When it comes to purchasing items or services, a logo is frequently the first thing that people notice. Logos serve as proof that what they’re purchasing is genuine and reputable — in other words, they assist in making a great first impression.
You want your logo to stay in the thoughts of clients for months or even years after you create that first impression.
Here are five characteristics to strive for in your logo design in order to design an iconic logo.
1. Simple
Simplicity is the most important characteristic of iconic logos. It’s much easier to attain the other four attributes listed below once you’ve achieved simplicity in your design.
It’s vital to remember that “simple” does not imply “boring”; rather, “simple” implies “easy to understand” and “uncomplicated.”
The majority of the time, a simple design is all that is required. Adding too many features to a logo might make it appear cluttered, and the human mind responds to clutter by shutting out the majority of it.
Uninteresting or indistinct aspects compete for the viewer’s attention, making it easier for them to skip over (especially since that attention spans are shorter than ever).
Simple logos are easy to learn and assimilate, but they’re also easier to remember when they’re seen again. A simple logo will help you capture someone’s eye while traveling down the highway or make your product stand out on crowded store shelves.
For example, to symbolize their brand and stand out, Nike, the world’s largest shoe company, employs a very simple graphic swoosh.
The cliched yet handy acronym K.I.S.S. (“keep it simple stupid”) is one to remember. Don’t add things to your logo just because you believe it’s uninteresting. Always ask yourself why you’re adding a new color, font, shape, or other graphic element.
Don’t include it if it won’t improve the overall design or your brand message.
2. Appropriate
The second quality is proper. Although a logo must be basic, not all simple logos are iconic. The logo must be appropriate for the intended use and audience.
Logos don’t have to describe what a company does; instead, they must communicate the appropriate emotion. Consider well-known logos. Apple’s logo isn’t a computer, BMW’s logo isn’t a car, and American Airlines’ logo isn’t a plane.
A logo, on the other hand, can be literal. Take, for example, Target or Shell. These logos are a visual depiction of the corporate name, which is fine.
Consider these two logos: Target doesn’t use a bullseye as a symbol to inform you what the company does; they do it to make themselves distinctive. Let’s be clear: a logo’s principal function is to identify a corporation.
Iconic logos are also created for a specific audience. Consider the difference between a bank logo and a logo for a children’s toy store. For the toy store, a juvenile, zany, or fun typeface and color scheme would be perfect. This, however, would not be ideal for a bank because no one would take them seriously or trust their operations.
The Toys”R”Us logo is an excellent example of a well-designed logo. It seems like a kid drew it, with the hand-drawn font, backward R, star sign, and weird color scheme. Children are drawn to the store because they recognise the emblem.
It’s not about sophisticated design components or clever visual techniques. It’s all about coming up with a logo that’s acceptable in terms of the emotion it expresses.
Logos are for identification, not communication; they shouldn’t try to say too much because marketing and communications can achieve that. Instead, the logo style should be relevant to the target demographic and convey your company’s personality.
3. Distinctive
The third characteristic of an iconic logo is that it stands out. Why do we use the word distinctive instead of memorable? Because what makes something memorable is that it is distinct enough to be remembered, even in a crowded marketplace.
If your logo design is memorable, people who have been impressed by your brand or company will be able to quickly convey it to others who might be interested. This can be accomplished by keeping the elements to a minimum and employing only one visual trick or method.
As previously stated, many businesses use intricate logo features to stand out in their designs. A cluttered logo, on the other hand, is much more difficult to comprehend and remember.
Instead, the goal should be to create a logo that is different enough that people can recognise it after only viewing it once.
It’s a nice test to check if someone can repaint a logo on a piece of paper after only one glimpse. (It’s also worth noting that classic logos are instantly recognisable even when they don’t include the company name.)
Apart from the benefit of being memorable, people who are more familiar with a logo are more inclined to associate the company with good attributes. Consumers are more inclined to pay attention to distinctive logos and desire to learn more about the brand.
Remember: If people can’t remember what your logo looks like when it’s not in front of them, it’s not doing its job. If you want to create a memorable logo, it must stand out and be simple to understand. It should be distinct from your competition and stand out from the crowd.
