What makes a logo good?

Everyone knows what a logo is, but what makes a logo good? Here are 5 factors to look for in good logo design:

  1. Simplicity
  2. Memorability
  3. Longetivity
  4. Versatility
  5. Relevance/Personality

Simplicity

Running a business is complicated, but that doesn’t mean your logo has to be. In fact, your logo shouldn’t be complicated. In today’s fast paced world, attention spans are low, and it’s important to get your message across in an easily digestible, clean and clear way. Simplicity goes hand in hand with a number of factors that make a logo good.

Memorability

The key to memorability is standing out. A logo should stand out from the crowd. It’s fine to look at your competitors’ logos, but the last thing you should do is mimic your competitors’ branding completely. This is where working with a graphic designer to create a completely custom and personal logo pays off most.

Longevity

There are many reasons artists paint and sculpt people in the nude. One of those reasons is the factor of timelessness in the artwork. Without any clothes, it’s impossible to tell the when and where of the subject matter. A logo should keep the same idea of timelessness in mind. A good logo should avoid trends. Trends are temporary and can be traced back to a particular period, much like clothes and fashion trends could be used to determine the time period of a work of art. If your business is in it for the long run, you need a logo that will last the test of time. Not having to update your logo with every trend will increase memorability and will build trust a loyalty.

Versatility

Logos are found everywhere from a tiny app icon on a smartphone to the side of a skyscraper in New York City. A good logo is versatile enough to look good in both places and all places in between. Versatility depends a lot on simplicity. Typically, the simpler the logo, the more versatile the logo is. The design of the logo isn’t the only area of focus when it comes to versatility, though. You should also ensure that your logo is designed in a vector based format. A vector image, as opposed to pixel images, does not lose quality of detail when scaled.

Relevance/Personality

A good logo is relevant to the business, the client and the target market. It’s important to think about your business and what you want your business to represent. Logos can give feelings of trust, playfulness, seriousness and every personality trait in between. A good logo reflects the personality of the business.

Sometimes it might pay off to add some detail in your logo to hint towards a service you provide. If you’re a tv repair shop, it might be nice to have a tv represented in the logo somewhere. However, the opposite could be said for a business who wants to expand into other markets. A tv repair shop with hopes of expanding to cell phone repair needs a logo that keeps possibilities open without having to change the design of the logo and hurt the longevity and memorability factors of a good logo.

Goals and business perspective should be highly considered when a logo is created. The main goal for every business is...customers. It’s important to think about your customers and your target market. What is something that will appeal to them? A logo for a law firm shouldn’t be made of bubble letters.