While there are several theories on what makes a good company logo, graphic designer David Airey suggests five key elements: describability, memorability, relevancy, effectiveness without color, and scalability. All five aspects are extremely important. When it comes to Business Promotional Products, though, two of the five are absolutely vital to consider.
Key Elements of Good Company Logos
- According to Airey, describable logos are those that can be explained easily in words. If someone were to ask you to describe the Federal Express logo, what would you say? Do you think someone who has never seen the logo before would be able to recognize it based solely on your description? The goal is to create a logo that can be easily described to someone who has never seen the logo before.
- Next, a good logo must be memorable. A striking use of negative space, a creative visualization related to the company name, or presenting something slightly unexpected are all good ways to increase the “stickiness factor” of your logo. A good logo should be so striking that a person can recall it again without problem even after only seeing it once.
- Have a logo relevant to your industry. While this should be a no-brainer, it is still an important point to make. If you’re thinking of redesigning your company logo, make sure the new logo reflects your company’s attitude toward the industry you’re in. Avoid meaningless squiggles, generic art or images completely unrelated to your company or industry.
- If you intend to imprint your logo on custom promotional products, scalability and effectiveness without color are the two most important elements to consider for your company logo. While many of our products feature large imprint areas, some of our most popular products (such as Discount Personalized Pens) offer just a few inches of space for your artwork. Make sure your logo will still appear clearly even if it’s very small. Likewise, one-color imprints are the most common when it comes to promotional products, so it’s best to make sure your logo can be reduced to a single color without losing much impact. That said, we are more than capable of handling ultra-detailed, full-color imprints as well.
The Bottom Line
A striking company logo is paramount to having a successful business. Make sure your logo is discernible, memorable, relevant, scalable, and effective without color. If you are ready to order promotional items and need assistance in creating a design, our talented art department will be happy to help. After all, your company logo is often the only thing people will have to associate with your business. Shouldn’t you make sure they’ll be able to recognize it?
If you require art conversion services or help with logo design, please call us 800-554-0127 between 9 AM and 8 PM ET Monday through Friday for further assistance.
Be sure to check in again tomorrow for a follow up to this post, where we will take a look at some Examples of Creative Logo Design. Later this week, we’ll also go over 10 Things to Avoid When Designing a Company Logo.
