7 Logo Design Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

[grease]

greenjedi,edhan,
You can find many of world's top logos at the following site:
http://www.goodlogo.com
Keep in mind these logos are user ranked - I would not say they are ALL great logos. I recommend reading the case studies to get a feel for the logo's purpose.


Take Care,

Grease

[eightfifteen]

Another common mistake is color selection. Many times people will design a logo without thinking about tying to have it printed on business cards, letterhead, etc. The more colors that you use, the more expensive that the print job is going to be.

Unless you can either guarantee that your logo will never be professionally printed, or you simply don't care about printing costs, try to limit your logo to 1 spot color and black, or 2 spot colors.

If you are really tricky, you can use those two colors as a combination and create a third color at no additional cost!

[staceman]

Another common mistake is color selection. Many times people will design a logo without thinking about tying to have it printed on business cards, letterhead, etc. The more colors that you use, the more expensive that the print job is going to be.

Unless you can either guarantee that your logo will never be professionally printed, or you simply don't care about printing costs, try to limit your logo to 1 spot color and black, or 2 spot colors.

If you are really tricky, you can use those two colors as a combination and create a third color at no additional cost!

I always provide several forms of a clients logo, full color (on line use, sometimes animated), and then other 1 or 2 color layouts that can be used for business cards and promotional items as an imprint. This allows multiple uses and can reduce printing costs.

[grease]

What are some tips between a logo for traditional biz versus an online .com biz?

That is a very good question geoffrygag. I get this one often.

In short, a great logo is medium independant.
The same principles of clarity, simplicity, uniqueness, contrast and memorability are just as important online as in print.

However, the web does open up some doors as well as restrictions in the way in which the logo is presented.

The web does allow for some enhancements that would otherwise be costly in print. (Such as additional colors, gradients, etc.)

A common challenge for a ".com" logo is where or how to display the domain name. I cannot give a shotgun answer for this, but consider the following:

1)Is the domain (.com,.net.,.ca) truly necessary?
2)Does the length of your name look awkward or banner-like?
3)Does the domain take away from the recognition, brand strength, or aesthetic appeal of your logo?
4)Can the domain be displayed in a different manner (smaller,another location, more integrated)?

I hope this helps,

Grease

[grease]

The amount of time and money wasted on logos amazes me. We could have done so much with that effort. When I see an excessively fancy logo I think "inefficient company"

I agree with what you are saying. I think a more appropriate statement would be "the amount of time and money wasted on ineffective logos"

An effective brand image DOES take a lot of effort, time, or money to develop. As the face of your business and representation of your products, this effort should not be taken lightly. The attitude that branding is a waste or 'extravagance' will severely restrict your ability to market your products your realize full potential.

The real issue is where the effort is directed. All too common the logo design process begins with Photo Editors and Clipart Galleries. The end result is a meaningless mess of colors, lens flares, bevels, drop shadows and distorted text. I have no doubt a lot of work goes into many of these logos - but the logo still remains useless - even harmful.

A powerful logo begins with creativity and a true understanding of your business's marketing objectives. I encourage designers to spend 75% of their time developing ideas and paper comprehensives before they even hit the screen.

Take Care,

Grease

[mdmspt]

I have a Physical Therapy practice, and I also teach a continuing education course to other therapists about using T'ai Chi techniques to improve balance and decrease fall risk. My black & white logo is at:
http://oaktreep.ehost.com/sitebuilde...res/ptlogo.jpg

My color logo is on one of my business cards, and can be viewed at: http://www.oaktreept.com

It might take some time to load on the site, but what about print use? I have generally had positive comments about my card.

Jon Ruttenberg M.S., PT
Oak Tree PT
http://www.oaktreept.com

[mdmspt]

I apologize for my previous post. I completely misunderstood how this works. I think I have it straight now.

I hope that this thread did not come to a grinding halt because of my post.

Much embarrassed!

Jon Ruttenberg

[jawn_tech]

A great logo IMO is Amazon's.

http://www.amazon.com

[mdmspt]

jawn_tech,

Your Pink Floyd tag line reminds me of the time I took my car to a quantum mechanic. It wouldn't drive in a straight line for months after that!

[darren13]

Only just noticed it mate - about to post a logo for the boys n girls to have a butcher's at and noticed that tip Numero Three was gone - is there a conspiracy!!??
Darren