Logos create a first impression and express your organization’s values and personality. And since you’re recognized primarily by your logo, it’s important to ensure that it accurately reflects who you are and what you want to be known for.
Consider these world-renowned logos:
Although each has a different approach and format, they are a part of the visual vocabulary that is consistently used to market or promote the products and services they provide.
There’s no one rule to make a great logo. It can consist of just letters or initials, a full name, a pictorial or graphic, or any combination of any of them. Colours, fonts and type of design are equally important because they all have to work together to create the impact you want for your potential and existing customers.
Many logos try to give a quick visual explanation of what the product is it represents. Think about athletic shoe brands…the Nike swoosh, the outline of the Puma, or Addidas’ 3 leaning lines that increase in size (conveniently hinting toward the capital A). Even if the logo is somewhat abstract, they all speak of movement and speed.
Other logos focus on name recognition – freestanding company names or acronyms that are designed into a stylized logo, like Google or Tim Horton’s. The same applies to letterform logos that feature just a single letter like McDonalds or Honda. Colour carries meaning as well. The power and passion of red; how shades of green can represent things like earth, stability and peacefulness; the cleanliness of white and the sophistication of black. Consider how IKEA uses the happiness and friendliness associated with yellow and the trust and dependability of blue to represent not just their products, but the vibe they want to association with their entire shopping experience.
There’s a lot that goes into designing a logo. When Blueprint developed the branding guide for Lactanet, a new organization in the dairy industry, we considered how colours, fonts and graphics would work together to create a logo that represented its scope, services and brand promises. Read more about how we created their logo on our website.
When a logo is used consistently, its message is made stronger and it increases awareness and recognition. The logo of the Dutch national railway service has been unchanged in 50 years. Its use of lines to represent rail tracks and the colour blue to reflect the dependability of its service has made it one of Europe’s most recognized and celebrated logos.
But sometimes it can be helpful to tweak a logo. In 2020, Adobe wanted to make its logo more functional for the different surfaces and platforms where it is now used. It updated the iconic stylized “A” lettermark by making it a single colour and using a shade of red that is warmer and more contemporary. Even with those tweaks though, it remains a recognizable and familiar brand.
However, changing a logo is something that must be done with extreme caution. In 2010, The Gap updated its logo, but the backlash from customers was so great that it reverted to the original after just 6 days.
Looking for help in creating or updating your organization’s logo? Blueprint can help you design a logo that tells your story while building awareness across print and digital platforms.
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