Logo Design—7 Important Things to Consider

I've outlined seven of the "Critical Mistakes" that small business owners make when they need to create a logo. But, if you're a positive thinker, you may prefer seven things to keep in mind when you set out to design a new logo for your business:

1. Hire a designer or design firm to help you create your logo. Yes, I'm serious. Here's why.
2. Know your customer and design a logo for him or her, not you. More.
3. Know your competitors, and design something different. More.
4. Use colors to communicate your message. More.
5. Choose a font that helps tell your brand story. More.
6. Keep it simple. This one is tough, but very important if you want your logo to stand out. More.
7. Leave out the legal words (okay, maybe this one isn't quite positive, but it's still important. Learn why, here.

It's been said that design is too important to be left to designers. That doesn't mean you shouldn't use and trust a professional designer (see #1). It does mean that you should be very involved in the decisions you make about your logo (or any other design project you undertake).

Critical Mistake #5—Using Any Old Font

Your logo (and every other design project you undertake) represents you and your business. And just like you, it should have a personality. The right font can do more to communicate your personality than any other element in your logo. So when you choose a font, here are a few things to keep in mind:

1. Be original (or at least not boring). Times New Roman and Ariel are great fonts for word processing, but they won’t do much to help you stand out. There are literally thousands of fonts to choose from ranging from impactful, block lettering to elegant scripts. Choose a font that conveys the values your business stands for.

2. Make sure the font you choose is readable on business cards as well as billboards. Some fonts are a little too fancy for their own good. If the type you choose is too difficult to read, your logo will disappear into the mass of thousands of un-noticed logos your customers ignore every day.

3. Don’t get too trendy. Avoid the temptation to be hip or you may find yourself with a dated logo a few years from now. (Unless of course your business is built on being hip, like say a night club, then a trendy font may be just what you need.)

4. Do some research. Before you meet with your designer, you may want to identify a few fonts you think will appeal to your customers. A simple Google search will turn up dozens of websites that sell and talk about fonts, like fonts.com and typographi.com. The more you know, the better your font decision will be.

Critical Mistake #4—Thinking Colors Don’t Matter

This is closely related to Mistake #2. Many business owners choose their favorite colors for their logo simply because they like them. Big mistake. Colors are an important way of communicating subtle messages to your customers. Each color has a unique meaning. And using colors wisely in your logo can make a difference. So what does each color mean? A quick Google search will turn up pages of definitions (like this one). Here are a few examples:

Red—Associated with power, assertiveness, vitality, and leadership. Often used by leading brands (Coke, McDonalds, Marriott, Marlboro, etc.)
Blue—The color of the sky and ocean, blues represent relaxation, tranquility and peace. It also represents stability and trustworthiness (see the Duct Tape Marketing logo). More people say blue is their favorite color than any other color (men prefer darker blues, women prefer light shades).
Green—Symbolizes nature, freshness and health.  Is it any wonder that British Petroleum uses green as one of its corporate colors?
Yellow—Represents cheerfulness, happiness, and light. It’s the first color the eye processes, but it can be difficult to make yellow standout among other colors.
White—Generally means purity, peace, and cleanliness. Think of Mr. Clean.
Black—Has many associations from luxury and elegance to evil and death. Black is often used by jewelers, car manufacturers, and other luxury brands to represent exclusivity and wealth.

Of course there are others—Orange, Purple, Violet, Brown, Gray, Tan—in millions of different variations—with other meanings.

Working with your designer (remember Mistake #1), choose colors that will help reinforce the ideas your business stands for and appeal to your customers.

One other note about using colors: Virtually all great brands have logos that work in a single color (or even black and white). Adding too many colors can make your logo messy and unattractive and can be expensive when it’s time to print letterhead, business cards, apparel, and more. Keep it simple.