- To some, designing a logo may seem simple.
After all, it's just one small graphic, right?
Well, because of that fact,
it's actually a big challenge.
With all the visual possibilities,
how do you boil it down into one image,
one icon, one symbol,
to represent a product or business?
Now that's a lot of pressure,
and it can be a big challenge getting this right.
However, there are a few things
we can keep in mind to help us.
All the most successful logos
share similar qualities that make them great.
So before we start to design our logo,
I'm going to talk some design theory,
and discuss exactly what makes a good logo design.
In this video, I'm going to discuss
all the points we need to keep in mind
to help us design awesome logos.
So, let's get into it.
(light electronic music)
So when designing an effective logo,
there are a number of factors you will want to ensure.
A good logo will be simple,
memorable, distinctive, appropriate,
versatile, and timeless.
In this video, we are going to discuss these factors
in some depth.
Now we are about to look at a lot of logo examples.
So if you'd like to take a closer look at these,
you can find them in the downloadable PDF course index
that goes along with this course.
Link is in the description.
So one of the main principles you want to keep in mind
when designing a logo is, keep it simple.
A logo should be simple so it can be easily recognized,
instantly identifiable and have maximum impact.
Simple logos tend to be more memorable.
A simple logo will also retain its clarity
when used in different design contexts.
Simple logos also work in large formats
and in small formats.
So if a logo is too complex or busy,
then its detail may be lost when it's reduced in scale.
So let's take WCVB-TV, WWF,
Nike, Pinterest, the Guild of Food Writers,
Channel 4, Target,
and Shell, for example.
Now, if you're wondering why I have featured these
in black and white,
well, for this example,
we are purely focusing on the shape
and form of the logos, and not the brand colors.
So here are some examples of some well-known logomarks.
These logos are immensely simple,
using negative space beautifully.
Simplicity has played an important role here.
Next, let's take Co-operative, CNN, DC Shoes,
EA, NASA, V&A,
AOL, and Calvin Klein.
Here are some simple examples
of some well-known lettermark-style logos.
Again, we see how simple these are,
with some interesting use of negative space on CNN,
and an interesting simplification treatment on V&A.
Next let's take Google, Casio, Dyson,
Hulu, Costa, Bose, eBay and Visa.
Here are some examples of simple wordmark-style logos.
Next, let's take Kellogg's, Loaf,
Sharpie, ITV, Always,
Milka, Disney and Ray-Ban.
Here are some examples of simple
script wordmark-style logos.
Next let's take Wall's Ice Cream, Spotify,
Vodafone, Adobe, Pepsi,
Airbnb, Billabong, and Rolex.
Here are some examples of some well-known
simple combination mark-style logos.
So finally, let's take UPS, Hewlett-Packard,
Ford, General Electric, EE,
Intel, Chupa Chups, and E4.
Here are some examples of well-known
simple emblem-style logos.
Now, even though these include logotype and shape elements,
they are still extremely simple in their execution,
using negative space nicely.
These are all nice examples
of simple logos across various categories.
So when designing your logo,
try to keep it simple.
Now, another important principle you want to keep in mind
when designing a logo is memorability.
This principle really carries on from the previous.
If your logo is simple,
chances are, it will be easily recognized
and instantly identifiable.
A logo should convey an immediate and memorable identity,
and must connect with its target audience
in a positive manner.
A logo can be clever, bold, elegant,
or simply have character,
or characteristics that will make an impression.
Let's take Beats, SEGA, Virgin,
Apple, Windows, Chanel,
E1E and Vodafone, for example.
Here I have a mixture of logomarks, wordmarks,
combination marks and emblems.
As simple as they all are through their subtle choice
in shape, font, and style,
they are all memorable in their own way.
So another important principle you want to keep in mind
when designing a logo is, make it distinctive.
A logo should strive to be unique, to attract attention,
to stand out from the competition,
and leave a lasting impression.
The more distinctive a logo is,
the more likely it will be remembered.
Here I have some logo examples
for corporate business organizations.
Here we have 12 logos for banking,
PR agencies, accountancy and law firms.
When we look at all these together,
they do share some common similarities.
For example, almost all of these logos
are lockup combination marks,
but they all do a good job
at distinguishing themselves from each other.
They are all quite distinctive.
Next I have some technology sector logos,
some fashion and boutique logos,
some TV and broadcast logos,
and some High Street retail logos.
If you take a little more time to look at these,
you will find that they are all doing a good job
at being distinctive.
Now, one of the most important principles
you will need to make sure you consider is,
make it appropriate.
When creating a logo,
it's important to keep in mind
the context of the company, institution,
or product you're designing for.
A logo will want to communicate the correct values,
and connect with its target audience
in a positive manner.
Be it trustworthy, formal, creative,
fun, traditional, contemporary,
youthful, or mature,
the right impression will have to be captured.
To quote Paul Rand,
"A logo does not sell directly, it identifies.
A logo is rarely a description of a business.
A logo derives meaning from the quality
of the thing it symbolizes, not the other way around.
A logo is less important than the product it signifies.
What it represents is more important
than what it looks like."
So a logo should ultimately derive its meaning and quality
from the company, institution, or product it symbolizes.
A logo does not sell directly.
It only identifies.
Now, this is not to say a logo needs to be literal.
Let's take Hamleys, "Times,"
Lloyds Bank, Great Ormond Street Hospital Charity,
Xbox, FreemanWhite Healthcare, Baker Tilly Accountancy,
MTV, Tesco, Shark Energy Drink,
Subway, KISS, the London 2012 Olympics logo,
Gilead Pharmaceuticals, Twitch, Jack Daniel's,
Vimto and ASICS.
