Let’s face it, trying to make a company logo can be a challenge. You’ve got dozens of design options, and you may not know which ones will attract your target audience. Not to worry—deciding what your logo really needs is easier than you think.
Every good logo design has two parts: abstract and concrete. Here’s how they work:
Abstract elements
Abstract elements cover the concept of your logo. If you want your logo to be “young and fun,” using those terms doesn’t actually make your logo young and fun. It just helps you set goals for the design. These brands emphasize abstract elements:
- Timelessness: Coca-Cola’s script logo is more than 100 years old.
- Simplicity: the Nike Swoosh is one of the world’s simplest designs—and one of the most popular.
- Uniqueness: Apple is the only tech brand in the world to successfully use fruit as its logo.
Concrete elements
Concrete elements are the design options you use to create abstract elements. They include symbols, shapes, fonts, colors, negative space, and white space. Here’s how some brands use concrete elements to reinforce their identity:
- Colors: Burger King’s yellow and red logo is designed to look like a hamburger.
- Shape: Addidas’ three slanted lines form a triangle, symbolizing action.
- Font: Disney’s display font creates a magical sense of whimsy and adventure.
To sum it all up, here’s the logo design ‘recipe’:
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Summary
To recap the entire ‘recipe’ for a perfect logo, here are what a logo should be:
- Be enticing: The first and foremost, your logo must appeal to your target audience. For example, funny logos won’t work when you’re trying to attract the adult audience, but those might work for kids-related business, product, service or event.
- Be unique: “I’ve seen that somewhere” is not a good first impression your business want to get from your audience. Your logo must be unique and memorable.
- Be timeless: You wish for your business to last a lifetime; your logo should match what you wish. Make your logos eternally relevant, and avoid those ‘fad’ fonts and design elements.
- Be new: Instead of riding on the ‘fad’ and be a copycat, you should create something that hasn’t been seen before – bold logos that ooze uniqueness and awe-inspire your audience.
- Be simple: Deliver just one message to your audience using simplistic concept.
- Be consistent: Your logo design should reinforce your brand even when you’re redesigning it. Create a balanced design that uses design elements that reinforce your message consistently.
- Be adaptable: Craft your logo so that it looks great in any sizes, color or B/W.
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Putting it all together
Now that you know the two key parts to logo design, you’re ready to put it all together and create an amazing symbol for your company. Want some extra guidance? Company Folders, the creator of these tips, has a highly skilled logo design services team who can help you create your logo.