The most successful logos all have some unique characteristics. The following are the most important principles.

A successful logo requires more than creativity or skill. Because a logo is ultimately meant to fit a variety of occasions, it must perform well no matter where it is used. This can be a difficult balancing act, but no matter what, you have to get to this point. What you have to consider is how to make the logo work. See if some of the following guidelines are helpful to your design?

1. It must be simple

An overly complex design will create communication barriers, so do not appear too crowded in the logo: if you combine green space, flags, lines, golfers , island elements, borders, circles, and curved fonts are gathered into a logo, becoming a hodgepodge. In fact, you only need a few elements to design a logo with a stronger visual effect.

2. It must be eye-catching

Thin lines can produce good results as layout design, but when used on logos, they appear weak because: 1) They are not clear to view. ; 2) Lines that are too thin can easily be broken or even rendered impossible during various copying processes.

Although the above two logos are similar, if the logo is affixed to a car driving in the city, the logo on the first car will not be read clearly at all.

3. It must be able to adapt to various sizes

Many designers often do not notice this. When they design the logo, they make the logo very large to make it look good. It’s beautiful, but don’t forget that your logo also applies to a lot of little things. Remember: your logo needs to look good whether it's on an outdoor billboard or on a business card.

If there are too many details in a logo, the elements inside will appear blurry when the logo is scaled down (note the logo on the left in the image above). A good logo should look like the one on the right, less The details allow the logo to still perform well even at smaller sizes. 4. It must be able to accurately convey business characteristics

This may sound like a cliché, but sometimes when designers secretly admire themselves for their creativity, it is easy for them to throw away some common sense things. Behind the head. For an airline, the logo on the right can more accurately convey the company's business characteristics. The logo on the left, while interesting, does not make it difficult to accurately convey the character of the airline's business.

5. It must have distinctive characteristics

Don’t be satisfied with the ordinary. Your company is unique, with unique corporate culture and marketing characteristics, so you must think carefully when designing your logo.

The circle is a very powerful design element

The circle can easily create a visual focus, and its smooth and smooth edges are more flattering than those with straight edges. Of course, don’t forget the circle’s close friend: the oval.

Avoid using some trendy fonts

Unless your company is engaged in fashionable clothing and the like, the fonts you choose must be able to withstand the test of time. Generally speaking, low-key fonts are the best choice because they can withstand the changes of the times.

Avoid extremely wide or tall logos

Some special shapes are difficult to match in some carriers (such as business cards, advertising, etc.) and often look uncomfortable. . A good logo ratio should probably be 3:2. The ratio is about the same as an ordinary TV screen (a 1:1 ratio is not bad either).

Coordination of logo and name

If the name is part of the logo, the two must match perfectly and can be observed in various positions. In the left logo in the picture below, the white line is extended to make the logo and text form a whole. In the right logo, the logo is made into a whole by repeated use of colors.

What is a logo?

When it comes to logos and corporate image, many people have their own interpretations.

So what is a logo? In fact, the word is the abbreviation of logotype, which used to refer to a company's signature or symbol. The word originates from the Greek: logos , meaning "words."

In the context of graphic design, word symbols are often used to refer to company names. If signs have no words, we call them "symbols", but symbols used to communicate (such as traffic signs or signs) are actually "pictographs"

If a mark consists only of fonts, they may be called lettermarks, wordmarks, or monograms. Usually these wordmarks are expressed in the form of initials or abbreviations. Of course, you can also use the company's full name. When symbolic patterns and word marks are combined, it is what we call "combination marks". If any of the above forms of marks are registered or protected by law, they are called "trademarks".

In the publishing industry, many people use a wordmark or masthead on the cover to convey the name of the publishing house, but the accurate name (especially for a newspaper masthead) should be "nameplate" or The precise meaning of "banner" and masthead is the text that lists the publisher's name, owner's name, staff list, address and telephone number, etc.

For the convenience of description, we use the word "logo" below to represent the company's symbol, and "masthead" to represent the publishing industry.

Let’s start designing a logo!

Let’s see how you can turn some simple symbols into a beautiful logo.

Some typographic symbol fonts (Dingbat fonts) provide very rich elements for designing a modern logo. Many of these symbol fonts are already beautiful, saving time or effort in designing these basic elements. But their biggest benefit is that they help provide you with some patterns to study when designing your logo. You can make them beautiful and functional by forming paths, breaking them up, rearranging them, twisting them, rotating or scaling them, changing their colors, and more.

1. What do you want the logo to look like?

Abstract Expression

Symbol fonts are great for creating some abstract logos. Unlike some painterly logos (paintings convey real objects) or symbolic logos (for example, we use the earth to symbolize human beings), abstract logos are conveyed through suggestion and indirection, and their meaning is relatively vague.

If you want to design an abstract logo, keep a few points in mind:

The products or services of the company to which the logo belongs are difficult to express in words;

You What I hope to convey more is concepts such as strength, good relationships, imagination, etc.;

Your company's products or services are very diversified

Group elements into a group to convey teamwork, cooperation etc. meaning. The rigorous order of arrangement also symbolizes structural stability, while the overall image of a flower suggests the company's growth.

