Logo Design: key elements and principles

When starting a company or giving an existing brand a 'facelift', the starting point should always be the logo. As a design professional I would strongly advise against designing your own logo.  Your unique logo is the foundation on which your entire company's corporate identity and brand style is built. Where can you get a logo? The best advice would be to hire a graphic designer to create one for you. ​

When creating a logo the designer needs to make sure they have a good understanding of what the competition is doing in your industry. This will give them a better understanding of what the logo needs to represent.  At this point the discussion will start with the desired color pallette, line quality, shapes, sizes, textures, masculine or feminine feel, and how these elements relate to one another in the context of your brand. You will also choose the font/s that will become your company's own trademark style.

Looking for a fast and cheap design solution will almost never work in this regard. You risk misrepresenting and even creating a negative brand image that could destroy your entire business if the work is sub-standard. The logo will represent your company, so you need to ask a few questions when settling on the final design. What does your company stand for? What are the emotions you want to create for your customer when they see your logo for the first time? Then, in what format or type do you require the final artwork be supplied? Your designer will also be able to give you advice on this. Pro-tip: Vector-based logos are what you should be requesting vs image-based logos.

A vector-based logo maintains the structural integrity of the artwork, keeping it crisp and clean. This makes it possible to give a correct rendering of the logo at any given size; be it engraved on the side of a pencil, used as the side of a building wrap, or for a billboard. The logo needs to always be crisp and clear, and that is why 99% of logos today are vector based.  If you have a pixel-based logo you will always have limitations regarding size and quality.

Rather spend the time and money on commissioning your initial artwork, as this is the first introduction prospective clients will have to your business. Your logo will be your first ambassador into the marketplace. If it looks cheap and tacky then that is unfortunately the impression potential customers will have of your product and brand. If your business is in construction or medical health for example, your logo needs to be representative of that field.  Regardless of whether you as the owner might be into MMA fighting, your personal taste shouldn’t affect your business personality. If you had to create a logo covered in skulls and bones for a construction company, you might be perceived as a dangerous site. Can you imagine the chaos? You would end up with a bad reputation and clients that constantly look for health or safety hazards on site. 

In the busy noisy world of design that we live in, your brand needs to be as clean and efficient as the market demands.  It is important to ensure that, as the owner and caretaker, you give your business the best chance you can to succeed.  Let us help you to make sure your logo is packed with layers of meaning that connote all the things that represent your company well. In one glance your prospective client needs to be able to pick you out of a pile of business cards.

My name is Corlia van Tonder and I work with Grafic Matter as a resident designer. I have over 10 years of design and brand development experience behind me, and a passion for growing entrepreneurs and small businesses. I have a unique understanding of the elements of design that create a visual voice, tone and aesthetically pleasing message unique to your business. Grafic Matter can help you stand out from the crowd.  Request a consultation to compile your most important brand assets for promotion today.

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Written by Corlia van Tonder

"I am a progressive graphic designer who is open to new design and visual innovations.
We are a cerebral and dynamic digital design agency that focuses on translating your brand into a graphic language that matters!