20 Stupid Logo Design Mistakes Designers make

I look at hundreds of design concepts every day at MycroBurst.com and sometimes I see drafts that clearly tell me that designers are trying too hard or not hard enough.  I often see designers making small but noticeable design mistakes. Now, I don’t consider myself a graphic design guru, but I have worked long enough in the industry to know when a design looks excessive, what a design might be lacking, and what simply does not work.

Logo Design Mistakes to Avoid

Below I have compiled a list of the 20 most common mistakes that designers should avoid:

1. Rushing Design – Take your time. Go over the project details i.e. client type and requirements. If you rush, it shows up in your work.
2. Misrepresentation – The industry and style of the business should sometimes be reflected in the logo. Be sure not to represent a different industry, or to design a casual, fun logo for a serious formal company.
3. Not Reading the Design Brief – Read the design brief very carefully. Most of the designers make the mistake of assuming. Only follow what is stated in the design brief, and always keep the target audience in mind.
4. Not Checking the Competitors – Look up the client’s competitors and check out their logos to get a better understanding of the target audience and company objectives.
5. Lack of Inspiration – Look at other designer’s concepts to gain inspiration but don’t copy.
6. Start Sketching – Don’t always start designing on the computer right away. Stick with the basics. Draw the design concepts on a paper. Doodle and design with colored pencils. Try to loosen up and be more creative.
7. Sticking With the Common – The logo you create for your client should represent the company’s services and its motto. Make the representation unique and appealing.
8. Not Catering to All Kinds of Marketing – Logos are commonly used for multiple marketing platforms. Think about this, and create designs which can be used in different scales (large and small) and formats (print, online, on t-shirts). Your logo should look good wherever it is used.
9. Overdoing Colors – Sometimes black and white works better than colors. It gives the logo a professional look. Don’t overdo with colors unless the client requires you to do so.
10. Not Using Proper Software – Use Adobe Illustrator and Corel Draw to design instead of Photoshop. Using Photoshop can be more difficult and will create raster images which appear pixilated and look bad when someone tries to increase or decrease the size.
11. Giving Too Many Design Options – Don’t offer clients too many options. Always narrow it down to 3 or 4 and let them choose or give feedback.
12. Using Too Many Fonts – Don’t use more than 2 fonts in a logo. Ideally, just stick with one.
13. Not Using the Right Fonts –Every font has a personality and can easily relate to various industries. Take your time to choose the correct one and tweak it if necessary. Sometimes using an unexpected font can look great, but a poor font choice can also look awful.
14. Using Stock Vector Graphics – They look cheap and can be easily spotted. Skip them.
15. Overlapping Colors – Many designers have picked up on this over-used trend. Always separate multiple colors with a distinct line.
16. Adding Web 2.0 – Adding Web 2.0 techniques to a design might make it look grand online, but it may not print well. Use sparingly.
17. Adding Extra Effects – Many designers make this mistake. Beveled and embossed effects can make the design look 10 times worse. Do not use extra effects if they are not needed.
18. Employing Taglines and Inclusions – Vague inclusions might look good on a full size logo, but are painful to look at on a smaller scale. Use wisely.
19. Not Paying Attention to Feedback – Especially if it’s from the client. Read all of the feedback – even if it is meant for someone else’s work, do not pass up the opportunity to learn.
20. K.I.S.S – Keep it Simple, Stupid – Keep your design simple and avoid clutter.  Too much going on is distracting to the eye.

We Want You to Win!

My reasons for putting together this list are two-fold. While I am keen to see designers become more proficient at their craft, I am even more eager to see them win and get recognized for their hard work. Use the above information to your advantage. Work smarter and become a winner.

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