Here we can see a clear distinction between them all,
most notably, because each logo
is from a different industry,
with different values and target audiences.
None of these logos depict what they represent
in a literal sense.
They have all been carefully designed
to give off a certain character and vibe,
reminiscent of the context of their industry and product.
So another important principle you want to keep in mind
when designing a logo is, versatility.
Now, a logo should be simple enough and legible enough
to work across a variety of media platforms.
Ideally, a logo should be able to work at any size,
small or large, vertically or horizontally.
Now we learned earlier that there are a range
of various logo styles.
It's important to keep in mind
that some of these styles are more versatile than others,
and work better in various media environments.
So here is a typical logomark,
logotype, combination mark lockup,
and combination mark emblem.
And here are some typical media environments
a logo will have to apply to.
We have some horizontal spaces and vertical spaces.
So the benefits of the logomark
is that it will work in most instances, large or small.
The logomark is versatile because of its simplicity.
This style of logo works well when scaled up and down.
Now, depending on the design,
the logotype will typically work better
in horizontal spaces, rather than vertical spaces.
In very thin vertical spaces,
the logotype will begin to struggle.
The logotype is versatile,
but does have its limitations.
Now the lockup combination mark
can respond to its environment and change its lockup.
In larger spaces, the logo can remain,
and in smaller, cramped instances,
the logo can change its lockup.
Notice here how we have a variety of lockup combinations
to best fit the media environment.
They may be essentially different,
but they are all the same logo.
This is why the lockup combination mark
is one of the most popular logos,
as it benefits from both the interesting logo mark element,
and the direct logotype element.
These are often interchangeable,
to fit into a variety of media environments.
So like with the logomark,
emblems are also one of the most versatile.
The emblem is versatile because it's self-contained,
works well when scaled up and down,
and looks the same in every instance.
These are important principles to consider
when designing a logo.
If your logo is to be designed
for a specific media environment,
this can influence its execution.
From these examples,
we can see which style of logo is more versatile.
So another thing to keep in mind
when considering versatility is how a logo will look
as a silhouette, which is common.
A logo should not try to rely too heavily on color
for its memorability and recognizability,
as this may be lost when used in black and white.
An effective logo should avoid drop shadows and feathering,
if it is to work in black and white.
From these examples, we can see
that even without their well-known color schemes,
they are still distinct and recognizable.
So the last important principle you want to keep in mind
when designing a logo is, make it timeless.
A timeless logo is one that commands the greatest respect,
because it has stood the test of time,
remained confident and resisted design trends
and technological influence.
To quote Michael Bierut,
"It's really about thinking of these symbols
as being empty vessels,
and you pour the meaning into them.
The success and reputation
a company, institution, or product has or gains
will ultimately add value to the logo, the empty vessel."
If a logo implies simplicity,
distinctiveness, and versatility,
it has the makings for a timeless logo.
If a logo is so simple, distinctive,
and works well across media environments,
then there should be no need to change it in future.
What all well-known, timeless logos have in common
is that they are truly simple,
distinctive and versatile.
Let's take the General Electric logo,
the Coca-Cola logo, the Starbucks logo,
the Volkswagen logo, the Co-operative logo,
the Apple logo, and the Ford logo, for example.
The original incarnation of the General Electric logo
was made in the late 1800s, as a monogram.
In the early 1900s,
the monogram was incorporated into an emblem,
and has gone largely unchanged for over 100 years,
only to lose its gradient and shadow effects
to become flat in the early 2000s.
The Coca-Cola logo became a script-based logo
back in the early 1900s,
and has gone largely unchanged for the past 100 years,
only to become more refined.
The Starbucks logo,
which was first introduced in the early '70s,
incorporated the two-tailed mermaid, Siren,
from Greek mythology.
Over the past 50 years, it has evolved
from an emblem logo to the simple logomark we see today.
The Volkswagen logo in the mid 1940s
became the simplified VW emblem we recognize today.
Since then, it has undergone minor changes
in color and detail.
Now, this is an interesting one.
In 1968, the original Co-operative
logo group lettermark logo was introduced.
In the mid '90s, it was simplified,
and in 2007, it was changed to a more traditional logotype.
In 2016, they would revive the old lettermark logo,
and introduce it as the new logo.
In 1912, Ford introduced the familiar script logotype
you're familiar with today,
and in 1917, it was placed inside
the well-known oval shape,
and has undergone few changes since,
only becoming more refined.
And finally, in 1976, Apple introduced
its first apple-shaped logo,
which featured six bars of color.
On the Apple II computer,
it even included a logotype element.
In 1998, they would simply remove the colors
and move forward with the flat minimal logomark design,
that they use to this day.
So these are some classic, timeless logos
that have undergone very minor changes.
They may have started as obscure executions,
but they all established a particular identity,
and refined that over decades.
As their success and popularity has grown,
so has the brands'.
Over decades, these brands and logo identities
have become icons,
and it will be impossible to imagine them ever changing.
So when attempting to create a timeless logo,
try not to be influenced by trends.
Keep it simple, distinctive and versatile.
So those are the main principles to consider
when attempting to make a good logo.
A good logo will be simple, memorable, distinctive,
appropriate, versatile, and timeless.
So with that overview of what makes a good logo design,
it's now time to take what we have learned,
get creative and start the next phase of the design process,
phase two, design visual concepts.
In this phase, we are going to put pen to paper
and come up with designs for our logo,
to take into the third phase,
where we will look to artwork our final designs
on the computer, ready to present to the client.
In the next video,
I'm going to demonstrate how I think about my design,
and sketch out ideas for my logo design.
So see you in the next video.
(light electronic music)