Logo design is a big part of our ever day life even if we don’t always realize it. We see logos on the grocery’s we’ve purchased, appliances in our home, vehicles we travel around, billboards and stores we pass on the way to our destinations and websites we browse throughout the day.

The logo mark is one of the most important parts of branding a company. Logos can tell your customs a lot about your company at a first glance. They are the best way for a company to build awareness, loyalty, and give customers an idea of what the company is about.

1. Keep Your Logo Simple

Since we see logos everywhere all day long it is important to keep logos simple. For example it is much easier to memorize the title of a book vs the summary on the back. The title is easier to remember because it is short, simple and in most cases describes what the book is about. There is a lot to be said about simple logos. Simple logos are easier to remember and recognize from a distance. In the long run they are more likely to create a lasting impression.

Keep Your Logo Simple

2. Always Design in Black and White First

One of the most important rules of logo design is if your logo looks good in black and white it will look better in color. Textures and colors may not always be visible when printed or applied to different mediums. Logos defendant on color or texture it will lose their recognition when printed in black and white. Deigning logos in black and white will also help keep focus on the overall design.

Design Logos in Black and White First

3. Design With Scale In Mind

In today’s world logos are placed on a wide variety of mediums from products, receipts, marketing ads, mobile apps, websites, store fronts and billboards. It is important for logos to be legible whether they are put on something as small as a chap stick container or as large as a billboard.

4. Take Time to Sketch Your Ideas

Now that we have some rules to follow get out a piece of paper, pencil, eraser and tracing paper. Even if you are terrible at drawing do your best. Sketch every logo design idea you can come up with even if it doesn’t seem like a good idea. Sketching all ideas will help clear your mind and come up with new ideas. Once several ideas have been drawn look at them and see if elements or concepts can be combined to create new versions of the logo. Tracing paper is very useful in this phase of the process. It allows you to trace an element or concept and put it over the top of other ideas to see if different ideas will work

Take Time to Sketch Your Ideas

5. Design Logos in Vector

Having a vector version of your logo ensures that it will follow the scaling rule outlined in #4. Vector is different from pixels because unlike pixels vector is mathematically calculated so that no matter how large or small your logo is it will always have smooth lines. Vector file formats are AI (Adobe Illustrator), EPS, and SVG. Whether you design your own logo or have a designer create a logo for you make sure a vector version is provided.

Create Logo in Vector

6. Use Legible Typography

Typography is an important part of logo design.  Make sure that the font(s) you choose match the demographic you are targeting. The font must be legible from a distance or when printed on a small product. Another aspect of typography is the spacing between letters. Make sure that your letters have enough spacing between them but not too much. Having the right amount of spacing increases legibility.

Use Legible Typography

Designing logos is a fun but challenging aspect of design. Good logos require a lot of  time, trial & error and strategy. Since logos are the initial face of a company having a simple, easy to read, and memorable logo will help create customer trust. Customer trust in turn results in a successful business. Following these 6 rules of logo design will put you on the path to designing a strong recognizable logo.

6 Basic Rules of Logo Design

The logo mark is one of the most important parts of branding a company. Follow these 6 simple steps to create a lasting logo.

