Do you have a logo that's ALMOST right, but there's just something about it that you don't like? Do you want to know how to make a logo better? I'm here to help you.
Often new businesses have either created a logo themselves or hired a new graphic designer to put one together. Or they've purchased a logo from a one-stop design shop online. Sometimes these logos are great, sometimes they are *almost* great, and sometimes they are, well, just not working.
Sometimes businesses have to be willing to start over completely with their logo, but sometimes a simple clean up job, usually by a professional designer, can take it from "meh" to "bam".
I love working with my clients to create logos or clean up an old logo to make it better. With a passion for logo design, I can immediately see how an amateur logo could be more polished looking. Sometimes my ideas work out, sometimes they don't. Sometimes we still have to start over with a new concept to get a professional, trustworthy logo.
There are several design rules that I apply to a logo to make it better. As I share these rules, I’ll show you the process of how several logos were improved by applying them. Each of my clients loved their updated logos, surprised that such "small" adjustments could provide such a night and day difference between the original and updated "feeling" of their logo.
Step one. Use good typography.
"Master the basics of good typography and you will then master good design," my first graphic design teacher taught me.
With each year that passes by, I continue to learn from the failures and successes of my design work. In each design that fails to meet a standard of excellence, the basic rules of good typography were not properly executed. I now parrot the same advice that I got when I am teaching a new designer. Mastering good typography practices are foundational to practicing great design.
Using good typography means that you pay attention to the emotion and use of a font so you can choose the right type of font for a logo. If the font in the logo that you have is distracting or connotes the wrong emotion for the industry that the brand is attempting to speak to, then you may only need to replace the font of the logo to get the polished look that it needs to be effective.
Step two. Keep the design of a logo simple, with a clear contrast between elements.
Many times, people try to say too many things all at once in a logo and it looks confusing. As the brilliant Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci is known to have stated, "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."
Sometimes a logo will look more professional by simplifying it and clarifying it's elements with a clearer contrast between elements. This means simplifying the color scheme, giving the logo text a high contrast, and creating spaces between the design elements of a picture logo so that it can be used in something known as a "knock out version" of a logo.
Simplifying a logo doesn't mean it is changed to look completely generic, but it should look clean and be easily legible at different sizes. Logos must be flexible enough to be used in a variety of sizes and applications, from being legible in the small corners of websites to being printed onto labels to being fully recognizable on billboards.
I generally use a rule of thumb for every logo: when in doubt, simplify.
Step three. Give it room to breathe.
Lastly, let's talk about how to let your logo BREATHE. It’s a design term called, “margins”. Applying the proper margins, or creating intentional space in design, is like applying boundaries to relationships to keep them healthy.
Having tight margins, or very little to no space around a logo, is a big no-no. Even the best logo in the world will look sloppy in its presentation if it doesn't have ample space around it or proper spacing within the text and design elements of the logo.
This rule applies to logos that are used in practical applications, such as being stamped on to boxes or used on clothing and handbags. A good rule of thumb is to use the width of space of the first letter of the logo around the edges.
Clean typography, simplicity, and generous margins helped to take this logo from a rough concept to a trustworthy symbol.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on what makes a logo look professional or relatable or trustworthy. Which logo makeover was your favorite and why? Drop a comment below!
