This week’s logo of the week is Jackson Global. A modern and professional logo design for a bespoke recruitment consultancy into the Thermal Energy and Oil and Gas sector.
As well as winning logo of the week, the customer has won 50 free business cards designed and delivered by our team.
When you finalise a logo with us, along with the final files, you also gain the ownership rights of the logo(s) you have chosen.
But what Ownership does this actually mean?
Aside from the obvious that we cannot re-use elements of the logo design for another client’s logo, but it also means that you can do with your logo whatever you like – including making amendments to it, altering the colours and using it as you see fit.
In short, ownership of the logo design means that you can:
A common question that arises as to whom owns the copyright of the logo – we endeavour to create unique work for you and when we transfer ownership to you, we also transfer any rights associate with the logo (apart from a few rights such as to display your logo on our portfolio & sites).
However, to cover yourself fully from anyone using your logo (or a similar one), it is recommended that you register your logo with a copyrighting service although this isn’t a requirement. We don’t offer that service because we are not legal experts and there are services such as the Copyright Service (copyrightservice.co.uk) which will register your logo for a fee.
Also, bare in mind that that not all logos can be copyrighted – particular if the logo is primarily text based using a non-distinctive font or uses a commonly appearing icon such as a globe (imagine all the logos you see with a globe in and you get the picture- you may be able to copyright the logo in its entirety which includes all the words, text style and the icon).
Creating an effective logo design for your business can be difficult and successful logos have the following qualities.
Consider the Nike ‘tick’ – it is simple and effective and immediately recognisable on its own. A good logo design should be the same. A simple logo also has the added advantage of being able to be embroidered on clothing in a simple and straight forward manner. Keeping to a minimum of two of three colours will also mean you end up with a logo that can be used virtually anywhere.
You don’t want your business to be mistaken for a competitor – even if it that competitor is an industry leader in the market (you’ll quickly become subject to legal action from the bigger company under the laws governing ‘passing off’!).
Consider your use of chosen icon in your logo – is it a cliché in your industry or is it truly unique and original in your market?
For example, a globe is frequently used in telecommunications, a house in real estate agents etc. Stay clear of these clichés and you should end up with something unique.
Is your logo easily memorable or will several exposures of your logo have the same effect? If it is the latter, than you need to do something to make it more memorable. This goes hand in hand with originality – if your logo uses a house and your selling houses, then you’re not very memorable to your customers because your market is flooded with competitors that have similar logos.
Knowing why your customers come to you and what motivates them to do business with you will ensure your logo design speaks of those qualities. For example, if you’re known for great customer service, how can you communicate that with your logo?
As an example, the Nick logo indicates speed and forward movement whilst the Asda logo speaks of safety in its green colour and solid look of its type face means that you can expect your products to stand up to a little abuse.
An effective logo is recognisable at a glance and should be effective in both black and white as well as in colour – and should be adaptable to virtually any medium from Twitter avatars through to putting it onto billboards and t shirts.
If you logo design relies on fine print to get the message across, you are in trouble.
The logo design is often the staging point for further branding efforts and will inform your other branding efforts – from colour choices through to which fonts will be used on your stationery – you logo is the vital stepping stone to getting your branding working together in a cohesive whole.
This week’s logo of the week is DogCare. A simple and effective logo design for the number 1 resource for dog grooming and dog groomers!
As well as winning logo of the week, the customer has won 50 free business cards designed and delivered by our team.
Keep your eyes peeled on our blog as we pick one lucky customer every week. You can also view our design samples gallery here.
Whatever your logo design tastes, type will play a major part of the logo design process.
Working with type has so much more to it than merely selecting which font to use and a myriad of design elements come into play once you put type to a design.
The font chosen speaks volumes of the intention of the design. Does the font convey readability and clarity or is the font more fanciful and whimsical? Does it match the brand image you’re trying to portray?
Although there are literally thousands of different fonts available and most graphic designers have hundreds to choose from, they have to marry the correct font to the correct logo as this may create the wrong impression.
Does emboldening certain words or even all the text create the desired effect? Placing such emphasis on a certain word (or words) can help convey a specific message as well as create a nice visual effect in the customer.
Size plays just as much a part of the design as the actual font does. Does increasing the size of the text have the desired impact or when does it start to detract from the design?
Increasing the size of the text in relation to the other elements will give the text more importance whereas decreasing the font size will give the other elements more visual impact. Perhaps even look at seeing if some parts of the font look better in slightly bigger than the rest (particularly if you are looking to emphasise that word or words).
The placement of the text can play a crucial role as well. For example placing the text on the same line as an emblem gives both the same importance, whereas placing the text below the emblem slightly elevates the emblem in terms of importance.
Also consider playing with the placement of each individual word in relation to the others. Will it convey the right message?
Playing with the letter spacing of the words can create interesting effects such as making the text appear to be spaced out or compact and short (which can convey meanings of their own – particularly if the font is compacted into itself which implies brevity for example).
The colour of the text also helps convey a meaning and it is entirely possible to colour letters, or words in differently to create visual effects. Just bear in mind the meanings of the colour when using them!
