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Don't make these mistakes when creating your logo

James Birch
<p>We live in a world where customers and clients travel at a million miles an hour.&nbsp; It is possible that they only give you a glance before skimming on.&nbsp; Therefore, that glance needs to linger in the consciousness of the viewer.&nbsp; There needs to be immediate recognition of the brand and the sector. Your logo is the essential tool in signalling your company aims at super speed.&nbsp;</p> <p>With the logo being the most critical branding investment you can make, it is important to avoid common mistakes.&nbsp; Any error in design will follow you around the marketplace and challenge even your best efforts to expand.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2><strong>Being sucked into the latest trend</strong></h2> <p>Of course, you want your company to be viewed as a leader in the field and on-trend.&nbsp; However, trends in design come and go, but your logo shouldn't.&nbsp;</p> <p>This design will follow you through time and can quickly begin to look dated.&nbsp; There should be something unique about the design.&nbsp; However, the catchiness of the design should not represent the skills of the designer but the values of the company.&nbsp; If the designer ends up <a href="https://onehourprofessor.com/best-logo-makers/">designing a logo</a> for their own gratification that says nothing about your company, then they are doing a poor job.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2><strong>Choosing typefaces randomly</strong></h2> <p>The typeface, which most of us would call a font, communicates a lot about the personality of your company.&nbsp; Choosing a font can make you the hero or reduce you to zero. You can look amateur, or you can look iconic.&nbsp; If you choose three or four different fonts, you can look chaotic.&nbsp; If you stick to one, or at most two, you can look professional. Remember, each typeface has a personality of its own.&nbsp; Therefore, the font you choose must represent your company through your font.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2><strong>Using clipart or stock images</strong></h2> <p>When you produce your logo, without the help of a designer, you will be tempted to use a clipart or stock image.&nbsp; The likelihood that others have used these images is high.&nbsp; Therefore, the chance that this design will make you distinctive is low.&nbsp; You might feel you are artistic, and nor do you think you can afford a significant investment of a designer.&nbsp; However, the logo may not be one of those times that you choose to try to save money with a bit of DIY.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2><strong>Over-relying on colour</strong></h2> <p>Colour is an essential ingredient in branding.&nbsp; A single colour connected to your company can</p> <p>help towards the instant recognition you demand from your logo.&nbsp; However, splashing the colour around without thought will make your logo look tacky.&nbsp;It is a good idea to design your logo in black and white or grayscale first, and then to add a touch of colour where it will add most power.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2><strong>Using image types that cannot be scaled</strong></h2> <p>Some image types, such as Raster, distort when scaled up or down.&nbsp; As they are built from pixels, if you increase the size of the logo, it will look blocky, as if it has been made in Minecraft.&nbsp; Go much bigger, and the image will then blur and look dreadful.&nbsp;</p> <p>Therefore, when designing a logo, it is best to use a vector design package, as this works in lines and accordingly can be scaled down for your business card and scaled up super large for your company banner.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2><strong>Trying to communicate too much</strong></h2> <p>If you make your design complex, then you will lose a lot of the power of a logo.&nbsp; The logo aims to provide instant recognition, even as the customer scans through the internet.&nbsp; If your design is too complicated, then it will merge with the other graphics on a page.&nbsp; If there is too much detail, it will defeat the purpose, which is to be easy to see.&nbsp;</p> <p>Look at the classic logos that you will recognise instantly.&nbsp; Apple – an apple with a bite taken; MacDonald's – the golden arches; Nike – a tick.&nbsp;The genius is simplicity.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2><strong>Stealing from others</strong></h2> <p>Probably the most drastic of mistakes is to steal from the design of another.&nbsp; It is challenging to be unique each time.&nbsp; However, there is nothing to be gained from taking the design of one company or individual and using it with another.&nbsp; The point of a logo is to be unique, to be different.&nbsp;</p> <p>You are essentially stealing the brand and values of the other company.&nbsp; This is intellectual property that has been built up with years of trade, and you will not make yourself look too good by plagiarising their work.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2><strong>In short</strong></h2> <p>Your logo needs to be simple, with sparse use of colour, only one or maybe two fonts at a push can be linked clearly to your business and your values.&nbsp; It seems easy, but perhaps this is one of those times a designer will make a significant difference.</p>

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