View logos I have designed

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Hello! Welcome to my blog and thank you for stopping by! I am Jaci Steffan. I am a graphic designer, web designer, wife, mom and homemaker. Steffan Design provides insights on a variety of topics from graphic and web design tips and tricks to bits and pieces of everyday life. Design After graduating from high school I developed a passion and love for graphic and web design. I attended Dixie State College and earned a degree in Information Technology with a Visual Technologies emphasis (basically a graphic and web design degree). Since starting my design journey I have contributed my design skills to a variety of realms including religious, government, small business, start-ups, and contract jobs. Design encompasses a large variety of mediums including logos and branding, package design, brochure, marketing design, and web design. I enjoy the variety that comes from this broad field. I have recently opened an etsy shop (Steffan Design) in hopes of providing affordable quality designs for decor projects. It has been a fun adventure so far! I have learned a lot and am excited to continue providing customers with quality designs. Homemaking Homemaking isn’t something I have always had a passion for. After having kids and being a stay-at-home-mom I have gained a desire to improving my kid’s life at home. Our homes should be a sanctuary for our families. They should be the safe zone from the demands and pressures of the outside world. Homemaking is the art of making a house fell like a home. It can be done a variety of ways like adding pictures, home decor, having a home cooked meal ready at dinnertime, and providing a positive uplifting atmosphere for our families. Mom Life When people say being a mom is more than a full time job they aren’t kidding! Being a mom can take as much or as little time as we are willing and able to put into it. My kids sure know how to keep me on my toes! Each phase they go through brings new experiences, challenges and joys to my life. Most moms have more experience than I do, but I am happy to share solutions to problems that I have encountered in hopes that it will help someone else in the same shoes I am in. Recipes Growing up I didn’t spend much time in the kitchen. While working an internship I temporarily lived with a co-worker and his wife. As a result they showed me that cooking can be simple, fun, and delicious. I have developed a love for freezer meals. They can be a lot of work up front, but they sure do pay off in the long run. So if a recipe works as a freezer meal it is definitely a bonus in my books!   In conclusion, a friend of mine once told me people that think they know a lot about a certain topic usually don’t know very much, and people that know a lot about a topic know there is always more to learn. I am by no means an expert in all of these topics, but I am excited to share what I do know about them. We all have had different life experiences that as a result provide us each with unique perspectives. Please feel free to leave insightful comments on my posts sharing your unique perspectives on these topics. [...] Read more...
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Logo design is a big part of our ever day life even if we don’t always realize it. We see logos on the grocery’s we’ve purchased, appliances in our home, vehicles we travel around, billboards and stores we pass on the way to our destinations and websites we browse throughout the day. The logo mark is one of the most important parts of branding a company. Logos can tell your customs a lot about your company at a first glance. They are the best way for a company to build awareness, loyalty, and give customers an idea of what the company is about. 1. Keep Your Logo Simple Since we see logos everywhere all day long it is important to keep logos simple. For example it is much easier to memorize the title of a book vs the summary on the back. The title is easier to remember because it is short, simple and in most cases describes what the book is about. There is a lot to be said about simple logos. Simple logos are easier to remember and recognize from a distance. In the long run they are more likely to create a lasting impression. 2. Always Design in Black and White First One of the most important rules of logo design is if your logo looks good in black and white it will look better in color. Textures and colors may not always be visible when printed or applied to different mediums. Logos defendant on color or texture it will lose their recognition when printed in black and white. Deigning logos in black and white will also help keep focus on the overall design. 3. Design With Scale In Mind In today’s world logos are placed on a wide variety of mediums from products, receipts, marketing ads, mobile apps, websites, store fronts and billboards. It is important for logos to be legible whether they are put on something as small as a chap stick container or as large as a billboard. 4. Take Time to Sketch Your Ideas Now that we have some rules to follow get out a piece of paper, pencil, eraser and tracing paper. Even if you are terrible at drawing do your best. Sketch every logo design idea you can come up with even if it doesn’t seem like a good idea. Sketching all ideas will help clear your mind and come up with new ideas. Once several ideas have been drawn look at them and see if elements or concepts can be combined to create new versions of the logo. Tracing paper is very useful in this phase of the process. It allows you to trace an element or concept and put it over the top of other ideas to see if different ideas will work 5. Design Logos in Vector Having a vector version of your logo ensures that it will follow the scaling rule outlined in #4. Vector is different from pixels because unlike pixels vector is mathematically calculated so that no matter how large or small your logo is it will always have smooth lines. Vector file formats are AI (Adobe Illustrator), EPS, and SVG. Whether you design your own logo or have a designer create a logo for you make sure a vector version is provided. 6. Use Legible Typography Typography is an important part of logo design.  Make sure that the font(s) you choose match the demographic you are targeting. The font must be legible from a distance or when printed on a small product. Another aspect of typography is the spacing between letters. Make sure that your letters have enough spacing between them but not too much. Having the right amount of spacing increases legibility. Designing logos is a fun but challenging aspect of design. Good logos require a lot of  time, trial & error and strategy. Since logos are the initial face of a company having a simple, easy to read, and memorable logo will help create customer trust. Customer trust in turn results in a successful business. Following these 6 rules of logo design will put you on the path to designing a strong recognizable logo. View logos I have designed [...] Read more...