The Importance of Logo Design (It’s Everything!)
Posted on August 08, 2019 by Logo Design Tips and Tricks
Research shows it takes around 5-7 impressions before someone remembers your brand.
However, there’s a good chance you can reduce that figure by giving your brand a good logo.
Now, creating a good logo isn’t easy, and you probably have a lot of questions about how you should do things. Do you need to hire a designer? Can you create a logo on your own?
Below you’ll learn more about the importance of logo design and how you can create a brilliant logo for your business. If you want to stand out from the crowd, the tips in this post will help make your brand more memorable.
Let’s begin!
Why You Need to Take Logo Design Seriously
Your logo will have a big impact on how people perceive your brand, and so it’s something you should take seriously. That’s because if your logo doesn’t look that good, people may start to question the quality of your goods/services.
That said, it’s easy to get caught up with logo design, and you can easily spend too much time on this aspect of your business. This is something you need to be wary of, as falling into this trap can lead to a lot of wasted time.
Thankfully, you can avoid this issue by hiring designers or by using powerful design tools – all of which we’ll explore in the sections below.
Finding Someone to Design Your Logo
If you’ve never needed a logo before, you might not know how to find someone that can help you with this task.
One option is to use a site like Fiverr, where you can have a logo designed for around five dollars.
Now, the quality of this logo might not be that high, as you’re only paying a small amount. But it can be a good option if you want to quickly get a logo you can use on your business card or website.
If you want to take things to the next level, then you should think about using a site like 99 designs.
When you use 99 designs, you start off by providing a brief for what you want your logo to look like. Upon doing so, a wide range of designers will then create a logo based on this brief. You can then pick the one you like and pay whatever the designer has quoted.
Should You Design Your Own Logo?
If you really want to keep your costs low, then there’s also the option of designing your own logo.
Of course, if you have little to no design experience, you may think that this is an impossible task.
However, you’ll be happy to know that this task isn’t as hard as it sounds, as you can use tools like Adobe Spark Post to help you get the job done.
This tool provides you with a ton of templates you can use as a basis for the design of your logo. You can adjust these templates so that you eventually end up with something that looks totally unique.
Do You Appreciate the Importance of Logo Design?
You should now appreciate the importance of logo design, as well as how you can actually develop a good logo for your business.
If you find yourself overwhelmed by this process, you should try to get the opinion of someone you trust.
This is especially helpful if you’re struggling to choose from a wide range of potential logo designs. With the help of a friend, it becomes a lot easier to tell the good logos from the bad.
Of course, if you pick a logo and then regret your choice at a later date, that’s okay. It’s an easy mistake to recover from as you can always update it at some point in the future.
Do you have any tips regarding logos? If you do, please share your thoughts in the comments section!
Top 8 Design Elements That Make a Bad Logo
Posted on August 02, 2019 by Logo Design Tips and Tricks
A company’s logo is one of the most prominent parts of its identity. When you see Nike’s ‘swoosh’ or McDonald’s golden arches, you instantly know who it is and what feeling you get from them. Being easily recognizable is a big goal for all businesses that the logo helps to achieve.
However, a logo gone wrong can lead you in the opposite direction of where you want your company to be. The best way to avoid this is to make sure you don’t commit some of the common design mistakes. Keep reading to check out 8 design elements that make a bad logo.
1. Excessive Elements
If you think about it, some of the most distinguishable logos are the really simple ones. They’re not overdone and don’t look like just a bunch of elements thrown into one place. You can avoid making a bad logo by keeping it simple.
Logos don’t need to be cluttered to make a point. Save some space by decreasing the number of additions and increase the focus and quality of some core elements of the logo. It will confuse people and be harder to convey the message if it becomes busy and unappealing.
2. Poor Color Choice
Have you ever seen someone walking down the street with an outfit that doesn’t quite match because they were wearing too many colors? This is the risk you take when you’re designing a logo without considering a cohesive color scheme.
The psychology of color is why most companies have chosen specific shades to represent their brand. Incorporating a smooth palette where the colors compliment and balance each other helps people to digest your brand more. It can also save you from creating a bad logo.
3. Word Overkill
Sometimes logos have words in them and that’s alright. But a logo is supposed to be a bit-sized symbol of your business. Cramming a bunch of words (or even too many letters if you’re using acronyms) can take away from the cleanness and professionalism of the logo.
Try shortening any phrases, names or acronyms that you feel are necessary to use. Always keep in mind that the whole goals is for people to be able to easily remember your company.
4. Unattractive or Confusing Typography
Here’s the thing — even if you did include some really cool, very savvy words, it won’t matter too much if no one understands them. Choosing the right typography for a logo is important so that people don’t misunderstand what your business is actually about.
