In this post, we talk about some of the common logo design mistakes that can effectively kill your brand. Many small or new businesses make the error of entrusting amateurs or hobbyists with the design of their logo without realizing how detrimental a poorly designed logo can be. For example, your cousin’s best friend knows how to use Photoshop so you ask him/her to design a logo for your budding business. They send you over some colorful designs “inspired” by other brands in your industry and you now have a brand-new logo. Or you find a website offering cheap logos so you buy one of their packages. Easy way to get a new logo, isn’t it?
Not really.
So here are five common issues and mistakes in these kinds of logo designs:
Use Raster Graphics
A professional logo designer will use dedicated software and tools that are designed for graphic designing. They do not just download Photoshop and embark on a career in graphic design. It is standard practice to create graphics and logos in a vector graphics software like Adobe Illustrator. This gives the end user (you) the freedom to use the logo in any size they want without loss of quality. Tools like Photoshop, on the other hand, create raster images which, even if they are large, will not be suitable for all uses and your images might end up looking pixelated.
Avoid logos designed as raster images and always use vector graphics for your logo designs.
Depend on Trends
You probably know trends are a “here today, gone tomorrow” kind of scenario so why would you accept a logo that follows current trends? A logo is not disposable; it cannot be changed every year. A logo identifies who you are and what you stand for therefore a lot of thought goes into designing one that can be used for many years to come. Don’t be THAT business – make your own trends.
Misguided Use of Typefaces and Colors
The importance of using the right typefaces and colors cannot be emphasized enough. How many times have you seen a logo using a font and design that totally changes the meaning of the words? Remember this one?
Copying Other Brand Logos
One of the worst things you can do for your brand is using a logo that reminds people of other brands or, even worse, of your competitors. Taking “inspiration” may not be such a bad thing, but when it comes to logo designs, anything which looks even remotely similar to someone else is a big fail.
Complicated Logo
We get that you want your logo to look unique and eye-catching but that does not mean you dump all the colors, words and fonts under the sun into it. Some of the best practices in logo design are using a maximum of two fonts, simple graphics and limited colors. Your viewers need time to absorb the details of your image o they can recognize it the next time they see it. Too many fonts and colors are just confusing and the original message of your logo just gets lost.
Have you seen any of these common logo design mistakes lately? Or so you have some more tips to share? Let us know in the comments!
