Brand Design: 7 Reasons to Keep Logos Simple

If you want a great logo keep your logo simple; just think about all the logos you remember and you’ll know this to be true, but if you need more reasons — keep reading.

Logo Simple

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As a brand owner, there will be numerous things that will require your undivided attention. Choosing a proper name for your business, making sure that your business’s website is top quality and branding your business are just some of the things that you will need to think long and hard about.

Aside from those, coming up with an appropriate logo is another business aspect you will need to be really careful with. A well-designed logo will have a huge value for the company itself but being able to come up with such a logo is no walk in the park. Unless you manage to come up with an absolutely unique and authentic logo, your efforts might all be in vain.

That being said, let’s see what some of the most common reasons are you need to make sure you come up with an original logo that is not too elaborate or overwhelming. Pay attention, take notes and learn how you too can make an awesome simple logo for your business and brand.

Easy to recognize

One of the best traits of having a simple logo is the fact that the simpler your logo is the easier it will be for people to recognize it. The reason behind this is that we remember pretty much anything we see during our lifetime, but the majority of that information is buried deep in our subconsciousness. This means that people’s subconsciousness needs to be able to recognize your logo way before their conscious minds manage to put two and two together. To be able to do this you need to combine both science and art. Since we are exposed to so many information pieces on a daily basis managing to create something that will stick out more in that crowd of information pieces is something every brand should strive towards.

Emotional response

Next, aside from the fact that your logo needs to be easily recognizable, it should also evoke an instant emotional reaction. Simple logos have the advantage over the more complicated ones in that the brain is able to process them far quicker and more efficiently and once the brain processes something, the emotions tend to take the wheel. So, the easier your logo is to process and prompt the emotional response, the higher the chances of people remembering it and recognizing it the next time they see it. Not only that but the more time your brain needs to spend on the processing phase, the less time there is for the emotional part to kick in.

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Memorability

Next comes the memorability. The brand logo ideas make the person who sees them automatically remember the product or the service that stands behind the logo itself. The best examples we can provide here are Coca-Cola and McDonald’s. As soon as you see that giant yellow M or you see the famous red field with a somewhat wavy white stripe you instantly remember your favorite meal combined with the unforgettable taste of this of-so-refreshing drink. So, the point is not only to make your logo memorable but also to connect it with your product or service which should make your audience want to come back for more.

Aesthetic appeal

Of course, when making your logo, you want to make sure that it is aesthetically appealing and pleasant to the eye. Here, you will need to consider so much more than just a color combo. Things like font, lower- or upper-case letters and the style of the letters – if your logo features them – are all very important things you will need to think long and hard about. Brands such as AskBrokers decided on a clear cut, easy to interpret logo that is easy to read and understand. It is proven that time and time again this type of logos is the most effective one which is precisely why more and more companies are choosing to go for it. Simply put, if your logo is also the name of your brand, there is very little room for error.

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Industry relevance

While all the above-mentioned aspects of creating a logo are definitely important, you still need to make sure you stay within your industry. If you are running a computer software agency, for instance, there would really be no point in including a graphic depiction of an animal paw in the design, no matter how much you may love animals. Something in the line of a computer mouse or a simplified drawing of the computer itself would make far more sense.

Simple to recall

As mentioned earlier, the simpler your logo is the easier it is for people to recall what it represents and what it stands for. For instance, when people see that black and white panda logo, their mind instantly goes towards the WWF and everything they do to make our planet a better place to live. However, some people make the mistake of thinking that they can get a simple free stock logo image, slap some text onto that sucker and use that as their logo. If you are thinking the same, ask yourself how many people used that picture before you. Simply put, avoid doing this if you and your business want to be taken seriously by virtually anyone.

Unambiguous

Finally, you need to make sure that your logo is only used by your company and no one else so that there is no confusion among the audience. Aside from this, your logo also needs to present is a clear-cut way who you are and what you stand for. However, in order to achieve that your brand and your logo need to be absolutely inseparable. To go back to the case of McDonald’s and their logo, that huge yellow M would bear no relevance to someone who has never tried a Big Mac or had a Happy Meal.

 

While you should definitely attempt to make your logo as simple and as memorable as possible, you also need to make sure that it actually conveys the same message as your business does. The important thing to remember that your logo represents the face of your brand and it is one of the key components that should make you instantly recognizable by your audience.