The primary role of a logo is to iden-
tify... Remember this, as it trumps all
other advice you’ll ever hear. Identifi-
cation is what really matters. That’s it.
Trends come and go, design tools
and techniques will evolve, what
we perceive a logo to be may even
drastically change with time, but for
all eternity the single most import-
ant goal of a logo will always remain
this – to identify the person, product,
business or service you’re designing
it for.
Logo designs are everywhere.
I look around me now, and I can
easily count up at least 10 different
logos without much effort... they are
scattered around us everywhere we
go, are embedded in our culture and
way of life. They influence our deci-
sions, communicate and represent a
company’s values, and are often full
of meaning...
But really... what is the purpose
of a logo, and why do they matter?
This is something graphic designers
and business owners really need to
understand before working on their
brand identity. When you picture
a business in your mind, you often
immediately picture the logo, be it
the golden arches of a famous fast
food company, or the apple with the
bite out of it representing one of my
favourite technology brands.
ple logos above, you’ll immediate-
ly associate it with your memories,
Likewise, when you see a logo you’re
A well-designed logo will be memo-
rable, helping customers to remem-
ber the brand.Shapes and colours are easier for the
human brain to process and mem-
orise than words are. This means
that if the identity is unique in the
marketplace it’s easy to find and
identify the company once again to
purchase its services, and to recom-
mend to friends. can still look good,
but that should be a secondary factor
when designing a logo. Identification
comes first.
This means, as a designer (or busi-
ness owner), before working on any
ideas you need to fully understand
the environment in which the logo
will be seen. Who are the brands
competitors and how do they look?
What colours and symbols are
already owned by established compe-
tition? How can we differentiate the
can still look good, but that should be
a secondary factor when designing a
logo. Identification comes first.
This means, as a designer (or busi-From our very first day we build
up a visual library in our mind and
begin to associate fonts, shapes and
colours with specific emotions and
objects.By simply looking at a logo, like
it or not we will immediately
make judgements, and perceive a
business, product or service in a
certain way.If we think a company looks too
expensive, too corporate, too fun,
or too radical we will avoid it. Like-
wise, if the logo (and the associated
brand identity) looks like the type
of company, products or service
we’re looking for, and wish to be
associated with, we will actively en-
gage with the company and buy its
products and services.
From our very first day we build
up a visual library in our mind and
begin to associate fonts, shapes
and colours with specific emotions
and objects. By simply looking at a
logo, like it or not we will immedi-
ately make judgements,.
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