Instantser
Member
Hello Dear Members of wJunction,
Today I wanted to share with you some advice on another elements essential in any website: a logotype.
Maybe you are starting a business and can't decide how your logotype should look like. Or, perhaps, you already have a logotype for your business but feel that something is missing in it. Whichever of the two describes your situation, here are some tips to keep in mind when choosing your (next) logotype image:
1. It all starts with a research. Creating a logotype is not creating just a simple graphical element. What you are doing in creating one, or taking part in the creation of one, is generating a brand for your business and communicating a determined stance, a determined set of views. The first step in your logo adquisition process is, thus, to find a niche for your business and determine the brand you will be trying to establish, and to convey both of these through your logotype. A good logotype doesn't just look nice. It communicates your message, your niche, your character!
2. Keep It Simple, Stupid. The beauty of a logotype lays in it's simplicity. Simple logos are convenient for different situations, are easily memorable and look unique. They may even seem "unexpected" and surprising at times. So, don't overcomplicate your life, keep it simple!
3. A logo never dies. A good logotype must not change through time. As I mentioned before, a logo is not only a graphical element. It represents your whole business, your brand. As such, you can't change it like you change your underwear. A good logo must convey the same values and must stay modern and memorable always! What about your logo? Will it maintain it's qualities in 10 years from now? And in 100?
4. Versatility. A well made logo must work in different media and application contexts. It must be able to be scaled to any size without losing quality and used on any background. As well as that, it must still convey the message if printed in reverse colors or in just one color. Ask yourself: Can your logo be re-sized to the size of a billboard? The size of an icon? Does it look good in just black in white? How about in white and black?
5. Do not imitate! Without doubt we all have our favourite logotypes and like to use them for inspiration. But that is not a reason to imitate them. It is just a lazy way to solve a problem of creativity, and, besides, the more elements you inherit from another logo, the more your logotype's uniqueness, credibility and brand-representativity suffers. Ask yourself - is your logo unique? Does it adapt to your business needs and aims? Will your visitors confuse it with any other logotypes?
6. Make sure your logo is appropiate. The colors, fonts and images used in your logo should not only reflect your business, but also your audience. As such, make sure that they are appropiate for it - to show you a clear example, 3 letters with white strips in them reminding a computer screen, written in just one color and without any image next t them look professional, and needles to say appropiate for a company like IBM.
A teddy bear added next to them deifinetely does not (Indeed, it would be very atypical to have a logotype like that, but this example clearly illustrates my point). However, changing the font of the three letters and the colour of each one of them would make the logotype, along with the teddy bear next to it, appropiate for a shop of toys. Knowing this, ask yourself - Is your website oriented towards serious PC users or little children desiring to play? Does your logotype represent your audience's values correctly? If not, what can you change for it to do so?
And finally, here are some logotypes that compile with all of these standards and that I consider to be among the best logotypes ever created. I hope that they serve to you as an inspiration:
I hope that this post will help you in chosing or creating your next logo.
What about YOUR opinion? What qualities should a Good logo have? Please, share it in this post!
Best Regards,
Graphical Design Team of Instantser.com
Today I wanted to share with you some advice on another elements essential in any website: a logotype.
Maybe you are starting a business and can't decide how your logotype should look like. Or, perhaps, you already have a logotype for your business but feel that something is missing in it. Whichever of the two describes your situation, here are some tips to keep in mind when choosing your (next) logotype image:
1. It all starts with a research. Creating a logotype is not creating just a simple graphical element. What you are doing in creating one, or taking part in the creation of one, is generating a brand for your business and communicating a determined stance, a determined set of views. The first step in your logo adquisition process is, thus, to find a niche for your business and determine the brand you will be trying to establish, and to convey both of these through your logotype. A good logotype doesn't just look nice. It communicates your message, your niche, your character!
2. Keep It Simple, Stupid. The beauty of a logotype lays in it's simplicity. Simple logos are convenient for different situations, are easily memorable and look unique. They may even seem "unexpected" and surprising at times. So, don't overcomplicate your life, keep it simple!
3. A logo never dies. A good logotype must not change through time. As I mentioned before, a logo is not only a graphical element. It represents your whole business, your brand. As such, you can't change it like you change your underwear. A good logo must convey the same values and must stay modern and memorable always! What about your logo? Will it maintain it's qualities in 10 years from now? And in 100?
4. Versatility. A well made logo must work in different media and application contexts. It must be able to be scaled to any size without losing quality and used on any background. As well as that, it must still convey the message if printed in reverse colors or in just one color. Ask yourself: Can your logo be re-sized to the size of a billboard? The size of an icon? Does it look good in just black in white? How about in white and black?
5. Do not imitate! Without doubt we all have our favourite logotypes and like to use them for inspiration. But that is not a reason to imitate them. It is just a lazy way to solve a problem of creativity, and, besides, the more elements you inherit from another logo, the more your logotype's uniqueness, credibility and brand-representativity suffers. Ask yourself - is your logo unique? Does it adapt to your business needs and aims? Will your visitors confuse it with any other logotypes?
6. Make sure your logo is appropiate. The colors, fonts and images used in your logo should not only reflect your business, but also your audience. As such, make sure that they are appropiate for it - to show you a clear example, 3 letters with white strips in them reminding a computer screen, written in just one color and without any image next t them look professional, and needles to say appropiate for a company like IBM.
A teddy bear added next to them deifinetely does not (Indeed, it would be very atypical to have a logotype like that, but this example clearly illustrates my point). However, changing the font of the three letters and the colour of each one of them would make the logotype, along with the teddy bear next to it, appropiate for a shop of toys. Knowing this, ask yourself - Is your website oriented towards serious PC users or little children desiring to play? Does your logotype represent your audience's values correctly? If not, what can you change for it to do so?
And finally, here are some logotypes that compile with all of these standards and that I consider to be among the best logotypes ever created. I hope that they serve to you as an inspiration:
I hope that this post will help you in chosing or creating your next logo.
What about YOUR opinion? What qualities should a Good logo have? Please, share it in this post!
Best Regards,
Graphical Design Team of Instantser.com