- A graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition. It is most commonly referred to as a LOGO.
- As printing costs decreased, literacy rates increased, and visual styles changed, the Victorian decorative arts lead to an expansion of typographic styles and methods of representing business.
- LESS IS MORE because real people in real life situations do not stare at and analyze logos.
- Modernist: inspired logos proved successful in the era of mass visual communication ushered in by television, improvements in printing technology, and digital innovations. Modernism made logos simple and effective.
- Logo design is an important area of graphic design, and one of the most difficult to perfect. This is because logos are meant to represent companies' brands or corporate identities and foster their immediate customer recognition.
- A logo needs to be simple, but have enough personality that it stands out in a crowd.
5 Principles of Effective Logo Design
1. Simple - simplicity makes a logo design easy to recognize, versatile and memorable. Good logos feature something unexpected or unique, without being "overdrawn." (The Nike swoosh)
2. Memorable - an effective logo design should be memorable, which is achieved by keeping it simple yet appropriate. (The McDonalds Golden Arches)
3. Timeless - an effective logo should be timeless. Will yours stand the test of time? Will it be effective in 10, 20, or 50 years? (London's Version of Marta - Underground)
4. Versatile - An effective logo works across a variety of media and applications. For this reason, logos should be designed in vector format, to ensure that they scale to any size. (WWF Panda)
- Is your logo still effective in one color?
- Is your logo still effective in reverse color (ex. light logo on dark background)?
- Is your logo still effective the size of a postage stamp?
- Is your logo still effective as large as a billboard?
5. Appropriate - how you "position" the logo should be appropriate for its intended audience. or example, a child-like font and color scheme would be appropriate for a logo for a children's toy store, not so much for a law firm. (Toys R Us)
Color
- Four Color Process - a technique for printing with full color. The four colors reproduce all colors of the spectrum when mixed in proper proportion. Also called full color printing. (CMYK).
- Spot Color - method of specifying and printing colors in which each color is printed with its own ink. Spot color printing is effective when the printed matter contains only one to three different colors, but it becomes prohibitively expensive for more colors.
- Pantone Matching System - it is a system by Pantone where every printer in the world uses the same specific colors of inks.
- Color plays an important role in logo design. Color can illicit different feelings and emotions from the audience.
- Interpretation of color may vary depending on age, gender, and cultural demographics. So color should be carefully considered based on your target audience.
- Colors also tend to follow trends, just like fashion. So a new vibrant company may want to follow current trends, whereas a bank may choose to stay with a more conservative color palette.
- Keep your color palette to two or three. Too many colors will increase your cost of production. As well, it may cause a chaotic design.
3 Types of Logos
1. Combination Mark - combination marks are graphics with both text and a symbol/icon that signifies the brand image that you wish to project for your company or organization
2. Iconic/Symbolic - Icons and symbols are compelling yet uncomplicated images that are emblematic of a particular company or product. They use imagery that conveys a literal or abstract representation of your organization. Symbols are less direct than straight text, leaving room for broader interpretation of what the organization represents.
3. Wordmark (entire name)/Lettermark (initials) - a logotype that incorporates your company or brand name into a uniquely styled type font treatment. (only text). It is just basically typography.
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