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What are some of the biggest mistakes logo designers make when they attempt to create a company logo?

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Question added by Mariam Eid , Marketing and Communications Manager , Executive Solutions
Date Posted: 2016/04/08
Zeeshan Tariq
by Zeeshan Tariq , Senior Web Developer and Manager , YELEE Group of Companies

Basic three problems are listed below

1. Copy other logos

2. No creativity

3. Do not try to understand the motive of company and what kind of representation it needs

Yousif Eltoum
by Yousif Eltoum , Consultant , freelance

A logo is front of what the company is about so here are some of the major mistakes:

  • lack of originality in the logo: it should be unique
  • not paying close attention to detail: for example the hp logo is tilted 13 digrees for a reason. as a result of that even the wallpapers that comes in hp laptops are stripes that are tilted exactly 13 digrees.
  • a good logo should be visible and recognizable even if it was 1x1 centimeters .. it shouldnt be tilted or streched, and it should in general be in a square or a symetrical manner

Alfredo Vicera
by Alfredo Vicera , Office Admin Assistant

Some logo designers tend to make overly complex design that it seems not relatable to the company which the logo should represent. This is also because they consider more their insights rather than that of what is required for the logo and what the company is all about basically.

ahmed Elsaeyd saleh
by ahmed Elsaeyd saleh , Senior Graphic Designer , Saudi media

Taking certain ideas from the client

Search well before implementation

Defined identity established

Amani Alasad
by Amani Alasad , Web Developer , Quadron

The art of logo design is littered with pitfalls. We reveal the biggest mistakes to avoid, in order to guide your design to logo glory.

 

Whether you’re a logo design novice with just a handful of clients or a creative director, there are certain pitfalls every designer should avoid when creating logos. And with so many now socially sharing and scrutinizing your work, designers must be extra vigilant to avoid falling into these traps. Here we've provided a run-down of the most common 10 to avoid...

 

You'll find all our logo design articles here

 

Mistakes to avoid when you attempt to create a company logo: Slavishly following trends

 

This VH1 logo was bang on trend when it launched 10 years ago, but looked very dated by the time it was replaced in January this year

Choosing to design your logo based on current trends is likely to leave your logo looking dated and out-of-touch as soon as the trend dies out, not to mention making you look slightly amateur.

Rather than choose the popular flavor of the month, think about what's more likely to have longevity for your brand. For example, the current logo of the BBC (shown below) has been around since 1997, yet still has not become dated.

The current BBC logo is now 16 years old and still looks fresh

 

Mistakes to avoid when you attempt to create a company logo: Overdoing color

 

The logo for the Polish Presidency has been criticised for using too many colours

Overdoing colours will not only make your design busy and confusing but also make it difficult to translate into monotone, which you’re likely to need at some point. Try to keep colours under a maximum of four and if your client requests lots of colours, try to use logical combinations and remember colour psychology.

 

Mistakes to avoid when you attempt to create a company logo: Failing to make the logo transferable

 

This logo for Brooklyn Public Library was replaced earlier this year - partly because it didn't reduce down well on mobile devices

Keep in mind that your logo will need to be transferrable across a range of different mediums. Make sure that the colours, size and overall design will work on printed materials such as signs and T-shirts, as well as across various technology touch points such as websites and mobile sites.

 

Mistakes to avoid when you attempt to create a company logo: Poor font choice

 

Deciding which font to use is hugely important and a significant factor in shaping your brand identity. If designing your own font proves to be too tasking, ensure that the off-the shelf version is first of all appropriate for logo use and secondly, appropriate for your brand. Remember, fonts are also subjective to trends so try and avoid the logo font-of-the-moment, which is likely to leave your logo looking tired in a matter of a few years. Also try to avoid choosing logos that look similar to Microsoft Word Art.

 

Mistakes to avoid when you attempt to create a company logo: Copying other logos

 

Chinese car company BYD's logo looks a little familiar...

During the early stages of creating your logo, be very careful of copying, either deliberately or subconsciously, other brands. Having a logo too similar to someone else, especially a competitor, will both devalue your design and make you forgettable to your audience. The purpose of a logo is to make your brand stand out in the crowd, so differentiate yourself from the rest.

 

Mistakes to avoid when you attempt to create a company logo: Using stock art

 

If you're thinking about turning to a stock image site to form the backbone of your logo, don't! The purpose is to create a logo that’s unique to a brand, which you’re unlikely to do if you’re using an image that’s done the rounds. Also, using stock images is more than likely to leave you looking cheap.

 

Mistakes to avoid when you attempt to create a company logo: Too many fonts

 

Two examples of logos that use too many typefaces

A major, and surprisingly common, mistake is using too many fonts and font styles. Along with making the design look overly busy, the use of multiple fonts can also distort your brand identity and make it difficult for the audience to understand the message you’re trying to convey.

 

Mistakes to avoid when you attempt to create a company logo: Overdoing special effects

 

Mobile phone company 3's logo is beautiful - but consider how easy it is to transfer such a logo to different media, sizes, etc

Similarly to overdoing colour or excessive numbers of fonts, using special effects is also likely to confuse your design. Additionally, consider again how your logo translates to greyscale and other mediums. It’s unlikely that using these techniques will leave your logo standing out from the crowd.

 

Mistakes to avoid when you attempt to create a company logo: Being too abstract

 

This redesign of the University of California's logo was withdrawn after mass protests

Whilst you don’t want your logo to be so bland and ordinary that it’s easily forgettable, you also don’t want to be so left-field that it both confuses your audience and misrepresents your organisation. Aim to strike a personal balance that will grab attention for all the right reasons.

 

Mistakes to avoid when you attempt to create a company logo: Using pixelated images

 

 

Using pixelated images is likely to lead to headaches. Design software that use raster images won’t allow you to enlarge your image without it becoming pixelated, nor will you be able to post it on a web background colour without first changing it to a .PNG file. Instead opt for vector graphics that maintain consistency across varying mediums.

mosa hasan Abo sweilem
by mosa hasan Abo sweilem , Designer , freelancer

Here Are the most ten mistakes new designers do when creating logos:-

1- Design without taking care of the client preferables.

2- apply the first idea appears in mind. .

3- copy other logos

4- Using a past logo with a new customer .

5- using multi-colors.

6- Using multi font types.

7- Not Doing a sufficient research.

8- Go to computer directly without sketching

9- choose wrong colors (pink to hospital for Ex.).

10- complexity (where you can see multiple things do multiple things!!!!!)

 

Abigail Chua
by Abigail Chua , Senior Interior Designer , Boceto Builders Corporation

Biggest mistake is to make the design too complicated. A logo should represent the company in 1 look.

It should be simple and meaningful and have strong presence.

Mohamed Younis
by Mohamed Younis , Graphic Designer , Emax Electronics LandMark group

1- Typographic chaos

2- Poor font choice 

3- Too complex, too abstract 

4- Relying on special effects or color

5- Using raster images

6- Settling for a monogram 

7- Using visual clichés 

8- Copying, stealing, or borrowing design 

9- Getting too much client input 

- Providing too many concepts

- Not cleaning up logo files .

- Not delivering correct files to client

googling a sample logo and create a logo similar to the logo or else change the colours and shapes partialy

Muhammad Aamir N
by Muhammad Aamir N , Senior web Designer , Alobin Tech

Typography error, branding error and color selection error are most common mistake made by any logo designers

Biju Paramangalam
by Biju Paramangalam , Graphic & Multimedia Designer , ARMOPLAST

Copy other works; using too much colors and poor fonts are the big mistakes

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