Text can be placed any number of angles to achieve specific effects in a logo design and can even run backwards if necessary to create interesting visual effects.
As you can see above, there are literally thousands of options to go from when you consider all the different options discussed above and creating good looking logos is more about conveying the right message by apply specific effects in to a specific logo design – something to which the logo designer should have a natural insight into and a learned knowledge of, drawn from previous experience and their own design journey.
When your reaching your finalised logo, you should bear in mind how usable it will be when you come to use the logo in the future. Therefore, consider the background of your logo before finalising your logo.
The safest option is white as any logo displayed on a white background will be as legible as possible and provides the maximum contrast and will mean that the logo will look good on letterheads and stationery.
However, the white background also means that it is a blank canvas, meaning it doesn’t convey any additional meaning which may be beneficial or a hindrance, depending on the use.
Black can make bright colours look brighter and give deeper emotional impact and make a logo stand out if the colours chosen are suitable – placing a dark brown logo on a black background simply won’t work and will be lost in the background.
However, it also means you’ll have to accept a reasonably dark website and stationery, as the logo will then only work on darker backgrounds.
Choosing a coloured background means you can convey deeper meaning than the logo design alone – depending on the colour chosen.
However, it faces the same problems as black, you’re going to have to work with your chosen colour into your branding and use it across your website and stationery design.
You also have to be sure of the colour choice conveys the right message about your brand.
Adding a patterned background to a logo means you can add additional visual elements to the design and can form a strong statement on their own. It also makes the logo more memorable to boot.
However, the pattern can also create more problems than a coloured background – for example, when creating a website or stationery, they need to consider the pattern as well as the background when working with your logo.
Having a transparent background means you can place your logo on the widest possible number of backgrounds but in of itself doesn’t convey anything further, just like white.
However, you can always use your logo on any colour background and it should show up fairly clearly.
Just bear in mind that your logo may not play very well on a white background if your logo is light coloured and vice versa.
Before you delve into getting your logo designed, it is important to look at the use of colour in your design. Not only does the colour(s) chosen have to be attractive and work with the design, the meanings of the colour have to be considered as well.
Below is a selection of colours and their associated meanings:
Positive meanings of blue:
Negative meanings of blue:
Positive meaning of red:
Negative meaning of red:
Positive meaning of green:
Negative meaning of green:
Positive meaning of purple:
Negative meaning of purple:
Positive meaning of orange:
Negative meaning of orange:
Positive meaning of white:
Negative meaning of white:
Positive meaning of black:
Negative meaning of black:
Positive meaning of gold:
Negative meaning of gold:
Positive meaning of silver:
Negative meaning of silver:
Positive meaning of brown:
Negative meaning of brown:
Positive meaning of magenta:
Negative meaning of magenta:
Positive meaning of pink:
Negative meaning of pink:
Positive meaning of turquoise:
Negative meaning of turquoise:
Positive meaning of indigo:
Negative meaning of indigo:
Picking a logo that your customers will love and feel comfortable with is always going to be difficult, with your customers having different tastes and preferring different styles, so your logo design will have to please the most amount of people (and not just you).
So, following a few basic rules will help you get back on track and that will also ensure you have a final product that your customer will love too and come to do business with you over your competitors.
The first step you need to consider is what your brand or company trying to convey – are you known for first rate customer service, or are you offering premium services?
You need your logo to convey what you can are actually offering the customer that is unique to you and your business as well as trying to convey what you actually do. For example, if your sell nuts and bolts, but your logo has a toolbox in it, then your customers may think you sell tools instead of fastening devices.
The second step would be, always be open to ideas. If you’re having trouble creating a logo that attempts to get across your brand or are drawing a blank with your own ideas, then don’t stress! This is very simple to overcome, don’t feel like you have to keep everything to yourself as sometimes other people see things differently to you and will often give you great ideas.
And the final step would be, don’t go over the top with the logo. Sometimes when you’re creating a logo over a long period of time you begin to overdo things – perhaps at the risk of losing focus on what you are trying to convey in your logo.
If you feel like at some point the logo looks good and would appeal to your customers, take a break for a while and come back a few days later. This will give you some perspective and some fresh eyes allowing you to see the potential flaws in the design.
All logos have a personality that they bring to the table, sometimes it is a cheeky little logo that conveys that the company wants to portray that they are friendly and approachable. Other times, they are professional and corporate which would appeal to those in the similar mind set.
For example, the Asda logo is green writing. Whilst simplistic and minimal, it speaks volumes about the company behind it. Their choice of green, for example, symbolises safety and friendliness, something that is emphasised in the uniforms of their staff. The font is clean and simple, which matches the perception of their stores.
Matching up the personality of the logo with the company that matches it is very important –sometimes more so than choosing an appealing logo design.
An experienced logo designer, such as those at GB Logo Design, we can match the design and personality of the logo to your own brand to help you convey the information and message across to your customer in the first few seconds of them seeing your logo.
Presented here are some of the most common design mistakes for customers wanting a new logo designed (or even an old one redesigned)
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”.
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.
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 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!
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.
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.
