Sure, it’s not difficult to create a professional logo. But it can be hard to create a truly memorable one. Here are three common logo design mistakes small businesses make — and how you can fix them.
Wait! Before we look at the mistakes, let’s get to know the basics of logo design.
What Is A Logo?
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition. Logos are either purely graphic (symbols/icons) or are composed of the name of the organization (a logotype or wordmark).
Why are logos so important?
Logos are the most visible part of your brand and serve as extensions of your brand. They’re an essential part of your marketing strategy and they help to differentiate you from competitors. An effective logo is memorable, unique, and appropriate for your brand.
Focusing on the Graphic Rather than the Message
The first common logo design mistake that small businesses make is focusing on the graphic rather than the message. Many small businesses fail to realize that the message is just as important as the graphic. The message needs to be clear, concise, and to the point.
The message of your brand is the most important thing in your logo design. You want your logo to say something about your brand, and you want it to say it clearly and in a memorable way.
Using a Template-based Design
This is the most common mistake small businesses make when designing their logo. They see a logo generator or logo template that looks cool and they start to tweak it until it looks perfect to them.
You might think that hiring a designer will cost you an arm and a leg. Nothing could be further from the truth. You can get a design for a fraction of the cost of a logo you could have designed in-house.
Using Stock Images in Your Design
Another mistake many small businesses make when designing a logo is to use stock images in their design. One of the main reasons why you want to avoid using stock images is that you want your logo to be memorable and unique. If you use a stock image, your logo will be one of a thousand other logos that use the same stock image.
Stock images are great for illustrations and helping you to visualize what you want your logo to be, but they’re never a good idea for a logo.
3 Ways to Create a Memorable Logo That Stands Out
Like the Nike swoosh or Apple’s apple, every successful brand needs a logo that becomes synonymous with the business. If you’re thinking about creating a logo for your brand, there are a few things you might want to keep in mind.
Make It Memorable
There are lots of ways to create a memorable logo that stands out.
- The first way is to use a memorable font. Keep in mind that you want to use a font that is unique and will stand out from the rest.
- The second way is to create a memorable logo that conveys an emotion.
Make It Unique
When it comes to logo design, you need to be sure that you’re designing something relevant to your business but also unique enough that it sets you apart from your competitors. The best way to do this is to use different fonts, colors, and images to help your logo stand out from the crowd.
Make it work for you
When it comes to logos, you want to think about what the essence of your brand is. For example, you’re not going to want to use a minimalist logo if your company is very high-end and luxurious. Make sure your logo reflects the essence of your brand.
To sum up.
Your logo needs to be a literal representation of what your business does. It should be. That’s because the moment your potential customers see your logo, they should immediately know what you do. Why? Because your logo is supposed to tell your story and your story is your USP (unique selling proposition). Avoid Focusing on the Graphic Rather than the Message, Using a Template-based Design, Using Stock Images in Your Design.