Typography doesn’t just include picking a good font that works well with your brand identity. It also accounts for the sizing and spacing of letters too. Make sure your characters aren’t too close or far spread (otherwise it could look like a completely different word).
5. Plagiarizing Others
The only thing worse than a bad logo is an unoriginal one. As mentioned, your logo is a very distinctive piece of your overall brand. If you’ve decided to copy someone else’s logo, then that already takes you out of the running for being noticeable.
Besides the fact that plagiarism in marketing is morally tasteless and unacceptable, you could also put yourself in position for some legal concerns if the other party finds out that you’ve stolen their ideas. This isn’t to say that you can’t be inspired by other logos. However, there’s a thin line between using elements from something you really admire and making a close replica of it.
6. Poor Formatting
We live in a world where almost everything is running digitally. This means that your logo will probably be viewed by people on screens a large majority of the time. But all screen are not created equally and if you don’t take this into consideration it could come back to bit you in the long run.
Each time you place your logo a different place (website, social media, etc.) it’ll call for a specific format. If you haven’t formatted your logo for multiple placements, as well as devices (phones, computers, etc.), you could be losing out on quality big time.
Making sure your vectorized logos are able to scale correctly is an important step in avoiding a bad logo. You should also try to stay away from stock photos. If you want to know more about making a universal logo you can discover more here.
7. Disregarding Instructions
If you’re working with a client or on a team, it’s important to help to create the vision that was laid out. Trailing to far away from the original idea could turn the logo into something completely different and this might be a disaster. It may also upset the people that you’re working with.
Follow the directions that you’ve been given as much as possible. If you do want to add in some creative direction, be sure to run it past the person in charge of the project. This avoids making a bad logo and creating conflict.
8. Not Timeless
You might be tempted to follow trends when creating your logo. But you want your logo to last for a long time and trends don’t do this. So it’s best to go for a timeless design when creating your logo.
Think of your company logo through a longterm lens. This means focus on certain shapes, sizes and images that can stand the test of time and remain relevant to your audience. You can still be bold and edgy without using trends that could be easily forgotten within the next decade.
Got More Questions on Avoiding a Bad Logo For Your Company?
Creating the perfect logo for your company isn’t something that you should rush. You may have to go through a few rounds of logos to get to the right design. The most beneficial thing to do is to keep editing until it feels like the best representation for your business.
You can take these tips on how to avoid making a bad logo into consideration to put you on the right track. If you’re interested in starting the logo creation for your company, check out our blog for more tips and tricks.
How to Get the Most Out of Your Search Engine Ads
Posted on August 01, 2019 by Logo Design Tips and Tricks
Search engine ads are an important part of building your website’s presence. They can bring a targeted audience to your site, which can transform into subscribers and sales. However, search engine ad campaigns aren’t as simple as pumping a ton of money into a super common search time.
Understanding some of the nuances of how search engine ad networks function, and what you can do to put yourself at the top of the pile, can help drive more traffic to your site.
What is a Search Engine Ad?
Search engine ads are ads that search engines place at the very top of their results page. This lets you target customers as they search for related terms.
While almost every search engine offers its own form of ad network, the largest network and the one worth dedicating your time to is Google Ads. Google captures 92.62 percent of all global search traffic. Any digital marketing agency worth its salt will tell you that Google is where you’ll find the largest audience.
Google search engine ads work by writing a sample search result and then setting a maximum amount of money that you are willing to pay per click.
Tailoring Your Search Engine Ads
However, as already mentioned, you can’t simply list a high cost per click in order to dominate specific keywords. This would make it too difficult for spam to get through.
Quality Score
The quality of your ad plays a large role in determining whether or not your ad actually shows up. Google shows you the quality of your ad through its quality score, which is a scale from 1-10. The higher that number, in combination with the more you are willing to pay per click, the more likely it is your ad will show for its associated keyword.
Long-Tail Keywords
You’ll also want to make sure that you’re targeting the right keywords. Long-tail keywords refer to keywords that make up the “long-tail” of associated searches – which means that they don’t get searched often, but the people who search are deeply interested in your business. For example, if you’re a pet store, “puppies” would be a short tail keyword, but “husky puppies for sale in Columbus Ohio” would be a long-tail keyword.
By adding many long-tail keywords into your account, you can capture more targeted traffic. This can lead to additional conversions and sales when compared to short-tail keywords, and you’ll pay for fewer wasted clicks on your ads.
Negative Keywords
In a related vein, you want to make sure that you block out specific keywords. For example, if you’re only selling Dodge cars, you’ll want to block out searches for other makes of vehicles. People who are looking to buy a Mazda, for instance, are harder to convert, so your ad money is best spent elsewhere.
Keep it Dynamic
While the above tips can help you tailor your search engine ads to drive more traffic to your site, running an ad campaign is a dynamic process. You’ll want to be constantly testing new wordings, locations, and keywords to capture new audiences.