Patterns of overlapping objects around a central point suggest development, thoughtful action, or unity. This interlocking graphic also conveys the meaning of relationships and team strength.

Express something specific

Many beautiful logos are designed based on specific objects. For example, a printer may find the printing process a fun job, but for consumers, we may find it too noisy and full of ink. So the printer would want his logo to convey the quality of his press in an indirect way.

2. Use a background to beautify your logo, or enhance strength, contrast, etc.

Create an artistic stage

A simple background is like letting your pattern There is a stage for performances.

Many symbol fonts are already beautiful on their own, but the effect can be doubled if used with a background. We use a background because:

We want the logo to look more powerful;

To further beautify the logo;

To smooth out the original rough edges;

Strengthen color expression;

Create a feeling of vitality;

Use simple background graphics. The three most ideal backgrounds are: circle (or ellipse), Square (or rhombus) and hexagon. These graphics are simple and symmetrical, making it easy for the viewer to focus their attention. Graphics that perform slightly less well but can also be tried are: vertically placed ovals, rectangles, triangles and polygons (larger than six sides). These graphics present a sense of divergent energy.

A logo can often be enhanced by adding a vibrant background. For some logos involving multiple small elements, the original outline may appear messy, but if placed on a background, It will increase their visual impact and also make the logo more adaptable when it is finally applied to some actual items such as business cards and other office supplies or various advertisements.

A background is equivalent to adding a trunk to the original element, and also gives the logo a space to breathe and appear more dynamic. The overall look is more eye-catching.

Different shape backgrounds have different visual effects. You can try different shapes to see the effect when designing. Pay attention to the above logo on the right. The outer corners and hexagons of the elements inside correspond to each other.

Positive and negative space swap

These symbols have good visual effects when placed on a dark background. But when the elements inside are white, the background becomes the dominant visual element and can sometimes make the logo more vivid.

Observing the above three, the visual difference between the far left and the far right is very large.

Look at the two pictures with very different feelings. The picture on the left has no background. We can feel that there is light radiating from the middle to the surroundings. If we turn it into white, and then add a red background, the effect will be completely different at this time, and the background will greatly suppress the elements.

Resizing and regrouping

When some elements are off-center or rotated, it can create a sense of tension in the logo and make it appear more dynamic and energetic. Different positions can convey characteristics such as stability and movement. Which one is better? You just need to observe it with an artistic eye. But no matter which one you choose, it must stand out!

Rotate, resize, and move each element to touch the edge of the outer circle. You can see that each treatment produces a different visual effect. Placed underneath conveys weight and stability; touching the right edge conveys movement, etc.

In the picture above, which sun design is best? The change and position of elements within affects the message conveyed by the logo. Which one will you choose?

3. Create!

Separate various elements:

Directly using some of the original symbol elements is only the most primitive step. Sometimes, you can break them up and recombine them, and you will find many useful patterns hidden inside. We provide several possible methods:

Separate the elements;

Pair Rearrange the other half;

Move a certain part;

Place one or more elements;

Remove a certain part of the element.

Change one or more small elements

Many symbol elements generally have a symmetrical structure. We can consider redistributing these structures, as shown below, from the same basic structure , we can produce three different structures, and the results are all good:

Use only some of the elements

We can remove some elements: sometimes the local elements appear better than the whole More interesting, especially when placed in a background. For the sake of surprise, try this method.

In the above picture, simply cut out half of the pattern to create a sunrise pattern.

Cut out a subtle element to create another interesting feeling.

Recombine split elements

Sometimes one element is not enough, copy part or the entire element, and then layer or place it, you can also produce some refreshing images.

We can sometimes take parts from multiple ready-made symbol elements and combine them into a new element.

4. Add the company name

The name can be very small...

Your company name is part of the logo. For many office supplies and printed materials, Your sign must be legible at arm's length. A smaller, plain and simple company name will appear more professional and steady.

Where to put it? Unfortunately, there is still no "absolute" standard, because different patterns have different visual effects. Try placing the company name on all edges of the pattern background, on the left, right, corner or other positions of the pattern, and observe carefully.

How wide should it be? It’s best to make your company name fit within the width of your logo name; if the name is too short, widen the letter spacing. In logos, uppercase letters are generally more appropriate than lowercase letters.

…The name can also be big!

If the sign will be used primarily outdoors, such as on truck bodies or buildings, the name should be large. At this time, the company name dominated the entire logo, and the font design became a key design element.

How to Design a Letter Logo

Use your company's initials combined with graphic elements to create a beautiful, impactful logo.

In the Middle Ages, craftsmen had put their own unique stamp on their products to express their guarantee of the quality of their products. Later it evolved into our trademark today.

Early logos were highly decorative and usually used some very cumbersome and gorgeous lines to outline the letters. Compared with the current logo, although the purpose of the two is the same, there are differences in appearance. great development. Modern trademarks rarely use these complex and cumbersome styles. They usually just use outline drawings of certain objects, and the fonts of company names generally appear simple.