The McDonald’s logo is a great example of a unique design. It’s easy to redraw after only seeing it once (and can be visible from a long distance on a highway billboard), and the two golden arches that form a “M” are easily recognised all around the world.
4. Versatile
Iconic logos can be used in a variety of ways. The term “versatile” refers to the logo’s ability to look well in a variety of sizes and applications. It looks great in any color and can be used in both horizontal and vertical formats.
To develop a versatile logo, make sure it works in all of the places you want to use it. Consider websites, business cards, signage, labels, cars, and other marketing materials. The logo should be both striking and legible no matter what size it is – from a large billboard to a postage stamp.
Legibility always suffers when a logo has too many details. When you try to replicate the logo in smaller sizes, too many colors and elements will be lost.
It’s also crucial to keep in mind that you won’t always be allowed to employ a full-color logo. The logo should work in both black and white and not rely on visual elements to stand out.
A flexible logo, often known as a responsive logo, is another alternative. To accommodate and adapt for varied sizes and screens, these types of logos can alter in size, complexity, and even color.
There are more places than ever before to use a logo, and they all vary in size. To build a memorable logo, make sure your design is identifiable and flexible, even when it’s a tiny 16 by 16-pixel favicon at the top of your browser.
The Apple logo is a well-known example of a logo that may be used in a variety of situations. It works well in black and white, as well as tiny and large sizes, and it may be used as a favicon without changing the logo.
5. Timeless
The final quality — and the most difficult to attain — is timelessness. It’s the last trait on the list because it’s very hard to attain without the previous four.
You can’t be sure that a logo will stand the test of time because design fads come and go all the time, and the world is continuously evolving. However, you can assure that a logo has the characteristics to remain ageless.
A timeless logo is basic enough to not go out of style, acceptable in tone, memorable enough to be remembered, and adaptable enough to operate in any size or application.
Only when all four characteristics are met can you be sure that the logo is in the greatest possible position to stand the test of time.
After 10, 20, or even 50 years, a memorable logo is still in use. It should be able to withstand any company trend or situation. If the logo doesn’t stay effective over time, you’ll have to develop a new one every time it becomes outdated; this can be expensive and avoidable.
Every day, we come into contact with iconic logos such as Nike, Coca-Cola, Apple, and others. All of these logos have at least one similarity that ensures the logo’s timelessness and public recognition:
- Shape and form are simple.
- Distinctive
- There are no graphic elements that are very intricate.
- Limited number of colors that are appropriate for the mood
- When scaled up or down, it’s still recognisable.
The most important thing to remember is to avoid following design trends. Trendy logos (glossy shading or intricate gradients) are rarely ageless because they aren’t flexible. If you follow trends, your logo may perish along with the trend.
Logos go out of date for two main reasons: font and color selection. People frequently make the mistake of believing that simple, classic fonts are uninteresting and unoriginal. That is not the case! Sticking to classic, well-crafted fonts will help your logo stand the test of time.
Sticking to a small color palette (one primary color, potentially a minor secondary color, and one neutral color) is also a good idea (like black or white).
A design with more colors is more likely to become antiquated. Slack, for example, recently revamped its logo and reduced the old shading color scheme to just four core colors (plus black).
While it may seem self-evident, the Coca-Cola logo is an excellent example of a classic design. It is one of the most ageless logos in history, having remained mostly unchanged since the early 1900s.
Getting to an iconic logo
An iconic logo is simple enough to understand at a glance, appropriate for conveying a feeling, memorable enough to remember, adaptable enough to function for any size or application, and well-designed enough to stand the test of time.
Follow these five features if you want to make a fantastic first impression and have a logo that will stay for years.
In this article, all of the logo samples are presented in black and white. This was done on purpose to demonstrate that iconic logos don’t need the trademark color to be recognised; a simple and distinctive design is far more significant.
Finally, when developing your logo, think about eliminating aspects rather than adding them. This does not imply that you should eliminate the entire logo. Instead, consider why each component is necessary and how it communicates your brand to the rest of the world.
Also, give a try to these android app and iOS app.
Android app – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bg.logomaker
iOS app – https://apps.apple.com/us/app/logo-creator/id1332661961
