11 tips for companies considering their first or a new logo before hiring a designer.
Logos. Every company needs one (or do they? perhaps that is a thought). Yet, when it comes time to hire a designer to create a new logo most people have no idea what to ask for. Sure, you want something dynamic and new that communicates your brand. However, beyond those aspects, there are many small details that you should be looking for that many amateur designers never think of. Therefore, I present to you some topics you will want to address when beginning the process of designing a new company logo.
First, this isn’t an article that tells you how to design that perfect logo. Hopefully you have hired a designer with top skills and the result will be what you desire. Rather, this article is about the little things to watch out for.
ITEM 1 – Communication:
Before any design begins you need to have some sort of input you can provide to the designer as to what you might be looking for. Nothing grinds the gears more for a designer than a client that says “Design me a logo, you know, something cool. I’m sure you can create what I’m looking for.” If a designer begins work under those circumstances, you hired an amateur and you are also not doing your job as a business owner in taking your image seriously.
Rather, take some time to really think about what you want to communicate in your new branding image. Take notes. Look at other logos. Think about colors. Talk to your employees and friends. Come to a meeting with your new designer with a list of “considerations” but know that these are only that. It is a starting point that will begin the process. From there your designer should be asking you a ton of questions as follow ups to get a sense as to what the goals are.
ITEM 2 – Color Thoughts A:
All logo designs should begin as just a black layout.
Yes, eventually you will add color versions. However, the key is to create a design that can work just in black because you will be faced with many situations throughout the life of your company where you must have a single color logo. Think about items like black and white newsprint, imprinted table throw covers using screen printed ink, small swag to give away like pens or mugs. Each time you purchase items of this type to promote yourself there will be additional costs in many cases for more than one color.
Also, if you can’t be happy with the appearance of just a one color (solid black) logo, why would you be happy with the same design with color?
ITEM 3 – Color Thoughts B:
When it comes time to add color to your logo design you should consider some of the standards we use in the industry.
Be sure that your designer provides a complete design package that includes Pantones. What you are looking for are versions of your logo design that use the following Pantone colors…
- Solid coated and Uncoated versions.
- CMYK breakdown of both the coated and uncoated for when Pantones can’t be used.
- RGB breakdown for the colors for use on web and digital applications.
You should also consider vinyl output colors. Though this medium is not as prevalent as it once was, there are many situations where vinyl will play a part in your company marketing plan (signage for interior and exterior locations, display graphics, etc…). When selecting company colors, you can always consider what colors are common to many forms of media. For example, 3M Scotchcal film is a widely used material and the charts available for that film list Pantone equivalents in most cases. Selecting corporate colors that will be matched on a wide variety of outputs is always a smart decision if your goal is to maintain continuity.
ITEM 4 – Color Thoughts C:
As for the number of colors your logo should have, I would keep it to a limit of 2 if possible. Certainly you can have a larger number of colors on some versions if you want to, but keeping colors limited will actually give you a better opportunity for marketing success. Again, many advertising and marketing costs will be lower with fewer colors, but you will also be able to define a corporate palette that can assist all involved with your marketing department to maintain continuity. After all, continuity in marketing is key. Having the same look and feel on all of your marketing efforts will allow customers to remember and recognize you quickly.
ITEM 5 – Size & Detail Thoughts:
Many of the best logos in the world can be instantly recognized even at the smallest sizes. For example, the Nike swoosh is never in doubt even when it is half an inch wide. Therefore, consider keeping your new logo limited in detail so that, when it is scaled down to small sizes, it is still clearly your identity. You would be surprised at how many items in your marketing plan will require small versions of your logo (online, apps, business cards, swag, email signatures, etc…). If you design something with a ton of detail that isn’t clear at such small sizes, what was the point of the design at all? It may look nice when big, but at half an inch you are left with a jumbled ink blot.
ITEM 6 – Dimension:
Back in the late 90’s when the Internet was becoming a real force everyone wanted that spinning, flaming 3D logo on their website. Because design software made that sort of layout easy to do we saw a huge upswing in 3D logos with multiple colors and elements. But, when those companies tried to duplicate that logo in limited colors or on mediums other than computer screens, the designs failed.
Having a 3D element to the design isn’t a bad thing. But, your designer should know how to pull this off so that when you need a single color version you can still achieve continuity without loss of quality. Don’t fall victim to “cool” effects in design. Remember that your goal is to create something that has lasting power but is simple and clean.
ITEM 7 – Fonts:
To be blunt, never accept a logo that uses the following fonts…
- Comic Sans
- Papyrus
- Curlz
- Arial (use Helvetica)
- Trajan
- Bank Gothic (also Copperplate Gothic)
- Hobo
You can do a Google search on those names and fonts designers hate to get an explanation so I won’t waste your time here getting into details. But just don’t do it. There are other fonts that are considered evil in the design community but some fall into crossover categories. However, the above list is agreed upon.
