Sustainable Logo Design Practices for the Future
The branding of every company depends a lot on its logo design.
This is a fact that is well understood by all marketers. That is why businesses always pay attention to the design of their logo.
They know that the logo represents the face of their brand; it should be designed smartly.
People who are coming across the brand always pay attention to the logo. It first impacts their minds, which later encourages them to inquire more about the company’s services.
This logo design concept works well for every brand, no matter which industry they are related to.
The designing of a quality logo is therefore considered necessary. Certain practices should be followed to design a catchy business logo.
It is not just about putting in the colours or creating a good-looking design but crafting a logo that can define the whole brand story.
This type of design can only be created by following a specific set of approaches. It allows designers to focus on every logo detail from top to bottom. This always ensures that an exceptional design can be created that grabs the customers' attention.
In this blog, we will discuss some important tips related to logo design. We will let you know the core rules that should be followed to create a sustainable logo design.
Let’s first start from the basics, understanding why logo design is essential for branding and how it positively impacts customers' minds.
Importance of a Sustainable Logo Design for Branding
Branding plays a vital role in the success of any business. It helps spread awareness about the brand, giving people an idea of its services.
So, the design of branding materials has become essential for businesses. They must recognise everything related to it, so skilled professionals are always hired to handle all the design work.
Those businesses that do not pay attention to the branding always struggle to create a strong impact in the market. They lose a competitive edge over others, eventually leading to their downfall in the market.
Among the different types of materials created for business branding, logo design is of utmost importance. It is the primary identity of a company that lets the people know about its name and services.
A company can only build a solid impact in the industry with a creative logo design. Ordinary designs can never catch the audience's attention.
Logo designs that are more vibrant or unique in looks will always grab the eyeballs, helping brands get more market engagement.
This is what every business needs, as it helps them to build an early impact in the market. Companies can finally crack sales at the end of the marketing funnel by getting engagement and building relationships with the leads.
So, creating a catchy logo design is essential for the whole business growth strategy. Those who think it is just a random figure or design are simply naïve and do not understand the market.
A good logo is as vital for branding as the sales are for the company's survival. It should always be given priority by working with the right approach and resources available in the market.
Types of Logos Used for Branding
Before starting the design process, you should know about the different logo types used in the market. This critical understanding lets you decide which approach should be used for designing.
A lot of times, designers need to learn how various logo versions differ from each other. This is why they usually commit mistakes, creating the wrong shapes that do not adhere to the original style guidelines of the clients.
If you are also a beginner without knowledge about the types of logos used in the industry, look at the options below. It will expand your understanding of logo designing, allowing you to create unique styles every time.
Monogram Logos
The Monogram logo is a type of emblem that focuses on simple letters.
They represent brand initials so that a longer name can be summarised in a shorter format. Many companies with longer names use these logos to keep their branding simple and elegant.
They understand that defining the whole business name consisting of two or three words is not worthy of modern branding.
The best approach is to keep things straightforward so everyone can quickly memorise the logo. This is a common practice when creating any logo related to a commercial business or organisation.
Some of the top examples in this regard include the logos of CNN, IBM, HBO, and other companies. By looking at these logos, you can clearly understand that they primarily focus on the company initials.
They have been designed with a clear perspective, i.e. to keep the logo identity as simple as possible. These logos take little space and still define the whole brand identity effectively. That is the best branding approach that makes the business's identity memorable.
Wordmark Logos
Wordmark logos are similar to monogram logos, except that they use the whole business name in the logo. A lot of times, people get confused between wordmark and monogram logos.
The similarity in lettering in both logotypes usually becomes a cause of concern. However, if they pay more attention to the details of both these types, they can clearly understand how wordmark logos differ from monogram emblems.
The design concept can still look similar, but the details portrayed through the visuals are different.
The design of a wordmark logo is simple. The only thing that matters the most in this logo is the type of lettering used in the design. It is always said to pick the typography style wisely while working on these logos.
This is important because the representation of your company name depends entirely on it. So, by using a catchy typography style, you can make your company's wordmark highly attractive and elegant.
Pictorial Logos
The pictorial logo is the most common type used everywhere in the industry. These logos are entirely based on a particular visual style. Some people also call them logo symbols, as they use a precise figure in the design.
This shape or figure is selected smartly after considering the company's background. The primary purpose of using symbols in the logo is to inform the people about the company's ideological basis.
This can be done accurately with a precise symbol, as that also helps others fully understand the philosophy of the company’s branding.
Designing these types of logos is more complicated. You have to consider various things while creating a pictorial logo.
First, you must identify a figure to define your brand story effectively. After that, you’ll have to pick the colours and other stuff to make the logo attractive.
It is best recommended to keep the ideological concept of your company in mind while selecting all these things. It works well when designing a fashion brand emblem or an ecommerce logo.
Abstract Logos
Another logo type used and liked by many businesses is the abstract logo. It refers to a different class of design in which a particular company name or symbol is not represented.
Instead, these logos take a completely different approach, utilising abstract shapes or figures in the design. This is primarily done to bring complete uniqueness to the logo.
Generally, most companies use logos related to the above-defined categories. These logos are good, but they get nothing new compared to the other styles. An abstract logo emphasises the need for uniqueness. Hence, it takes a different approach to design.
Some people think abstract logos can be created with any random design that suits the eyes. This is not the case because these logos require complete research and planning before designing.
Showcasing company values is very important in these types of logos. It lets the people know what the brand is all about and why it chooses to be unique among others in the industry.
That makes abstract logos highly creative, as they take a not-so-common design approach.
Mascot Logos
Next, we have mascot logos, which are one of the most famous logo styles used in the industry.
These logos depict a particular character in the logo that relates to the company's background. It is another excellent method to bring visual creativity to the design to make branding appealing to everyone.
