I cannot stress enough how important it is for businesses to create brands that are sustainable. Although the strategy is one key piece that starts the foundation of building a brand, I also wanted to point out some visual components that most people think of when it comes to branding.
Logo design is a small aspect of branding, yet it can sometimes be the most impactful aspect because it’s the first thing that people see. For this reason, it’s important that your company’s logo is simple and effective.
One thing that I see over and over again is an amazing product or service, paired with not so great logo design. Then I realize most business owners simply don’t know the power of good branding, which is typically what draws people in.
So, ladies and gents, here are 5 common mistakes logo design mistakes I see often that you should strive to avoid.
1. Creating a logo that’s too busy.
Just because you offer multiple products or services, does not mean each of them should be reflected in your logo. Oftentimes these turn into illustrations that are way more complex than they should be. You want your logo to be simple and unique.
Here are other key things you need to remember to ensure your logo is effective.
- Memorable – It should be easy enough for a consumer to quickly associate your brand name with your logo.
- Versatile & Scalable – It should be flexible enough to be utilized in multiple ways such as on large billboards to small business cards.
- Timeless – It should stand the test of time so that you only have to make minor changes/enhancements.
2. Selecting brand colors YOU like vs. what appeals to your AUDIENCE.
A lot of people overlook the importance of color theory. But listen up, color theory is both the science and art of using colors. It sets the fundamental guidelines around color combinations and harmony, and most importantly, it explains how humans perceive color and how they can be affected by it. So randomly picking colors based on your favorites isn’t the best method.
A great example that is used often in healthcare is blue. Why? Because blue means knowledge, reliability, and trust, which is exactly what people in the healthcare field want you to feel.
3. Selecting the wrong fonts/typefaces.
Just like color exudes meaning, fonts do as well. The last thing you want to do is pick a font that is not appropriate to the industry/product/service. For instance, a kid-like font such as Comic Sans may be appropriate for a daycare brand/logo. Yet it wouldn’t really work for a professional industry such as technology.
4. Creating your logo in Canva; is not yours and you can’t trademark it!
Bummer, right? We love Canva, it is great for creating graphics and social media posts. But, it’s far from being the right platform for designing your professional logo. The templates are not exclusive to one business. They can be used by many people/businesses/brands, so you won’t have a unique logo and you won’t be able to trademark it.
There are so many other alternatives out there, but one thing I like to encourage new business owners to do if they can’t afford a custom logo to be created is to purchase premade logo designs. While it still won’t belong solely to you, it will be less likely that you’ll run into others with the EXACT logo and colors.
Even though you should consider premade logos, be sure to not pick anything too “trendy.” This is so important because, as I mentioned before, your logo needs to be timeless and not outdated once the trend is long gone!
5. Not having your logo produced in the correct software.
A lot of people wouldn’t necessarily know this off the top of their head, but logos should be produced in special software such as Adobe Illustrator, Affinity Designer, or Corel Draw because they produce vector graphics. These graphics are made up of mathematically precise points, which allows the design to remain consistent and precise in any size and be used in multiple mediums (print and web).
Producing logos in software such as Photoshop would be a problem because they produce raster images, which is best for photos and such. As a result, your logo may look pixelated or blurry when enlarged…and the goal is for your logo to be CRISP when manipulated.
Remember if you’re looking to build a brand versus a business you want to focus on things that will elevate you. Your goal should be to boost your brand recognition and build trust with consumers. So be careful not to fall into some of the costly mistakes outlined above.
If you need any help branding or rebranding your business, feel free to reach out! I will be more than happy to give your business the visual presence it deserves. Contact us today!
