Logo design is a critical part of branding your business and products, yet many people use a do it yourself logo design tool to create their new marketing logos and marketing materials without having any knowledge about how to design a logo at all. They make the same common mistakes that many free logo design sites allow them to make without raising any red flags.
Don’t fall victim to committing one of the cardinal don’ts of logo design. Instead, familiarize yourself with the logo design don’ts listed below and avoid them at all costs.
Don’t make your logo so big that it overshadows everything else on a page.
Your logo is important. It’s a tangible symbol of your brand promise. However, customers aren’t going to buy your logo. They want to know what your products or services can do for them. Reduce the size of your logo and increase your benefits-oriented messages. You’ll get a better response rate.
Don’t mix your logo into your text.
Despite what you might think, using your logo within your text looks more like a children’s book design than a professional business communications piece. If you want to be taken seriously, keep your logo out of your text.
Don’t use a rainbow of colors.
Just because you can use a lot of colors doesn’t mean you should. Too many colors can clutter your logo and marketing pieces. People don’t know where to look when they’re bombarded with colors. Instead, create a path for them to follow with a strategic use of color.
Don’t use a mix of fonts.
Refrain from using every font available to you in your logo and marketing materials. Instead, choose one or two fonts to represent your corporate brand identity and use them on all pieces for brand consistency. Choose fonts that appropriately represent your brand and stick with them!
Don’t repeat yourself excessively.
Repetition is important to recall, but there is such a thing as too much repetition. For example, if your company name makes it clear what type of business you’re in (such as restaurant equipment), then you don’t need to repeat it in your slogan, headline, and so on. Less is more is almost always true when it comes to marketing messages.
Don’t try to save money by using low quality photographs and images.
If you include images on your business card or marketing materials, make sure they look good. Invest in quality photographs that reproduce perfectly in the medium you’re using. While lower resolution is typically fine for online purposes (72 dpi), you need to use at least 300 dpi for offset printing of brochures and collateral materials. Resizing images can affect the resolution, so always be careful and confirm the images you choose will look perfect when your audience sees them.
Don’t forget that white space is good.
Many people think they need to fill up every bit of white space on a business card or marketing piece with images and text. The opposite is actually true. White space can be used to call attention to your most important messages and lead your audience through those messages. It provides visual relief and allows people to rest their eyes so they don’t feel overwhelmed by excessive clutter.
Don’t put features before benefits.
It’s easy to make the mistake of communicating the features of your brand, product or services more than the benefits. That’s because many people don’t fully understand the difference between features and benefits. The features of your product are what it actually does but the benefits are how it helps people or makes their lives better or easier. Benefits are what matter most to consumers. Don’t just talk about how great your product is because of all its features. Instead, talk about how those features should matter to consumers.
Don’t copy your competitors.
It’s always important to know what your competitors are doing, but don’t market scared. In other words, just because your competitor does something, doesn’t mean you need to do it, too. Your customers should always be your top priority. Find out what they want from you and deliver it.
Don’t ignore the importance of brand consistency.
All of your business and marketing materials should look like they come from the same brand and company. Consistency is one of the most important aspects of brand building. Use the same color palette, fonts, logo placement, and style to reflect your brand promise and stick with those elements in all of your materials. Together, these elements make up your corporate brand identity and that identity should be consistent everywhere.
Bottom-line, your logo design is just one component of your brand identity, but it’s an integral part of that identity. Therefore, starting with your logo and extending to all areas of your business and communications, be clear, concise, and consistent for maximum positive results.
