Saturday, March 23, 2013

10 top Most Common Mistakes in Logo Design

Are you a logo designer? Or Are you in need of a logo? I believe you are either of the two people. Who ever you are among them, there is need to know about the simple yet common mistakes that are continuously made in logo designs. I have been designing logos for more than 3 years now and I keep realizing the same mistakes on logos. Sometimes I ask myself what on earth the buyer was thinking when paying the designer. Then on the other side, I also fail to understand what was going on in the designers head as he or she was doing the job. Some of these mistakes are too common yet they can easily be rectified.

This article focuses both on the logo designers so as to identify the mistakes they make, and the employers to understand the mistakes commonly made by designers and also let them know what to expect from their contractors.  If you have read through articles in the same niche, you will find that most of these guys claim the main cause of these mistakes are the amateur designers. I really do not totally agree with this. Below is my list of the ten most common mistakes made in logo designs.

Poor software choice.  I am a professional but the quality of the job I produce depends on the software I am using. I know when it comes to graphics, individual creativity counts a lot but in this case, a professional may use his or her creativity to come with some thing good but the output may not really impress, while the amateur with basic or minimal skills has an outstanding print. When it comes to software choice, I prefer using Adobe illustrator and sometimes Corel Draw. The reason is that they don’t use pixels. They are vector based graphic designing software. The problem with pixels is that they tend to make the image look blurred when the image size is altered.  A logo designer should always keep in mind that a logo may be used on any thing. On a car, banner, cup or even on a pen. So a logo MUST always be the same quality if the size is altered.

Copying from existing logos. This particular mistake can be blamed on both the employers and the logo designers.  During all this time I have been in the logo designing business, I have encountered many employers who would say things like, “I want my logo to look like the Fedex logo”. Sometimes their business is not even in the line of Fedex. For the logo designers, why on earth would you use someone’s logo as a template? A logo is supposed to be unique and copying from another will only loose its meaning of uniqueness.

Unwillingness to spend on a logo. If you are a serious  business person with a  vision and a mission to expand your brand, then why don’t you allocate some good money for a logo that will represent you every where you go? I have had clients who give me contracts to modify their logos. Most of the times when I ask them who did the original, they proudly answer “I did it my self”. If you don’t have the necessary skills please don’t save that money, let a professional do the work for you. Today there are many of these logo design contests all over the internet which may be a good way of spending less and getting quality work done, but you need to be sure of who you are contracting. It is hard to know if someone is a professional. That is why I always recommend logo design websites as they will shamelessly display some of their previous jobs. This helps you as the client to gauge the designer’s skills.

Trend following. This is where I have real beef with the amateur logo designers. I criticize the amateurs here because most of the amateurs I have ever worked with always want to do a logo that is flowing with the trend at that particular moment. You are supposed to design some thing that will always stay unique season to season. Some funky glows and bevels can easily become out-dated.

Usage of stock images. Downloading stock images from the web is an easy and cheap thing to do since some websites even offer then for free. The point is thousands of people all over the world are downloading the same image and your logos are bound to be the same.

Depending on Color usage. When designing a logo, try to think of it without the colors. If possible print it in black & white and see if it still gives you the same message when in colored. A logo that only looks good in color is not a good logo.

Font mixing. Try to browse and take a look at some of the great logos. If you are keen you will notice most of them use only one font. Fewer fonts help so much when it comes to brand recognition. If you must, then don’t use more that two.

Ignoring the requirements. As a designer you are supposed to provide a well done product that will impress your client. While working on the project, always remember the needs of the client.  They will only be impressed if they see what they needed in your work.

Over complexity. Try to keep the work simple and neat. When it comes to logos, simplicity sells more than complexity. A simple logo will always give the full details even if the size of the logo is altered.


Poor message communication. This mistake is mostly made by the “Do it myself” kind of business owners.  The logos never say what the company does. For God’s sake what would a car be doing on an internet cafĂ©’s logo? Logos should be able to identify a business easily.

As a professional, I highly believe if you avoid all the above mistakes, you are bound to get a quality and influential logo that will leave a statement.

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