Beyond that a good logo, if you have to use an established font, should be easy to read at minimal size and compliment the design. You can use established fonts “as is” or you can tweak them somewhat for your needs (see Kerning). But you should avoid stretching text disproportionately as it looks amateurish.
If your designer has the ability to offer a custom font it is certainly worth exploring. But, custom fonts can be expensive and you will need to ensure that font is fully developed and meets all of your logo goals as well as possible marketing goals in other publication uses.
ITEM 8 – Trends and Competition:
Every few years you see some trends evolve in logo design. As the dot com bust approached in 2000 you would see many logos with circular swirls surrounding abbreviated company names. The trend was quickly picked up by many designers, both professional and amateur, and before we knew it, there were literally thousands of similar designs around the world. To this day the concept from that dot com bust era is still plaguing logo design.
So, do some research on what logos are working for big and successful companies. Look for design trends that you can easily identify and talk to your designer about your concerns for not getting on board with a trend.
Also, try not to emulate the look of competitors, no matter how alluring that might be. Your goal is to be unique. A competitor or industry in general may have a common way of representing itself that is universal. However, why should you be part of the norm?
ITEM 9 – Versions:
When asking for a logo design you should request 3 versions to start. Each version should be unique and come with a complete explanation as to why it works and how it communicates your company.
You may not immediately choose one of the three versions you are presented with, but starting with three is standard. Do not accept anything less.
ITEM 10 – Corporate Guidelines Booklet:
When the process of the logo design itself is complete there is still much work to do. At this point you now need to develop a corporate guidelines booklet that outlines all of the rules for your logo and how it may be used. If your designer can’t provide this service you need to search for a new designer.
The booklet will, at minimum, provide the following information…
- Logo design explanation that details the meaning of the logo in relation to the company and its mission.
- Black and white as well as color breakdowns for the logo in terms of Pantone, CMYK, RGB (and possibly other) so you will always know what should be used.
- Placement guidelines for the logo. This usually involves setting rules of how close the logo can be to the edge of a page or in relation to other objects. Generally there is a rule set using one of the measurements of the logo itself to ensure clean space beyond the logo before any other elements can appear (such as text, other logos, design elements, and so on).
- Rules explaining how not to use the logo. These usually show versions of the logo stretched disproportionately or with incorrect colors or placement as examples of what not to do.
- As an additional item, the booklet may include rules for how business cards, letterhead, website headers, and so on should use the logo and/or company fonts. IE: a complete corporate identity package.
The booklet can have many other items included and some become hundreds of pages long. I once had a copy of the Porche marketing guidelines and it was about 5 inches thick. It not only included all of the information above, but it also had rules for every dealer and how signs should be made, what trade show displays should include, what emails should contain, and so on. You can be as detailed as you wish.
ITEM 11 – Low Cost Outlets:
Finally, there are so many ways you can hire a designer today it is mind boggling. The Internet is full of creative hiring outlets that allow you to locate very low cost designers (normally from overseas in less developed countries) that will do most any design for as little as five bucks. And, these designers usually come with hundreds, if not thousands, of positive reviews on their portal profiles. With that available at your fingertips it is very tempting to proceed and no one would blame you for doing so. But, if you are going to go down that path be sure you have taken into account some of what I’ve said here. There is no denying that there are talented designers all around the world and I would not be one to prevent any of them from making a living. However, this is your company identity and it is very important. So, you need to do your homework.
You can find low cost overseas design and probably get a logo for nothing and you might just be happy with it. But can you rely on that person for continued design support, locally, by picking up the phone and asking a simple question? Can the person visit your company to get a sense of what you are all about?
Hiring a local designer that you can work with in person is what I would always recommend. Or, if not local, at least in your own country so you have the ability to contact them during normal business hours via telephone or Skype. And, by not going through one of the online talent sources, you have a much better avenue for resolving conflicts should they arise, whether that be the designs, the communication, or payment/refunds.
And, good design is not something worth $5. Paying for good design is something you should feel you got a worthwhile purchase from, not something like buying a burrito.
CONCLUSION:
This list of 11 tips is by no means complete. I suspect there are many items that could be included, and some designers will balk at the list and perhaps feel some points are incorrect or misleading. However, in my 20+ years of working in design, these are points I feel are important to mention. I encourage you to bring up each of these points when talking to a designer about a new logo design. If anything, discussing these points will give you a sense as to how the designer feels about the items. You may learn important aspects of that persons ability and experience.
Or, you could just call me and I’ll do the job for you! I’m always available.
Online: www.jacobnorris.com