Business Logos
Let’s start at the beginning and ask ourselves, “What is a business logo, or even a logo for that matter?” For all intensive purposes, a logo is a graphical element that together with its logotype form a trademark or commercial brand. They act as a bridge between the consumer and the product to help form product recognition. Logos are also used to identify organizations and other non-commercial entities.
When designing your own business logo, there are a few guidelines one should follow. The following is a list compiled from various web sites.
- Avoid going overboard in attempting uniqueness
- Use few colors, limited colors, spot colors
- Avoid gradients (smooth color transitions) as a distinguishing feature
- Produce alternatives for different contexts
- Design using vector graphics so the logo can be resized without loss of fidelity
· Be aware of design or trademark infringements
- Include guidelines on the position on a page and white space around the logo for consistent application across a variety of media (a.k.a. brand standard manual)
- Do not use a specific choice clip-art as a distinguishing feature
- Do not use the face of a (living) person
- Do not use photography or complex imagery, as it reduces the instant recognition a logo demands
The design of business logos is an important area of graphic design. If you are interested in a career in graphic design, start by designing a few fake business logos for your portfolio.
For inspiration, take a look at some well-known business logos including Apple Inc.’s apple with a bite out of it, or Coca Cola’s take on the color red. Because Pepsi is their main competitor, notice how they took the color blue.
Other business logos, like the Nike “Swoosh” and the Adidas “Three stripes” are globally recognizable business logos. Or take a look at the globally famous Playboy bunny logo.
Today, business logos identify a product for a consumer often before text. Therefore, in the business world, business logos are as important as the product itself. If you can create a viral logo, one that spreads and is easily recognizable, your product has a much better chance of selling and doing well. People often associate business logos with the product, much like Coach’s popular C’s on their purses, so business logos today also act like a status symbol. Create a great product with an even better logo, and you might just have the next big thing.
