Understanding the Dos and Don’ts of Professional Logo Design

A professional logo designer has a combination of creative skills, a strong aesthetic sense and a knack for making unique logo designs. To be a good logo designer, you need to conduct proper research, have an understanding of the use of fonts and colors but most importantly, you need to be UNIQUE as well as CREATIVE in your approach.

When you create a logo design, there is a high call for professional work. In order to produce a winning design, you need to have a clear understanding of the dos and don’ts of professional logo designing, just so you can avoid mistakes that may prevent you from creating a successful logo.

Dos of Professional Logo Design

These are more or less based on common sense rather than any steadfast rules. Adaptability and organized work flow is called for in a creative design process. A logo design may very well become a brand ambassador of a business, it is therefore critical that as a designer you give it your best shot.

1. Do Proper Research

Before you start off with creating a logo design, try to conduct proper research of your client’s business and industry. Discover elements in the field that can be utilized as metaphors for the logo. The more research you do, the better understanding you will have of the related field and the more chances you will have of creating a unique logo design. When designers don’t research, they end up using the same old metaphors, resulting in common concepts or worse, they end up creating derivative logo design concepts.

2. Do Create an Original Work

We often stress the need for creating original work, because most of the time this is the very factor that makes a winning logo design. Here are some parameters on which the exclusiveness of a logo can be judged:

• - Should not remind you of another company’s logo
• - Should not be a derivative logo design or copied work
• - Should not have copyright or trademark infringement issues

3. Do Follow A Proper Time Schedule

While working on a project, remember to clearly set out a schedule for each design process. Without proper time management, logo designers can fail to comply within the time constraints and will either be unable to deliver or provide low quality work within the deadline. Neither of the two cases should happen. Focus on quality rather than the quantity of work.

4. Do Read the Design Brief

Failing to read and understand the design brief can results in a logo design disaster. You should always read the brief carefully and understand what the client wants. If you don’t do that, you will be considered an amateur designer.

5. Do Upload Vector Images

Send vector images of the logo design to your client instead of raster as raster images are not scalable or flexible. They get pixilated when enlarged for a different print medium. Understand the difference between raster and vector files.

The Don’ts of Professional Logo Designing

Now that you have a clear idea of the dos, here are a couple of things that you should NOT do when creating a logo design:

1. Don’t Overdo Graphics

Some designers think that creating a complicated logo design with gradients, swooshes, swirls and drop shadows will give them an upper hand on winning a contest. Well, that is a wrong idea. The simpler the graphics, the better the chances of the logo being appealing. However, simplicity must come with creative sensibility. Example: McDonalds, KFC, Coca Cola are all simple yet powerful logos.

2. Don’t Use 3^rd Party Stock Vectors

Never use clipart or stock vector in your logo design. This is a call for trouble. First, it is not your design; second it doesn’t show any originality; third, it can result in serious legal consequences. You can get sued for copyright infringement and your reputation as a logo designer will be at stake.

3. Don’t Use Multiple Fonts and Colors

Avoid using more than two colors or clashing colors in your logo design. Also stick to one font that is easy to read rather than using a variety of font styles. When you use more fonts or colors it makes the logo appear cluttered instead of making it appealing. Create a logo that will look good in both color and black and white.

4. Don’t Copy a Design Concept

Copying another designer’s logo concept or basing your design on another person’s creative work is wrong and illegal. Stay away from all kind of derivative logo concepts and save yourself from the embarrassment and legal issues.

5. Don’t Forget to Send the Source Files

Once you win the contest, do not forget to send out the source files to the client. When participating in a design contest, make sure you have a good understanding about the source files and how you can send them. Read more here

P.S: Being a seasoned logo designer means you provide your clients quality over quantity. The rules of professional logo design are simple. All you have to do if understand and avoid using shortcuts.

Do you know of any other basic things that logo designers need to pay attention to? Share your dos and don’ts of professional logo design with us. We always love to hear from you!