Top Tips to Successful Business Logo Design

Designing a logo may be one of the hardest, yet most important procedures when it comes to running a business. A logo serves as a symbol to identify a business’ products, services and broader goals and usually produced with the business launch.

Therefore, the pressure of designing a logo is often immense, as there is not much time to experiment or gather approval from clients. To help ease off the pressure and make your business logo design process smooth-sailing, here are three helpful tips.

Stick to one colour scheme

Although it may be tempting to treat logo designing like a master art project, the best logos are always those that stick to one colour scheme. Limiting yourself to a maximum of three or four shades will ensure your logo is simple and also easy to remember. Don’t forget to take advantage of your whites and blacks, as empty space can often be used to keep your logo design clean as well.

Sticking to one colour scheme will not only simplify your business logo design process, but also make other aspects of visual design for your business easier in the long run, such as product packaging design and website design. Making a particular colour scheme your own will help keep your business image uniform, and solidify the significance of your logo with all your clients.

Choose one logo type

It is essential to stick to one logo type during the beginning stages of your business, so not to confuse your clients with multiple business symbols. Most common are logos which include business names, and ones which simply consist of an image. Logos which include business names are known as logotypes (examples include Coca-Cola and ANZ) and may be effective for businesses looking to clearly establish their name in a competitive industry.

Logos which rely on visual design however, may also be a good choice for businesses which are looking to impress clients with their creativity, in an industry that is less competitive. Visual logos may also work better with brand advertisements in the long run as well. To avoid confusion with your potential clients, make sure to choose only one type of logo to work with when launching your business depending on your priorities.

Keep the legalities in mind

Another important tip to successful business logo design that is less about visual design is keeping the legalities of your logo in check. To avoid legal problems such as trademark infringements and copyright claims in the future, it is always best to double check your local area’s legal requirements when designing and using your logo.

In particular, trademarking your logo as soon as it is launched is a simple solution to avoiding future legal complications, as trademarks give you exclusive rights to use your logo. Not only will your logo be protected from third party misusage, trade marks will also grant you the right to sell your logo and use it on your business’ products in the future without hassle.

Another legal issue to note when it comes to designing your business logo is ownership. In the case that you are hiring a third party to design your logo for you, make sure that they do not have any legal ownership of the logo and once purchased, it belongs solely to you. Some designers may charge high ransom prices for the ownership transfer of your logo so make sure to clarify and confirm such prices before signing any legal contracts. There have also been cases of designers claiming royalty (on logo design) so make sure you are granted sole ownership of the logo when you buy it off an external designer.

Offensive content is another important legal issue to keep in mind when designing a logo. Make sure to pay attention to the details of your logo to prevent it from being offensive to particular community groups or other business brands. Religious symbols should always be avoided as well.

In conclusion…

Logo design is definitely not an easy process. However, it can certainly be made simpler by keeping the above tips in mind. Make sure to choose one type of logo and design your logo with only a few colour shades to keep your logo uniform and clean. Also consult with legal professionals on the legalities behind your logo and to help your steer clear of any legal complications in the future.