An Insight to Logos
by LogosArea.com
Logos are very common today. Very often, we underestimate the value and power
of a logo in a successful business. A logo is the image which represents a company
or its product. Its function is to create a memorable, recognizable impression
on the mind of a potential client or customer. A logo is essentially at the
heart of a corporate identity.
So what makes a "good" logo? Most people would answer "I just know it when I see
it!" and this isn't so far from the truth. A good logo catches the eye - it
makes the observer curious or engaged, if only for a short moment? a moment in
which an image and the existence of your company is embedded in the mind rather
than filtered out with a million other daily stimuli.
But even if a good logo "just is", there are elements for making it happen, and
we will look at some of those. I will also discuss some of the issues designing
logos which work in two distinct worlds - print and online.
There are three basic types of logos, which can be used alone or combined within one design:
- illustrative logos (a logo which clearly illustrates what your company does),
- graphic logos (a logo that includes a graphic, often an abstraction, of what your company does), and
- font-based logos (a text treatment which represents your company)
Creating a logo is always a process - though different designers have their own
methods. Many designers will begin by sketching thumbnails or playing with
shapes on the computer screen, until something "clicks" and they follow that
path to see where it leads.
One way to start is to select a shape which represents the concept of the
company, and begin playing with it. The idea is to come up with something
interesting or clever, whether a viewpoint which is different, or an unusual
combination of shapes. Perhaps it will be something which will require some
guesswork on the part of the viewer, but then be crystal clear when they look at
it another way.
Many designers prefer to developing logos beginning with, or consisting entirely
of text. By experimenting with fonts, size, shapes they seek to find an interesting
way to represent the company using the form of letters. Again, simplicity is
extremely important - this is not the time to use fancy decorative fonts. Whether
alone or combined with graphic elements, the text in a logo must be easily readable
at small sizes.
Once a form for the logo has been defined, color needs to be considered. Again,
color for a logo should remain simple. You can always get fancy with the web
version, but a good logo must work well in one color and gradients of that
color. The color should enhance and support the form of the logo - for example,
various shades of blue on the sides of a 3D box should be the same as they would
in real life.
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