These lettermarks remain one of the most dominant forms of logo design—they are stylish, impactful, and easy to create.

Let’s take a look at how to design a letter logo that works.

Before designing...

Of course, letters are the basic elements of letter logos, and different letter shapes and proportions will determine the rest of the entire logo. First, we have to learn to observe first. Generally, we place the letters in an open background area, and then think about how other design elements work with it.

1. Type the company name first.

Choose a font, then create an outline of the font so that its lines become paths, and remove some of the originally empty areas inside.

2. Create an image element

Create (or find) a simple image element (of course, the image element must be related to your company's products or services), in our In this example, it is a tropical fish store, so we chose a tropical fish image element. This element does not need to be overly intricate in detail, what is important is its overall silhouette.

3. Combining

Fill this image element into the empty area of ??the original letter. Note that although the outline of this image element is different from the original empty area, it does not affect our recognition of this letter.

1. How to draw these elements?

Start with real items

If the customer's product you are designing is a specific product, if there are many kinds of products, we can try some of them. . Each one will convey a different meaning. If the customer provides a service (such as a hotel), we can look for it in an environment, such as a cactus (a hotel in the tropics), or a teapot.

If a realistic image doesn't do the job justice, try a symbolic image

A symbolic image is usually flattering and conveys some intangible message about the company, such as strength feel. The symbolic pattern we are looking for is not a very abstract or mysterious pattern element. It must have a guiding function (like the function of some signboards) or something we often see.

Some realistic images can have rich symbolic meanings, such as birds, which convey a message of peace; light bulbs, which convey good ideas; and bulls, which convey strength and momentum.

2. How to draw: Keep it eye-catching, but keep it simple

Represent their appearance

Logo must be able to convey information quickly. We must draw the features that best express the object, such as the hammer below. If we draw it from a bird's eye view, no one will know what it is.

Use some detailed elements when necessary

There are some highly decorative elements that are beautiful but are too complex and not the ideal form for a letter logo. We don’t need too much detail, we just need to be able to identify what the object is.

What’s the reason for too many details?

It is best to add an eye, and you will know what it is at a glance.

If you want to add lines, you must control the thickness and number of them

Lines can give people a feeling of fast movement, but if you are not careful, you will create too many marks. details. Lines should be consistent in thickness and do not design your logo with multiple different fine lines.

In the above logo, the thickness of each line is the same, and the intervals between the lines are also the same.

Don’t make the outline too complicated

If the size of the teddy bear is large, it is easy for us to identify, but the problem is that if it is reduced to the size of a letter, it will It just looks like an ink stain. Why? Because its outline is too complex. One solution is that we just use the head of the teddy bear. Although only a part of it is adopted, it will not affect the recognition of the image.

What font to choose?

When designing this kind of logo, we can choose a very bold or thick font so that the character of the letters is still preserved when paired with other graphic elements. But avoid choosing letters that are too compact in structure, because the blank areas formed by the corners in these letters are usually very narrow and tall, which greatly limits the flexible use of image elements.

The above are various fonts and their font names

Where to put 3: replace the white area

As we said above, replace the original letters The hollow area is removed, and then other image elements are used to replace the empty space. Usually, the added image elements are generally larger than the original hollow area.

You don’t need to carefully consider where to place it every time. As shown in the three examples above, the effect is strongest when the image elements are consistent with the sense of direction presented by the original letters. Pay special attention to how the pattern of tulips in the image above forms a letter P, which, unlike the other two, is just one part of using floral elements.

The principle of placement is to make the letters easily identifiable.

We must adapt to the original structural characteristics of the letters:

In the picture above, the pen is very beautiful, but what are the letters?

This placement is undoubtedly the most appropriate

Avoid placing it like the picture above. Our picture elements should be harmoniously combined with the original letters, rather than natural with the original ones. The shapes conflict.

Try these techniques:

Repeat graphic elements and apply them to letters, or pattern each letter of your company name:

A group Ants are more effective than one ant, which is consistent with our thinking inertia. Repetition like this must be done so that the original letters are already easily identifiable.

In the above logo, note that the "I" has not been processed in any way. Generally speaking, avoid adding image elements to a letter that lacks hollow or negative areas (for example, the letter I does not have any space. empty area).

How to design a word mark

A word mark refers to a logo that does not contain graphics. Designing this kind of logo can actually be very simple!

If a logo does not contain graphics or pictures, it is called a word logo. This type of logo is relatively easy to design. Word marks are the most widely used type of logo. In fact, many large international companies are using this kind of logo, such as IBM and Sony.

Like other logos, wordmarks also need to represent something. Before we start designing, we should take some time to think clearly about what the logo wants to convey. For a company or group, what does it want to express, a thing or a person? Is it a product or service? Who are the target customers? Without clear answers to these questions, designers can easily be tempted to add a lot of fancy graphics that are not actually what the company needs. The better you know about the company, the fewer detours you will make.