pass without straining at all.

Shapes

Just like with colors, the human perceives shapes differently and will attach or derive various meanings depending on the shape displayed. It simply implies that the shape you use in your logo design will send out a particular message to those who will be seeing and interacting with the logo. This can happen both at the conscious and subconscious levels of the mind. For instance, the following shapes will convey various meanings as indicated below-:

Circles, ovals, and ellipses – shows positive emotional messages such as love, friendship, unity, relationship, etc.

Squares and triangles – suggests stability and balance. Triangles may also suggest law, science, power, religion, etc.

Vertical lines – suggests masculinity, aggression, and strength while horizontal lines signify calm, peace, tranquility, etc.

The Scale

The scale is another essential of logo design which must always be given due consideration. With entrenchment of the mobile generation, logo design must also be adapted to be displayed on the various mobile devices and this can only be done through proper scaling. Again, the scale is very important while considering the final and the specific application of the logo you are working on. Whether it is for print or display on the internet, the scale will always affect the final output, and this makes it one of the essentials of logo design that should never be ignored.

These essentials of logo design must be considered for each and every design if you are interested in having a beautiful logo which will also convey the right message to the target audience.

Learn why white space is good in design here!