5 popular myths about logo design

In four years, we have made thousands of logos for customers from all over the world. And very often we hear the same misconceptions about logo design. In this article we will discuss the five most common myths and try to dot the i's.

Myth One: The logo should show the scope of activities.

Many entrepreneurs are confident that their logo must show what they are doing. Otherwise, how customers will understand that this is the logo of the coffee house, if it does not draw a mug?

Look around: how often do you see a car on the automaker's logo? And the jacket - on the logo of the manufacturer of jackets? Nevertheless, Mitsubishi is machines, Starbucks is coffee, and Apple is smartphones. Most often, your logo will be seen on the request “to eat”, “to buy a car” or “to have a haircut”. The logo is a way to be recognizable, not the answer to the question “what are you doing?”. You can show the scope of activity without using the logo. For example, arrange banners or showcases with photos of dishes and drinks, or simply write the word "coffee house" next to your logo.
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Minus logos that show the scope of activity - the lack of ambition. Among colleagues, you will always be just one of many. But, if this is not important, focus on what you do and catch traffic. If the goal is to develop a business to a level where any trademark will be associated with your product, then be original and do not be afraid of experiments.

Myth Two: The value of the logo in the effort expended

Imagine that you ordered a logo for a company that sews sportswear. Twenty thousand rubles are transferred to the freelancer card. And now, after two weeks, he sends you a picture. On it this:



You, of course, ask the freelancer how many seconds did it take for him ... this “nozzle”? And then force the logo to be altered a dozen more times, so that the damned “designer” will at least somehow work out the money spent.

Such situations occur constantly and irritated customers can understand. The discord between real money and a logo that is physically drawn in a couple of seconds is too great. Endless changes and rework begin, and as a result, the first option is still the best. The problem is that many people do not fully understand the design and measure its value in the effort expended.

Sometimes good things are good, not because their creation took years. If the logo is effective, then no matter how complex it is. The Nike “Trickle” from the example above is an example of good design. And mistakes that the designer did not allow, are much more important than the virtuoso work with graphics. Good design is invisible.

A logo without corporate identity is useless. If you know where the logo will be used, see the ideal image of the company and its audience, then you should contact a professional designer and order from him not only the logo, but the entire corporate style of the company. And if you do not understand what it is about, then you should turn to a professional designer all the more. When there is a style, the logo ceases to be a “tick”, the whole concept is organized around it and therefore it brings objective benefits.

Myth Three: The logo should have a hidden meaning.

Solving puzzles is great! The brain likes to work and we are satisfied with the solved problem. Logos with riddles and hidden meaning are often found. Give a reference to the company's legend, its corporate values ​​- this is the aerobatics for the creator of the logo. On the other hand, logos in which there is no hidden meaning are much more. The reason - the lack of practical benefits.

On average, a person has about a second to notice the logo, and he almost does not remember the details. In April, we conducted a small experiment in which passers-by from memory drew logos of famous companies - Lacoste, Apple, Yota, Peugeot, Qiwi, Megafon, and others. The experiment showed that people remember only the common features of the famous logo, sometimes finding it difficult to even with the shape and color.

Despite this, when he saw the logo on the sign again, the person immediately recognizes it and identifies it with the company. This is the meaning of design. Does the hidden meaning of the logo influence this process? I do not think.

The FedEx arrow, the Amazon smile, or the handshake of the customer and the manufacturer on the Hyundai logo, became known only after the company itself became known. No one can say for sure whether the idea embedded in the logo helped them.

The presence of hidden meaning can be a nice addition, but you should not evaluate the logo by the presence of deep images. Moreover, in the pursuit of the expression of a deep idea, you may lose the benefits that a simple sign brings.

The hidden meaning does not interfere if you use it organically. It looks cool, but it’s definitely not a mandatory rule.

Myth Four: Similar logos are bad

Of course, if your logo is a copy of a competitor's logo, this is bad. Customers will be confused.

But hitting the originality for the sake of originality is no better. You can have such an original logo that you simply won’t understand. The client will turn to your more relaxed competitors. In addition, the scope of activities always dictates certain standards that work as a recognition of "friend or foe." Take a look at the logo of coffee or car companies. There, the presence of common elements and similar logos, recognized as an absolute evil, is more of a rule.

The search for “plagiarism” is really interesting, but the effectiveness of the Puma and Jaguar logos, CNN and SEGA, Promt and Google Drive, Land Rover and Ford, Gucci and Chanel doesn’t have any effect. You will never confuse these companies. The fact that the designer's goal is to make each logo completely different from the others - this is a stereotype. The letter "A" is similar to the letter "A" - and nothing can be done about it. The same applies to all graphic solutions, most logos differ from each other only in details.

Similar logos can be frustrating, but this is not bad, this is the only possible state of affairs. In the modern world, thousands of new logos appear every day, and all sorts of graphic techniques have already been tested.

This does not mean that you need to take and copy other people's ideas. It is only calmer that you will not do something fundamentally new. Rather, there is something wrong with the logo, if you haven’t found a single one even remotely similar to the “original” among the millions of his colleagues.

Myth Five: The logo is very important

Of course, the logo is important, but its importance is often overestimated. The logo does not hypnotize customers, no matter how cool the agency did it, and how many of your colleagues said: “Cool logo!”. Remember, the logo is significant for the success of the company in the same way as beautiful features for success at work. The logo should not like everyone in a row and does not need an infinite number of discussions and rework.

For example, the last rebranding of Pepsi did not appeal to everyone, the logo allegedly became flat and lost its former flavor. On the Internet, the company was accused of senseless waste of money, betrayal of ideals and other deadly sins, little connected with reality. As a result, Pepsi was banned in forty-seven countries of the world, the company went bankrupt, and the most important designer was shot! .. And if you don’t believe in it, then you are right. Because in fact, nothing like this happened.

Style is more important than the logo. A professional designer takes into account where the logo will be placed, selects company fonts and colors, creates a presentation that shows how the shape of the employees, the product packaging, the sign, the website and everything the customer wishes will be arranged.

One picture with a logo, no matter how beautiful it is, will not bring results. The mark will be successful if used correctly. It should be placed on the signs, the form of employees, products and other media, designed in accordance with the corporate style of the company. If successful, the logo is a wonderful way to settle in the minds and make your character a “common name”. Millions buy Chinese t-shirts from online stores simply because they feature a green Lacoste crocodile or “Nike” from Nike.

Conclusion

All design myths are not based on nothing. However, strict rules are implied rather than actually exist. We dismantled the most common stereotypes associated with the role of the logo, with what should be depicted on it, talked about plagiarism and the meaning of corporate identity. Do not fight with windmills, let them show you the direction of the wind.

We also made a video version of this article, you can see here:


Text: Nikolay Romanov
Video: Danila Baranov, Roman Gorbachev