Presented here are some of the most common design mistakes for customers wanting a new logo designed (or even an old one redesigned)

It Won’t Work On…

Your logo has to simply work on all mediums required of it – including social media, your website, stationery and every conceivable use for a logo. It may even need printing on staff uniforms depending on your industry and business.

To circumvent this, ensure your logo should be relatively simple and yet recognisable as your “brand”.

It Isn’t Clear What You Do

A logo design must communicate what business you are in and what services/products you offer.

Failure to do this will only result in wasted time for everyone, including yourself. Although you don’t have to fall into the clichéd lines of your industry, you can do a lot of communicate the services you offer without having to resort to clichés.

For example, a mechanic’s garage wanting a new logo may go along the lines of having a car in their logo, or may work a set of tools into their design, or may infer they work on vehicles some other way, like including the words “Garage” in their logo type and going with something more abstract.

Becomes Invisible

Another pitfall is your logo may, at some point, be placed on a white background – if the logo is very light coloured or even white, how you can ensure that it is still seen.

One possibility is the put your logo on a solid block of colour, like the NHS logo which has become an integral part of that logo (so much so that the specific shade of blue is used in the NHS branding notes! http://www.nhsidentity.nhs.uk/all-guidelines/guidelines/primary-care-trusts-old-guidance/nhs-logo).

Another way to combat this would be to add a coloured stroke onto the logo which outlines the logo itself and may serve as part of the design itself.

The Small Print

The logo has to be remarkable at all sizes, including on massive billboards, but equally has to look good when shrunk down to a tiny scale.

Does the logo design lose clarity at small scales? Is the shape still recognisable at such small print sizes? Shrink your logo and find out!

Hard to Read

Your logo must be able to be red in under a second. Imagine if you showed your logo to someone for a second and then hid it again, would they be able to tell you what it said?

The logo is competing for attention in a busy marketplace and must immediately be readable to your chosen audience.

Including Everything And The Kitchen Sink

Do you find yourself including every element you feel should be there such as an icon, company name & tagline? There are times and places where all the elements should be included, for example on letterheads and stationery, but other times, such as social networks, using only the icon or icon and company name would be the better option.