Logo for 2012 Olympics in London A logo can make a company stand out or disappear among its many competitors. But what makes a successful logo? Is it design? Color? Concept? Memorability?
What makes a successful logo changes from year to year, and designers are required to keep up with trends. But while creating a “trendy” logo might do well for the short haul, it might not make for a very successful logo in the long haul.
One key element of a successful logo is simplicity. If a logo is too complex and lacks legibility, the brain is unable to decipher its meaning. Too much detail, and the brain can’t remember it. One example of a complex, illegible logo is the 2012 London Olympics logo.
This logo looks like it was ripped out of my sketchbook when I was a 10-year old aspiring artist. The tiered year scheme is ineffective and illegible. In fact, had it not been unveiled as the number 2012, I would have thought it read Zor! (Which, btw, I found out is the name of an action packed Bollywood movie!)
As you can see by the example, the top-tiered number 2 looks like a Z, and the bottom-tiered 2 is disconnected and cannot effectively be read as a number. When this logo was presented to the public, I just received my degree in graphic design. I I knew then if someone could design a logo like that and get paid for an impossibly horrible design, there was hope for me!
I saw many colored versions of this logo, but the pink version with yellow background shadowing is one of the worst because of its color vibration. Color vibration occurs when two highly saturated, complementary colors meet. Color vibration was used on web sites in the early to mid 90s. Oft times, a vibrant background set against equally vibrant lettering caused focal irritation and motion. Once in a blue moon, you might still run across a web site that is fashioned using a vibration color scheme. I tend to run from these sites as quickly as I accidentally stumble upon them. (Gah!)
What makes a successful logo changes from year to year, and designers are required to keep up with trends. But while creating a “trendy” logo might do well for the short haul, it might not make for a very successful logo in the long haul.
One key element of a successful logo is simplicity. If a logo is too complex and lacks legibility, the brain is unable to decipher its meaning. Too much detail, and the brain can’t remember it. One example of a complex, illegible logo is the 2012 London Olympics logo.
This logo looks like it was ripped out of my sketchbook when I was a 10-year old aspiring artist. The tiered year scheme is ineffective and illegible. In fact, had it not been unveiled as the number 2012, I would have thought it read Zor! (Which, btw, I found out is the name of an action packed Bollywood movie!)
As you can see by the example, the top-tiered number 2 looks like a Z, and the bottom-tiered 2 is disconnected and cannot effectively be read as a number. When this logo was presented to the public, I just received my degree in graphic design. I I knew then if someone could design a logo like that and get paid for an impossibly horrible design, there was hope for me!
I saw many colored versions of this logo, but the pink version with yellow background shadowing is one of the worst because of its color vibration. Color vibration occurs when two highly saturated, complementary colors meet. Color vibration was used on web sites in the early to mid 90s. Oft times, a vibrant background set against equally vibrant lettering caused focal irritation and motion. Once in a blue moon, you might still run across a web site that is fashioned using a vibration color scheme. I tend to run from these sites as quickly as I accidentally stumble upon them. (Gah!)
Since we are on the topic of color, did you know different colors have different meanings? In fact, depending where you live, a color can have one meaning in, say, India but an entirely different meaning in America. When a designer creates a logo, special consideration must be given to the color scheme. Baskin Robbins realized this. The colors used in their logo subconsciously make us desire sweets. Lucky for them!
 Hillary Clinton sending a message at a debate. | One favorite color businesses like to use is red. Politicians do too! Red is extremely powerful and people who wear red are considered ambitious and confident. Is it any wonder why a young woman wearing red lipstick attracts a male? But red can also have negative connotations. It can indicate anger and impulsiveness. When designing a logo, careful consideration should always be given to color. The Harley Davidson logo would appeal less to its male audience if its colors were pink and white, wouldn’t you agree? |
| Another important feature of a well-designed logo is recognizability. An example is the McDonald’s logo. Even without the company name, the yellow, M-shaped French Fries are not only well thought out but memorable. I could add a sample here, but it’s unnecessary. Their logo is so well etched in our brains that we instantly conjure it in our minds. The McDonald’s logo is both simple and memorable. One aspect of a successful logo that is often overlooked is its scalability. If a company uses its logo on marketing material such as pens, bags, handouts, and booth displays, scalability is of utmost importance. A successful logo can be rescaled at any size and not lose its shape or important detai. If you see a logo that’s been scaled to fit on a large object, such as booth displays at an Expo, and is pixelated, the logo is not properly executed. The logo should be crisp regardless what size it is adjusted to, and it should not lose a significant amount of detail when reduced to fit on smaller objects, such as pens, or appear jagged when enlarged. |  Arlington Pediatric Center Is the logo appropriate for your business? Amazon’s logo seems to think so. Not only is Amazon’s logo simple and memorable, but it’s clever too. The arrow beneath the name indicates its products include everything from A to Z, and the arrow looks like a cute little smile to boot! Subliminally, it gives off a positive, happy vibe whether you realize it or not. (Small side note, the color yellow represents cheerfulness!) Clever, clever! But not all logos are appropriate. Some logos come up short. I remember years ago looking at unsuccessful logos, and one stood out to me that was horribly inappropriate. This logo was a misstep and should never have been approved (nor even conceptualized in this manner). The center now sports a more appropriate logo, but up until someone pointed out its inappropriateness, this was the center’s official logo. Oops!!! When designing a successful logo, make sure it represents the company well and is appropriate for the business. |
Another important element of a successful logo is its timelessness. When designing a logo, a designer must keep in mind the business would benefit from a logo that stands the test of time. McDonald's, Amazon, and Apple are examples of timeless logos. But none is more timeless than the Coca-Cola logo. In fact, I couldn’t imagine this logo looking any other way than it does now. Created in 1886, it wasn’t until the 1940s redesign that the logo remains relatively unchanged to this day.
A thoughtful graphic designer, like Bananafox, will keep these important principles in mind when creating a successful logo for your company. That’s why it’s important to hire a graphic designer with a degree and an intimate understanding of what elements make a successful logo.
Join us next time when we talk about different ways we can reach your target audience through clever advertising.
A thoughtful graphic designer, like Bananafox, will keep these important principles in mind when creating a successful logo for your company. That’s why it’s important to hire a graphic designer with a degree and an intimate understanding of what elements make a successful logo.
Join us next time when we talk about different ways we can reach your target audience through clever advertising.
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