What makes a good logo: a deep dive into the design principles of logo design
Logos are an essential part of any brand – they represent who you are, what you do, and in some cases what you stand for.
It is a brand’s most recognisable identifier, in fact 75% of people recognise a brand by its logo and for most a logo will create that all important first impression.
Used as a short-hand for a brand they take centre stage in any branding or rebranding exercise.
Whilst all logos are not created equal, with the approach of a keen eye and an arsenal of winning design tips, it is very possible to break down what makes a killer logo.
Logos are a graphic extension of the internal realities of a company
Saul Bass
💡 The 5 Principles of Logo Design
There are five principles that can be followed in order to achieve a logo design that is impactful and effective. We follow these for two reasons: one being that we want to achieve an outcome that genuinely reflects who you are, and the other being that we want to achieve an outcome that stays true to the values and identity of the future-you.
If you can speak to your authenticity in the logo design process, you allow that story to continue to speak to itself once your logo is published for the world to see. This is when we start to unveil what makes a good logo for your specific brand or service.
1. Make It Memorable
It’s important that your logo contains an element which your viewer will remember. Do they remember your wordmark because it was unique and witty? Do they remember your brand colours because amongst the other facets of the logo application, they’re hard to forget? These are the questions you want to challenge your ideas with in order to create a logo that will help your brand to be remembered.
2. Keep It Simple
Keeping it simple means creating a logo that will give your viewer a very concise idea of who you are and what you’re all about. Not all viewers of your logo will have a long time to do so – think, they could be driving past a billboard for a matter of seconds, or scroll past a sponsored social media post where they will only spy your logo briefly. This is why it’s so important to keep your logo easy to recognise, a.k.a simple.
3. Keep It Relevant
What feelings are provoked by your logo? Is that how you want to make your viewer feel? Is your logo a little on the abstract side? Will your viewer know exactly what you’re trying to say and why you’re saying it in the first place? Making sure your logo is relevant to not only your brand, but your audience, means that you’re more likely to attract, and retain, the right kind of customer or user.
The strongest logos tell simple stories
Sol Sender
4. Versatility
First Your logo needs to be able to go from billboard-scale to business-card-scale without ever compromising on legibility or effectiveness. This is where it is crucial to consider elements like spacing, typography and iconography to ensure your logo is doing the most for your brand.
It needs to be able to convey as much meaning when seen etched into glass as it does when seen animated on screen.
And it needs to be flexible enough to adapt to responsive design. It needs to have the ability to shape-change from a simple icon back to its original form — and several iterations in between!
What makes a good logo is the power of versatility.
5. Future-Proof It
Trends are fun. They can also make or break your logo design.
Whilst it is perfectly reasonable to want to incorporate current and contemporary elements in your logo, it is important to make sure your logo will still be relevant and impactful in ten years time.
Ditch the micro-trends and opt for characteristics that reflect you, and the ways in which you intend to honour your values and offerings moving forward into the future.
✏️ The 7 Elements of Design — and how they can shape a logo for the better
Whenever we create a new brand for our clients, we draw on the 7 elements of design to help tick all of the necessary boxes to craft a unique logo.
1. Line
A line is any two connected points – simple, right? Yes, but linework can be utilised in more complex ways to create beautiful texture and movement in your logo to support your overall messaging.
If you are creating a logo for a construction company, you may create linework that is harsh, bold and sharp to reflect stability, durability and confidence, whereas if you are designing a logo for day spa services, you might prefer to use slim, delicate lines with subtle movement so incite a feeling of calm, relaxation and attention to detail.
2. Shape
We have two options to choose from when it comes to shape – geometric and organic.
Geometric shapes are shapes with a particular number of points and edges, also known as boundaries, that define the shape (circles, squares, triangles).
Organic shapes on the other hand, like a cloud, a silhouette of a real-life object or living thing, that embody the freedom that more abstract design can provide us.
Knowing which type of shape to use for what purpose, but also knowing when to break ‘the rules’ is what makes a good logo.
3. Colour
Colour is arguably one of the most important factors to consider when establishing what makes a good logo for your specific brand.
Colour psychology is invaluable here. If you wish to convey ambition, confidence and strength, red might be your colour. Black on the other hand would be much better suited to brands looking to convey tradition, luxury or authority.
Colour is what will help catch the eye of your ideal customer, and keep them coming back for more. Colour also helps to differentiate brands within their category: Coke is red, Pepsi is blue. In fact colour can improve brand recognition by up to 80%.
Colour can improve brand recognition by up to 80%
4. Typography
Typography is one of the other most crucial parts of your logo to nail. The way your brand name is expressed is imperative in communicating to your customers who you are and what you stand for.
