Business logos are literally everywhere. They are impossible to avoid on a normal day. Just look around you now, and you’ll see what I mean. In fact, one expert has estimated that we are subjected to about 5000 logos every day. They are on the clothes we wear, the products we buy, the food we eat, and the cars we drive. So, with all that competition, just how do you make your logo memorable? Surprisingly, even solid businesses with great futures make critical design errors in the beginning. Consequently, they end up with a weak or inappropriate logo design. Let’s have a look at the 5 main design mistakes businesses can make.
1. The DIY Business Logo
Quite often, a new business wants a logo, and they want it now. Understandably, they’re keen to get moving, and so they jump on the computer or get a friend to draw something up. They perhaps imagine they’ll get a ‘proper one’ later. Once it’s committed to letterheads, vehicles, premises, etc., the trouble is it’s costly to change.
2. What About Your Customers?
Business owners tend to produce logos that they like. They can lose sight of their customers, and so they may not be ideal. Therefore, before a logo design begins, you should research your customer’s demographic. So, the more you know about your customers, the better the design will be.
3. Don’t Try to Look Like Your Competition
Although there are some common logo themes for businesses in the same sector, don’t mimic your competition. For instance, take Coke and Pepsi. Coca-Cola’s primary colour is red, whereas Pepsi’s is blue. Pepsi deliberately chose this to position itself differently in the consumer’s mind. Clearly, if your logo resembles everyone else’s, how can you stand out?
4. Colours and Fonts Matter
Believing that colours and fonts are unimportant is a mistake. For instance, if you want to convey freshness, then greens are your first choice. Want to make an impact? Then go with red. Red conveys boldness and excitement. Blue is the colour of trust and dependability. That’s why insurance companies and investment banks use blue. The same applies to fonts. Obviously, some fonts like Times New Roman work well on documents but usually don’t work well in logos. There are thousands of fonts to choose from, and this is where an experienced designer can help hone in quickly on the best candidates.
5. The Business Logo That’s Trying Too Hard
Some small business owners want to put everything into their logo, and things can get messy. After all, the greatest logos of all seem to be the simplest. Essentially, your logo needs to convey the personality of your business. So, try to keep it simple, original, clear and memorable.
