Keep Your Logo Simple

Simple logo designs are king. Simple logos are more memorable, they are easier to reproduce, and they more often stand the test of time.

I work with clients every day who want to add “a little something extra” to a clean, crisp logo design. One sports company I worked with, for example, wanted to add a basketball, a soccer ball, a baseball bat, and many other sports related images to their logo. The end result was a cluttery mess that no one could make sense of or remember. Contrast that with Nike’s logo: a simple swoosh. No golf clubs, sneakers, skateboards, or footballs are needed, and you still think ‘sports’ when you see the swoosh.

Another great example of a clean logo is Hello Design. The logo is no more than the word “hello” written in lower case with a semi-circle line underneath that looks like a smile. It’s memorable, clean and fresh.

Mobil Oil uses no icon at all, just the word “Mobil” in a clean font. The ‘O’ is red and the other letters are blue. It’s a logo you’ll always remember, even when you’re speeding down the highway at 80 mph.

USA Network also recently updated their logo. The new design cleverly uses negative space between the ‘U’ and ‘A’ to form an ‘S’ shape. It’s an interesting logo to look at, and again, it will be easy to recall.

Simple, clean logos will stand out and stand the test of time. Make that a priority in your design.

Your Brand is Much More Than Your Logo

In the Old West, when ranchers drove their cattle across country, they were required to “road brand” their livestock to prevent theft and mix ups in ownership. The brands were simple designs burned onto the animals using hot iron shaped into a distinct mark. Ranchers could always identify which animals were theirs by looking at the brand.

These days, the term “brand” has come to mean much more than a distinguishing mark that identifies the producer of a product or service. What was called a brand in the Old West is now called a logo. But in today’s world, a brand is much more than just a logo.

A brand in the consumer and business worlds is what you think about and feel when you see a company’s logo. For example, when you see the sleek silhouette of an Apple with a bite taken out of it, you know you’re looking at an Apple Computer product. But everything about the company—the subtle, simple, elegant design of their products, the professional, friendly tech support, the understated, minimalist-style advertising—they all come together to form a specific feeling and impression in consumers’ minds. This is the brand.

The process takes years. It means creating a unified experience for customers in every point of contact you have with them. Your product, your website, your emails, your customer service and your storefront should all send the same message. This way your customers will come to have positive experiences and expectations about your company.

Think about how to send your message using all of your senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste and smell. For example, if your business cards have a good design it will appeal to the eye, but if they are printed on flimsy paper that feels cheap to the touch, you’ve created a disconnect and suddenly your message is no longer unified.

We can learn a lot from companies that are doing a great job managing their brands. Hearing their name or seeing their logo brings specific, positive thoughts to mind:

Nike = sports, fitness, quality, activity
FedEx = overnight package delivery, fast, dependable
Target = stylish, affordable products, inexpensive doesn’t mean cheap
Arby’s = quality, fresh, different fast food

Whether you know it or not, you’re building a brand already. Each interaction you have adds to people’s perception and feelings about your company. So it’s important to manage those interactions and do all you can to create a company that occupies a specific place in customers’ minds in a positive way.