I love graphic design and especially website and logo design. I’ve seen a lot of ideas for logos around here and thought I’d offer my .02.
[B]1. Always, always have your logo created in black and white first.[/B]
The reason: You can add color after you’ve picked which logo you like better. Color can sway you to like a poorly designed logo over a well designed one; just because you like the color better. Also, you know that if you need to do a single color print of your logo (like on shirts, or hats, or stickers) it will still look good.
[B]2. Make sure the logo is simple.[/B]
The reason: People usually only take a passing glance at a logo. They need to recognize it quickly. Also, you need the logo to look right at a very small size (favicons, business cards, shirts, etc).
[B]3. You’re logo does NOT have to include a squeegee or windows.[/B]
The reason: Yes, it would be nice if there were enough creative ways to display a squeegee or windows for every window cleaning company; but that’s just not possible. Logos are for branding. The point is to get people to recognize your logo. That [B]can[/B] be achieved in your local area. I know of several companies where I’m at that I recognize immediately by their logo. They’re just local, but I know who they are.
[B]4. Make sure your logo will look good across all mediums.[/B]
The reason: You’re going to have to put that logo on everything (business cards, uniforms, marketing material, websites, etc.), so make sure it looks right across all those mediums.
[B]5. Make sure you love the logo[/B]
The reason: You’re going to be stuck with it for a while. People get used to seeing one logo for a company. They expect it will always be the same. Granted, logos need updated every once in a while; but they don’t need to be changed constantly or the value of the logo is lost.
[B]6. Get your logo in a vector format.[/B]
The reason: It’s scalable. You can make it as small or as large as you want without loss of quality. This is very important.
I’ve been researching logo design for a while now and thought I would share what I have learned. I hope someone can benefit from this.
