No-Nonsense Logo Design Tips For Small Business Owners

Ask Questions: A brief is not enough. Ask questions
to learn ins and outs of the business to apply the
right strategies to design a logo.

Don’t Say How: Don’t try and tell
people how your product or
service works. Instead, tell them
what it does.

Know Different Types of Logo: There are three
types of logo, 1. Font-based (lettermark) logos,
2. Illustrative Logo and 3. Abstract Graphic
Symbols. Know these types and find out which
one suits your business.

Don’t Over-Complicate: Avoid adding unnecessary details to
your logo. Because if a logo is too complex to understand or
build an instant connection with the audience, it is wasted.

Follow The Grid: Grids hold a design together.
Whether you work in print or on the web, you
need to understand grids to build a better
design.

Balance Is The Key: In logo design, each
element should be balanced. Such as dark
tones with light hues, straight lines with curved
edges, horizontal elements with vertical ones
and more.

Choose Fewer Colors: Using too many colors
can cause visual conflict in a logo which in turn
might make it harder for viewer to focus on a
single idea. Therefore stick to minimum, not
more than three colors, theme.

Stop Piling Photoshop Effects: These days logo
designs across the board are minimalist and
responsive. So, avoid overusing effects, they
aren’t cool anymore.

Inspire To Be Memorable: The logo is the face
of your brand. Make it easily recognizable and
memorable. Use simple icons and tailor them
with popping colors, fun taglines and unique
orientations to standout.

Use Tailored Icons: Use tailored or custom
designed icons that are unique to the business.
Don’t opt for run-of-the-mill icons that are
available everywhere on the Web.

Stay Relevant: Make your logo pertinent to the industry
you are targeting. Do basic research to know colors,
symbols and icons that are popular in the industry.

Manage Contrast: Whether you are drawing a
monochrome logo or a dual color logo, it is
important to manage contrasting colors and
strike a balance. Similar is required in
typography.

Minimize Text: Minimize text as much as
possible. Don’t use jargons, elaborate brand
names or taglines in the logo. In smaller
viewing ports, logos with lots of text appear
cluttered and hard to read.

Flat Is Good. Bland Is Boring: The concept of
flat design is so stereotyped that it is becoming
boring and bland. But smart business owners
understand how to blend real elements with
flat designs to create distinguished identities
and add surface to the logo.

Ensure Consistency: Make sure your logo
appears the same on the website, social media
covers, stationary/print and marketing
collateral all over.

Break Taboos. Break Free.: You must have
heard of common logo design taboos like use
this and don’t use that or banish certain icons
for some awkward reasons. Don’t pay
attention to any of these. Break free of these
taboos and design freely.

Match The Typeface: Make sure that the
typeface you choose should go with the look
and feel of overall logo. For example, if you are
going with an old-school theme, a classic serif
can compliment it well.

Make It Work In Different Sizes: Make sure
your logo remains intact and readable in
different sizes. Across different viewing ports,
the logo should appear the same.

Across The Board Compatibility: Make sure
your logo works well across different mediums.
Logo readability, colors and details should
remain intact on the web or in print.

Don’t Be Afraid of Change: Businesses evolve
and so does their brand. It is perfectly alright
to make tweaks to your logo or brand over
time.

Test For Monochrome: For reasons such as
accessibility and legibility on low-res screens, it is
advised to ensure comprehension of logo in
monochrome. Ensure that your logo renders well in
minimum color situations.

Be Open To Feedback: Encourage customers to give
their feedback. Collect feedback on various aspects
of branding including but not limited to brand identity,
experience and more.

Trademark Your Logo: Once you
have decided a logo for your
small business, make sure that
you secure the trademark rights
to that logo to prevent
infringement.

Don’t Follow Trend Blindly: Trends are meant to be
followed but don’t follow every other trend that
comes your way. Evaluate each trend wisely and
adapt as appropriate.

Creating a good logo is easy, just keep your
target audience in mind when you’re putting a
logo together. Thank you!