A play centre for children may visualise their brand name with bold, more organically shaped sans-serif letters. A widely published newspaper, or departments within a government sector, may opt for a more uniform serif typeface to encapsulate professionalism and authority across their name and tagline. A typeface speaks a thousand words.
5. Texture
Texture impacts upon what makes a good logo when it comes to creating a sense of tangibility for your product or service. In person, texture is the way we interpret a surface through a sense of touch.
When it comes to graphic design, texture is the way we imagine a surface would feel. A rugged, earthy texture would be perfect for utilisation by a camping brand, whereas a glossy marble texture may be much better suited to a high-end kitchen company. Texture allows us to touch the senses of our audience.
6. Space
Space is more complex than first meets the eye, however, it can make a drastic impact on the essence of your brand’s logo. By definition, space is a continuous area or expanse which is unoccupied, however this does not limit the way we can utilise its design benefits.
Negative space, also known as white space, refers to an area of relief within an image, or in this case, a logo. Negative space supports design elements already within your logo.
A great example of the utilisation of negative space can be seen when a silhouette of an object has an area of emptiness which is then extracted and used to create an entirely new shape all together. Space supports and holds our other design elements to help communicate your overarching visual message.
7. And let’s not forget: movement and sound
For years logos were only seen in print. Static on a page, billboard or office sign — but those days are long gone. The vast majority of our clients also have animated versions of their logos.
Viewers retain 95% of a message when seen as a video or as animated
Movement and sound allow you to tell a broader story about your brand and engage your customers more powerfully.
🔍 Some examples of good logo design
There are countless examples of brands that have hit the nail on the head with their logos. Below a few standouts:
The (original) Tourism Australia
Australian agency for attracting international visitors
Why is it good? It just feeeeels like Australia! Rich, earthy colours. An intense, burning sun. A free-spirited kangaroo. To me it encapsulates a lot of what Australia offers its visitors and does exactly what a tourism logo should do - makes you feel like you're there!
You can almost feel the sun burning the back of your neck!
V&A
Art, design and performance museum in London
Simple elegance with a twist. The biggest challenge with design is to keep it simple — to strip back the elements until you're left with only what you need. Which is why, for me, the V&A logo is up there with the best.
The idea to remove the cross-bar of the A and use the ampersand to replace it means we’re left with a unique mark that is both classic and modern. Designed by Alan Fletcher in 1989 it still stands the test of time.
Art Walk
Annual event celebrating artists living in Piedmont, California
Simplicity wins again! Playful, relevant and clever. The Art Walk logo is cleverly executed and perfectly reflects who they are and what they do: a small city, community event.
To use just typography with clear purpose and character is pretty impressive. Animates nicely too!
Academy Awards
aka the Oscars, prestigious US entertainment awards
Using negative space to communicate a second message is a neat trick when done well. For the Academy Awards it’s a cleverly done spotlit Oscar statuette that also creates the Academy ‘A’ — bringing together two aspects of the brand in one symbol.
Bold and distinctive, classic and sophisticated it’s a great representation of who they are and what they do. Gold!
One Football
Leading football app for fans
Clever use of shapes to convey two messages. When I first saw this all I could see was the number 1.
A nice logo, well executed. Distinctive shapes and sport-like characters all felt right and worked well — and then I saw the legs kicking the ball! Goal!.
Toblerone
Swiss chocolate brand
There’s a bear in there… Using negative space to communicate a second message is a neat trick when done well.
For Toblereone, the white bear hiding in the logo is a nod to the birthplace of the chocolate (Bern, which features a bear on their coat of arms). The triangular mountain even inspired the shape of the chocolate. Nicely done.
And then these…
‘Responsiveness’ has led to brands having to adapt their logos to work in different spaces all whilst maintaining their identity.
What I love about these is how even when they're stripped back to the simplest shapes they’re still recognisable and still feel on-brand.
🤔 Overall, consider how a logo can help tell your story.
Logos are considered one of the most important elements of any brand's toolkit (if not the most important of all!).
Afterall, a logo is a relevant, clever and inspiring icon that can engage a customer immediately or put them off your brand for life.
And whilst creating a pretty logo is relatively easy, making one that tells your brands story is another matter.
References
Forbes | Renderforest | Insivia
Chris Thomas is an independent design and branding specialist with over 20 years experience working with iconic brands across a wide range of sectors spanning the UK, EU, US, Middle East, Asia and here in Australia. He is the owner and Creative Director at Founded by Design, and has been awarded both nationally and internationally for his work.