You might have seen famous logos related to this category, such as the legendary KFC emblem known to everyone.
Over the years, this KFC logo has remained a symbol of top-class fast food worldwide, and people simply love it because of building a close psychological connection with it.
Similarly, like KFC, other company logos follow the same suit of using a character in the design. Pringles is another brand that uses a mascot logo to represent its products.
The good thing about these logos is that the people can easily recognise them at the first glance. That is also a marketing strategy that makes a company stand out.
Best Practices to Design a Company Logo
Designing a logo is a delicate process that must be executed carefully. Every part of a logo should be designed with a proper understanding.
If you try to create a logo without following any plan, you will face many difficulties at different stages. Following a particular set of rules is essential when designing a logo using a step-by-step approach.
To learn which methods to use to design a brand logo, look at the practices defined below. This will give you a brief understanding of how a logo should be created, adhering to all the critical standards of the industry.
Conduct Market Research
Before designing a company logo, it is essential to understand how others create logos to market their brand identity in the industry. This is one of those things that can be done by conducting proper market research.
It is a phase in which you evaluate the logos and the design practices used by others in the industry. This research phase works particularly well for beginners, who usually need to learn how to design a logo at the start of their careers.
It lets them know about everything so they can make better decisions and produce quality designs per the needed requirements of the logo project.
You get first-hand knowledge of the design industry by conducting detailed market research. Indeed, accurate market data gives you insights into various things related to the design circuit.
This information is vital, as it lets you know which practices should be considered and which should be avoided. By knowing all these details right at the beginning, you can plan the logo design journey much better.
This research phase helps you design other branding materials like business cards, stationery, company banners, etc.
Identify Project Goals
Designing a business logo should always be seen in the grand scheme. This means the logo should be designed to boost your branding perspective in the market.
This could be done by documenting the project goals and objectives right at the beginning.
You can plan everything to perfection by clearly understanding the goals. You can eradicate all the chances of mistakes, ensuring you design the logo per the requirements.
Every beginner should strictly follow this practice to work with a complete focus.
To start working with this, you need first to identify the market in which your business resides.
This will let you know the type of logo required to look creative in that market. This will be your first goal, i.e., building a logo to make your brand stand out in a particular industry. Then, deciding on the branding persona that should be showcased through your logo would be best.
This would be the next objective you will need to achieve at the end of the design process. Similarly, you can identify other goals as well that are linked to your logo. This will significantly help you proceed as planned during the whole project.
Select the Type of Logo
After completing the research and identifying project goals, it's time to select the type of logo you will be designing in the practical phase. As defined above, businesses use different types of logos to market their core identity.
From wordmarks to pictorial designs and monograms to abstract logos, there are other options with which you can go in the designing phase. You must first look at your company's branding requirements in this situation.
The information gathered in the research phase, and the goals identified later will help you to choose the right logo type. That is why it is recommended to brainstorm smartly in both of those phases, as that allows you to make better decisions later.
Considering the specifics, you must choose a monogram logo if your company's name is a bit long. It is the best option that lets you design the logo covering the initials of the company name.
Besides this, an abstract logo design is a second option. These logos are unique and can give your brand a new look. However, designing an abstract logo could take longer because it requires a creative mindset.
Meanwhile, pick a style that resonates with your branding perspective because taking a different approach is not recommended here.
Pick the Design Tools
Next up, you have the essential task of selecting the right design tools.
Many platforms and tools are available for logo designing, but you cannot choose any based on a random idea.
This selection should be done with the proper knowledge because every tool works differently. This means that you must first acquire the knowledge to use different tools needed in the project.
If you do not understand the working procedure of the required tools, things could become difficult for you in the design phase.
Right now, the most favoured option of designers to create logos is none other than Adobe Photoshop. It is a popular tool that is used by thousands of designers around the world.
They primarily like Photoshop because of the features it provides on the platform. Using them, anyone with the proper design knowledge can create catchy logos effectively.
Besides that, Adobe Illustrator and CorelDRAW are also used widely in the market to design brand logos. They also offer extensive features to create designs per your requirements.
So, summing up all the options, you can pick different tools that suit your style and provide the leverage to bring customisation to other parts of the logo.
Start Designing the Logo
After selecting the required tools, it is now time to design the logo. This phase will need your complete attention, as all the information gathered above will come into play here.
It is advised that you fix an adequate time frame for this whole process so that you can work according to that. Those who work with the proper understanding of design practices always succeed in creating interactive designs.
So, focus on the details of every part, and then devise a solution to make this design phase fruitful for you.
In some cases, it is also recommended first to create a logo prototype, as that helps to get initial feedback related to the design.
Generally, it refers to a first design draft created to identify mistakes or shortcomings in the respective logo. This gives you a perfect opportunity to analyse where things could be further improved to make the logo highly attractive.
By creating multiple designs, you will eventually create a perfect one that will fulfil all the requirements, giving your business branding a stunning look.
Finalise & Export the Logo Files
After completing the design process, recheck the logo for hidden mistakes. It is a practice that should be strictly followed to avoid any inconvenience at the later stages.
Once done, you can finally export the logo files in the required format. Remember to export the logo in different colour modes per the needed demands. You can export an EPS file for print purposes, whereas, for digital usage, you can get it in the SVG format.
A good understanding of both these formats is fundamental, as it allows you to use the correct logo format at the respective places.
Final Words
That takes us to the end of this blog, where we discussed how to design a logo using the correct industry practices.
These tips will create an exceptional logo that fulfils all your company's branding requirements. They are accommodating for beginners, as well as for those people who are looking to redesign an existing logo.
These practices can be used to design any type of logo, giving you a perfect method to create interactive designs every time.