For more information about running a search engine ad campaign, or digital marketing in general, check out the eCommerce and business sections of our website.
Understanding the Psychology of Logo Colors in Leaflet Design
Posted on July 27, 2019 by Logo Design Tips and Tricks
Branding says everything about your business. Some of the largest companies in the world have spent millions of dollars branding and rebranding their logos to connect with their customers and showcase their beliefs.
Some brand logos are iconic, some rememberable, and others not so much. So what makes a logo stand out? What are the logo colors, fonts, and design that produce an attractive and enticing logo?
In this article, we will explore how colors play with our emotions and how thorough designers have to be when creating a logo.
The Psychology of Color
You’ve heard of the practice of psychology – the study of the mind and behavior – but did you know there’s such a thing as the psychology of color?
The psychology of color refers to the way people feel or what they think when they see a specific color. Color is fascinating, in that it provokes emotions, thoughts, feelings when it’s seen, though we rarely pay attention to it. Color can alter our thinking.
When designers are creating a logo, like those at Leaflet Distribution Dublin, understanding the spectrum of color is significant and essential. Each color speaks to us differently, and how they use that color within the logo is instrumental in communicating the brand’s philosophy.
Questions, Questions, Questions
Designing a logo can be a fun and exciting time. It means you’re finally launching your business and you’re ready to show the world who you are. But there are a few questions to ask yourself about your business.
Here are some to consider:
- Who is your target market? Male or female?
- Is your brand whimsical or down-to-earth?
- Is the brand trendy or classy?
- What’s the age of your ideal customer?
- Is your ideal customer wealthy or more middle-class?
These questions might seem silly at first. But once you start digging deeper into your brand, you’ll learn how to create a logo that truly speaks to your company correctly. And, also, you’ll probably even solidify your brand even further!
Logo Colors: What They Convey
As mentioned before, colors make us feel certain emotions, even though we may not realize it at the time. Walk into a room that’s painted blue, and you’ll get the sense of a calming atmosphere. Enter a bright, cheery yellow room, and you’ll sense the complete opposite.
Even though there are variations of every color, in general, the color itself speaks something to us. Here is an essential color emotion guide on how each color makes us feel and think.
Colors are divided into two categories – warm and cool. Let’s take a look at the warm colors.
Warm Colors
Warm colors are all very similar in that they produce many of the same emotions, but all in their unique way.
Red
Red is associated with fire, passion, gumption, and an overall go-get-’em attitude. Males, in particular, are drawn to this color. If you want to grab anyone’s attention, red is the color to use as it creates a sense of urgency. Red is known to increase heart rate, getting people pumped up for whatever comes their way.
Orange
Although orange is not as in-your-face as red, it still deserves a nod. Orange promotes friendliness, playfulness, and possess overall energy. This color is especially approachable if you’re working with children.
Yellow
Despite what some say, yellow isn’t for the mellow! Yellow is like a bright smiley face, meant to bring joy, happiness, warmth, and cheerfulness to any logo. Yellow is unique, in that it needs to be balanced with other colors because too much or too little leaves you distracted or overwhelmed.
Cool Colors
Now that we’ve had a chance to get to know the warm colors let’s take a closer look at their opposites – cool colors.
Blue
Blue is one of the most popular logo colors, with about 33% of brands using some form of blue. This color presents tranquility, peace, and maturity. If you want people to trust you (and your brand) adding blue is a perfect choice.
Green
Green is naturally associated with the outdoors, and that’s exactly what it conveys. This color is all about newness, whether it be a change in health or even wealth. Seeing the color green brings us peace and a desire to promote growth in our lives.
Purple
Purple is the color of luxury. Red and blue create this striking color used for those who wish to communicate boldness, power, and passion. Purple showcases a grand and distinguished brand with just a hint of mystery.
Brown
Surprised to learn that brown is a cool color? Brown is a more serious color, appealing mostly to a male audience for it’s earthy, tough-guy persona. Even though brown is not as popular as the other colors, using it can be tricky or brilliant.
Black and White
These two colors are in a category by themselves. Black is modern, trendy, sleek, and sophisticated, but could also be seen as harsh. White expresses youthfulness, purity, and innocence.
While they do well on their own as a logo color, they’re even more powerful when combined with the colors above.
Combining these two to get gray or even silver indicates a similar feel to blue – maturity with a touch of seriousness. The hue matters as well, because a darker gray gives off a bolder feel, while a lighter silver adds approachability.
Color for Your Brand
A logo without color is like a business without a personality. Logo colors speak to your clients and customers and represent who you are as a brand. Choosing the right ones will propel you forward for a bright future.
Ready to get started on your logo today? For free? Check out our online logo maker and be on your way to promoting your brand today!