Branding is an essential part of your business’s success and one of the most important elements of branding is a logo. Apple, YouTube, Target, etc. when you think of these brands their logo most likely pops up in your brain. Even when you see the logo by itself you are able to associate it with the appropriate brand. Your logo design should be purposeful and there are 5 traits that attribute to an effective logo.
Relevant
If your logo isn’t relevant to your business and audience, it simply won’t make sense. If you are a tech company that sells products to pharmaceutical companies, a bright logo with a bubbly font similar to a kid’s toy brand would not match the goal and function of your company. Color, font, and symbols are the three elements that factor into your logo’s relevance.
Simple
Simplicity goes a long way. Some of the most recognizable brands have 1-3 colors, 1 font, and a small symbol. Consumers are not going to take time to fully digest and analyze your logo, realistically they’ll glance at it for a few seconds. The more simple it is, the easier it will be to stick in their brain.
Memorable
The goal of the logo is to be memorable enough for consumers to make an instant connection between it and your brand. When your logo is relevant, unique, and simple consumers will remember it. Memorable does not just mean being a household name such as McDonald’s, Netflix, etc. it also means, for smaller brands, a consumer seeing the logo once and being able to identify it again the second time they see it. Ultimately you want your logo to stick.
Timeless
The goal of a logo isn’t to be trendy, it’s to transcend time. When a logo checks the box as timeless it is memorable and feels authentic because it has remained the same throughout many years. When you focus on your logo design meeting the trends of the time, it will become outdated and need to continuously change. This constant change will make it harder for consumers to make a real connection with the brand identity.
Scalable and Versatile
Your logo must be able to scale larger and smaller as well as transfer appropriately between devices. A logo that looks good on a website, but is pixelated and taking up the entirety of a phone screen is not a good design. Consumers should be able to see every single aspect of your logo no matter what medium they are using and in good quality.
Your logo should be relevant, simple, memorable, timeless, and scalable/versatile. Focusing on these qualities will guarantee a good logo that will help your business make an identity for itself that will become a staple for years to come.
Author
Angelica Espinoza is the founder and creative director of AE Creative Works. She oversees design projects for a wide range of clients while also contributing the graphic design, marketing strategy, and web design needed to execute their goals.