THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE CREATING A LOGO
Before creating a logo one must consider the following items, because a logo represents the image of a business or an organisation.
Research and analyze the needs & goals of the business: Before you design a logo, you should conduct extensive research about the goals of the business. One such way is through a brand questionnaire or discovery call. The brand concept you create should reflect the brand’s ethos and goals.
2. Do not rely on trends
Design trends come and go, hence being a trend. Some trends stick for a long time while some remain as periodic fads. While it is essential to keep up with the latest trends, you should not rely entirely on them as it leads to your logo and brand becoming dated quickly.
There is nothing wrong in staying updated about what’s currently trending and what needs to be avoided but solely depending upon trends is another story. It is better to exert your imaginative abilities and think of an idea that is unique from what everyone else has been doing. Make your logo timeless.
3. Consider creating your logo in black & white first
The selection of the right color palette can be overwhelming for designers and clients at the beginning of a project, since the possibilities of choosing certain colors are innumerable. For this reason, it can be beneficial to design in black and white at the start of the project, and then move into color. See here for color pyschology in branding.
4. Pay attention to scalability
When designing a logo, the notion of scalability plays an important role. You will be adding your logo to promotional items such as social media posts, business cards, posters, and even billboards, so your logo needs to work at all these sizes.
Scalability is just as important as the responsiveness of a logo design, meaning how the logo adapts or changes at different sizes and orientations. On this note, some brands even animate their logo, so this could be kept in mind when designing the logo also.
For a logo to fit every aspect of traditional and digital branding, you have to ensure it looks good in every possible and relevant format. For that reason, you need to test your logo on both small and large-scale formats and/or create multiple versions of the logo for different use case scenarios.
5. Think out of the box
The goal of your finished logo should be to make memorable and tied to your brand’s values & aesthetics. Be innovative and think differently until you are able to come up with something that is truly new. Experiment with numerous styles, such as negative space, and design something that is truly innovative. Consider telling a story or hiding elements within the design such as those above.
6. Strive for minimalism
Having a unique logo does not imply it should be visually complex. Complexity is what needs to be avoided and for that, you have to depend on the concept of minimalism. Declutter your ideas and only add or remove design elements that bring simplicity to your logo design. When in doubt, remove extra elements.
Use a minimal color palette and select shapes, icons, font styles and symbols that do not make your visual message too confusing to comprehend. Understand that less is more. The more elements you add to your logo, the more complex it becomes.
7. Test your logo on different mediums
While the requisite of scalability plays a great role in a logo’s success, you should also make sure to test your on different mediums. A logo on a business card or a pamphlet would look different from the one on a website.
Since there is a great difference between desktop, mobile and print-based platforms, test out its appearance on your website, mobile, printed packaging and other marketing collateral. A logo has to look good no matter in what format it is: digital, printed or even as an app or fav icon.
8. Your logo needs a core concept
What makes a logo powerful is the meaning it conveys. A logo should be able to express the message, values, and vision a certain brand upholds. The design of the logo should be unique and memorable, achieved by having a core concept with a simple message, though don’t fall in to the trap of literally showing what your business does. If you’re a car salesman, you don’t have to have a car in your logo.
9. Learn from the success of others
You can always get inspiration from the work of other designers and businesses, but it is never okay to directly copy the work of others and this really is no way to stand out. Learn from others that are successful, emulate them and improve on what they have done. Inspiration is crucial in brainstorming for new ideas, however, if inspiration is key then so is creativity.
10. Break the rules
One you know the rules, break them.
Logos don’t have to be static symbols, they can adapt, change and be anything they want to be, as long as it ties in to the brand’s goals and ethos.
The right logo can be beneficial towards that goal for these reasons:
1. Recognition
Our memories tend to work in a way where we remember an image first and then a name, which explains why we can remember someone’s face but not their name. Having a strong logo that stands out is essential to making sure you stand out from your competitors. The best logos stay in the memory banks of people and can help create repeat business.
2. Consistency
A logo can provide a sense of uniformity and also make a huge impact on the reputation of your brand. A timeless and classic logo will provide your business with brand authenticity and can make your business look trustworthy, reliable, and professional even if you’ve only been in business a short time.
3. Representation
The logo for your business should be able to reveal the essence of your brand. A design that represents your business is vital to customers being able to know what you do. This is not to say that a car logo has to show a car, but the design style should be representative of the brand as a whole.
4. Beating Your Competition
If you look at almost any marketplace, the number of different brands out there can be staggering. This is why a high-quality logo can help you stand out in a crowded marketplace. With online marketing becoming more important as well as effective, a visually impressive logo that sits well on your site, social media, and marketing materials will make a huge difference in your business’ professionalism and advertising capabilities.

Conclusion
A well-designed logo has the ability to bring in more revenue (indirectly), improve customer retention rates and allows people to trust you as a credible brand. Practice certainly does make perfect and by following these core tips, you will able to create a great logo that drives growth to your brand. Great branding and advertising campaigns are not created overnight. The aforementioned points are important in creating a logo that not only works for building your brand’s visual identity but also helping you run a successful business.