If you are an entrepreneur or a small business owner who just had a great idea for a new brand, you should definitely start thinking about your logo. However, you should always remember that there are some things to keep in mind when designing your logo. Here are five logo design sins to avoid. In this article we discuss Top 7 Logo Design Sins You’ll Want to Avoid.
Table of Contents
Too Many Elements
The first and biggest mistake you could possibly make is using too many elements in your logo and placing them too close or too far from each other. Don’t make your logo too stuffy by using dozens of symbols, icons, and so on.
Think of what makes your brand special and focus on that. You must boil it down to the essence of what makes your company special and create a logo that reflects that. Your logo is the way for your brand to be recognized.
Making your logo design simple is the key to success. Don’t go overboard with any details – it’s really not necessary. Complex designs often throw the viewer off-guard and confuse potential customers. There are three main characteristics that your logo should absolutely possess:
- Impactful: Your customer should be able to understand what your brand is about after giving your logo one single glance.
- Versatile: You must be able to reproduce your logo in different styles and sizes without it losing its meaning.
- Memorable: Your viewer must be able to recall your logo after seeing it only once or twice.
Poor Font Choice
The font is either something that saves your logo or ruins it completely. Yes, it’s really that important and you should never overlook choosing the perfect font for your logo design. There are two ways your font choice could go terribly wrong.
For starters, if you go over the top with the font you choose, you may end up looking silly or unprofessional. Your brand name may be simply unreadable and you will have to rebrand completely as a result.
Another way this could go wrong is if you ignore fonts completely. Your brand name will look so ambiguous and uninspiring that it will fail in representing what your company stands for. And this will only make it forgettable and unoriginal.
You should also keep in mind that some fonts are not suitable for logo designs because they are considered universal failures. For example, Papyrus and Comic Sans are both deemed to be childish and inappropriate.
When choosing the right font for your logo design, think of your brand’s personality. Choose between a classic or modern font, hand-drawn or typed, serious or funky. Fonts can send subconscious messages to viewers, so they are very important for your logo design.
Too Abstract or Simple
Just like being too stuffy can be harmful to your logo design, making it too abstract or simple can also be a problem. Minimalism is great to an extent, but you still have to remember that using it sparingly should be one of the rules you follow. Here are some other tips when it comes to simplicity:
- Simple Is For Being Strict: Simple designs go well with stricter fonts and more serious companies. If your business is about providing services that fall into the “official” category, then going for a simpler design could work pretty well for your logo.
- Abstract Can Be Artistic: Abstract designs could also be used by businesses that provide more “artistic” services or produce creative products. After all, abstract art is one of the most well-known artistic movements in the history of art.
- Simplicity Is Great For Versatility: Unlike more complex designs, simple designs have proven to be a lot more versatile. If you decrease the size of a simple logo, you will discover that its elements can still be differentiated.
Following Trends
It can be very tempting to make your logo trendy but think about this: you will have to keep updating your logo every time the trend changes and this will only confuse your audience. This is why the following trends may be your downfall.
Trends can be represented in different ways, so you will have to remind yourself to keep them all in mind. Here are some:
- Style Elements: Style elements can be anything from symbols to icons. They are either the ones that are used by many brands or the ones that are popular at the moment. If it’s the first case, then your brand will be lost among all others. If it’s the second, then your logo will become outdated with time.
- Colors: Some colors and color combinations are more widely used in certain industries, so you have to carefully consider whether or not you want to look like other companies. Besides, some specific colors or tones may become outdated too.
- Fonts: Just like style elements and colors, fonts can also go out of style. Once again, that’s what happened to Comic Sans and Papyrus. At the same time, some fonts are so unique that we associate them with their respective companies. For example, the font used by The New York Times newspaper.
Too Many Words
Being too literal, so to say, is also not a good idea. Of course, you can make your logo by simply stylizing your brand name, but that is still not the same as using several sentences in your logo design instead of focusing on the icon.
Moreover, logo designs that are full of words are usually not versatile and not as memorable or impactful as they should be. To put it simply, it’s just bad in every way possible. Making your logo simple by not using too many words will make the design:
- Timeless
- Versatile
- Easy To Read
- Not Easily Confused
Copying Other Designs
Now, this is a huge no-no. Copycat designs should be avoided like the plague as they will not only bring a bad reputation to your company but will also make your brand indistinguishable from others.
One of the most common excuses made by those who decide to copy the design of a more successful competitor is that it was unintentional. Similarly, another logic is that the good image of the bigger brand will transfer to your own if you use a similar design. The reality could not be further from the truth. You will only look unprofessional and unoriginal at the end of the day.
Too Much Color
Last but not least, using too much color can be as bad as using too many words. Relying on color too much may lead to you forgetting about other elements of your logo and the design itself. You have to remind yourself that colors are something that should support the overall idea behind your logo design.
Besides, black and white designs are a lot more versatile. If you need to use your logo in a different style where colors can’t be differentiated, a black-and-white logo can be a lifesaver. Just think about it: you can still choose the amount of black or white you use and have different shades of gray included.
Final Thoughts
To sum up, as long as you remember not to make these mistakes while designing your logo, you will be on your way to success. We hope this article about Top 7 Logo Design Sins You’ll Want to Avoid has be en helpful, and what other logo design mistakes have you made before? Comment below!
Author Bio
Frank Hamilton has been working as a translator at translation service TheWordPoint. He is a professional writing expert in such topics as blogging, digital marketing and self-education. He also loves traveling and speaks Spanish, French, German and English.
