Well over half a million companies open up shop every year. Shortly thereafter, several thousands of those same companies close when they find themselves unable to engage customers in a meaningful way.
While there are several reasons why companies fail, particularly in the technology space, one of the chief causes is the lack of branding. And at the center of every lackluster branding strategy is a lackluster logo.
Great tech logo design has often evaded entrepreneurs that are so focused on the product they lose sight of the artistic elements of business building. If that’s the boat you’re in, we’re here to help.
In this post, our team breaks down elements, steps, and considerations that comprise what we feel are the golden rules of excellent logo design in the tech space. Keep reading to take these game-changing tips in.
1. Keep it Simple
Look no further than Apple’s success to understand the power of simplicity. People love clean, accessible designs that make them feel organized and uncluttered. Your tech logo design should embody those qualities.
Some of the most successful logos in the world (Nike’s Swoosh for example) are comprised of a single element. Your logo should strive to do the same as the simplicity of its design will lead consumers to draw inferences surrounding the intuitiveness of your products.
2. Get Psychological With Color
Color, to many, seems like an arbitrary addition designers throw on logos. In reality, color carries a deep psychological meaning that can affect the associations people make with your brand.
The color purple is commonly associated with death. The color black is associated with power. Which color/meaning would you prefer attached to your company?
That’s a question only you can answer but we ask that you do so with a full understanding of color’s primal impact.
3. Prioritize Recall
As you start to create logos during your drafting process, if nothing else, keep this single thought in mind — recall.
The way you know a logo is successful is if the moment people look at it, they’re immediately able to recall your company’s name. Anybody that sees golden arches, for example, thinks McDonald’s. Any time people see multi-colored peacock feathers, they think NBC.
Your logo’s ability to walk the line of simplicity and uniqueness to prompt recall will help it on its way to achieving the ubiquity the world’s most successful designs enjoy.
4. Be Medium Agnostic
You might design a tech logo that looks great on a website. How would that logo look blown up on a billboard though? What about if it was printed on a business card?
As your company grows, so to will the mediums in which you engage consumers. Your logo needs to be ready for that dynamism so you’re not forced to recreate it or alter it as new needs arise.
5. Understand What Tech Logos Look Like
We would never advocate that you copy other’s logos or strive to be exactly like competitors in your space. There are certain common qualities in logos that spur thoughts of tech when consumers look at them.
To discover what those elements are in your market, analyze the most successful tech company logos you know of. Check out Apple’s logo, Microsoft’s, Oracle’s, and others.
Do you see common threads you can adopt? Can you spot the differences in a logo that’s selling disaster recovery services versus business continuity services?
Make mental notes on what you learn and use those findings to your design’s advantage.
6. Don’t Knock Text Till You Try It
Just about every tech entrepreneur we’ve talked to starts down the path of creating shape/graphic-based logos. We don’t blame them as logos comprised of graphics are among the most popular.
Still, we’ve seen very successful logos lean solely on text. Think Coca-Cola or FedEx.
All of that to say that if you’re hitting a creative rut with graphics or just want to start on your logo design with a different mindset, focus on text. As long as your typeface is legible, you may come up with a design that’s simple and original.
7. Draft, Draft, and Draft Again
Your tech logo design’s chances of resonating with an audience go up substantially each time you draft a new idea. So, don’t be afraid of the process of drafting something up, setting it aside, and trying another design.
Too many people get stuck on their original logo drafts and cut themselves off from the wonderful opportunities that may come from continuing to let their creativity flow.
Don’t be one of them.
8. Get Feedback
The best way to gauge if your logo is achieving its intended end is to ask other people what they think. If possible, get your logo in front of people that are your target audience as their opinion matters most.
Two or three feedback sessions could increase your logo’s efficacy ten-fold so don’t miss the opportunity to solicit feedback.
The World’s Next Greatest Tech Logo Design Could Be Living in You
Our team has hit you with a handful of rules that can help you structure your design process. Armed with them, we implore you to start playing with ideas and testing them with your audience.
The world’s next great tech logo design could be just one draft away from being in your possession. Work towards that reality and know that we wish you the best of luck as you do.
For more tips on logo design and other business/lifestyle topics, explore more of the content on our blog.
