Top 10 Brand Logo Mistakes

If you close your eyes and picture Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, or Nike, what instantly comes to mind? Their famous graphic representations, of course. No one can put a price on the value of an instantly-recognizable company logo when it comes to building a brand. If you’re on a quest to find your dream design, make sure that you avoid these common mistakes:

1. Unprofessional Design

Because the new logo will become the ultimate symbol of your business, it doesn’t make sense to skimp on this item. Always choose a proven graphic design company for this important job. No matter how talented your friend, your brother, or your kid may be, leave this one to the pros.

2.Trendy Designs

Remember that your new company logo is intended to represent your business for the life of the enterprise. Unless you plan on going out of business as quickly as the latest fad fades from popularity, stick with unique, timeless designs that will hold their own well into the future.

3. Pixelated Images

Company logos created using raster graphics do not reproduce with the same quality level as one designed with vector graphics. With vector graphics, your logo can be enlarged without pixelation and offers a consistent presentation in any side or in any media.

4.Stock Images

Your goal with a company logo is to create a unique image with an exclusive licensing agreement. The use of stock artwork misses both targets. The image could be copyrighted or used in someone else’s logo.

5. The Logo Represents the Designer

If you hire a designer whose ego is bigger than his respect for your company’s needs, you could end up with a logo that represents his sense of style instead of yours. Review the graphic artist’s prior work for signs that his personality shows through in each design.

6. Excessive Complexity

Simple designs are easier for your customers to remember. When testing the presentation of your new logo, incorporate the image in a number of different media formats along with interesting content to fully engage your customer. When animating your logo for a multi-media campaign, test the finished product in a variety of media players like VLC, Quicktime, and the Windows Media Player to make sure that it will function properly for every user.

7. Relying on Color

Rushing to add color is one sign of a novice designer. At some point, most businesses will need to display their logo in a uniform tone, and graphics that rely heavily on color may not translate well to a monotone.

8.Wrong Fonts

To create an effective logo, the chosen font and the icon must be balanced. A close match will foster competition between the two images, while a completely opposing visual concept will confuse the viewer.

9. Too Many Fonts

Using more than two fonts confuses the viewer and distracts attention from the message.

10. Too Similar to Other Logos

If your company logo looks just like everyone else’s, it won’t help to build your brand or set your company apart.

By avoiding these common mistakes, you’ll be ahead of the game with your new company logo!

Guest Post Author

Jayson Jones is an art student with a focus in Fashion Design. He’s an amateur blogger, and you can find his work at http://www.catwalkcatfight.com/, or follow him on Twitter @jaysonjonez.