Ah, logos - they’re usually the first thing a new business thinks of creating when thinking of a website or public visibility. This makes plenty of sense, given that the logo represents the essence of a company. It is its branding personified.
But, how do you, as a business, go about choosing the right corporate logo design to represent your company? Logos are far more than just a graphic. A well-designed logo can help build trust and credibility with an audience, creating instant recognition that leads to an emotional connection and loyalty.
Whether you’re looking to establish a new business or need a corporate logo redesign, our advice will help you understand the journey of corporate logo design, from the types of logos that are most effective to colors and typography.
Understand Your Brand Identity
The first step in creating a memorable logo design that captures your business’s mission and vision is to be clear about your brand identity. Let’s explore what this entails.
Brand identity can be summarized as your brand’s mission, values, messaging, and relationship with your audience. However, more than these separate parts, brand identity can be easily comprehended as how you want people to feel when they interact with your business.
That is why you should become so self-aware as a company that you can easily answer questions about who you are (your WHY) and HOW what you do provides value that distinguishes you from the competitors. If you are still confused, go over the following questions with your team:
- Mission: Why does your brand exist? What purpose does it serve?
- Values: What principles guide your brand’s decisions and actions?
- Target Audience: Who are you trying to reach? What are their needs, desires, and preferences?
- Tone: Is your brand voice professional, friendly, luxurious, quirky, adventurous, or something else?
Know the Different Types of Logos
Before you even start on design brainstorming, write down 3-5 words that best describe your brand. These words will serve as the anchor that keeps you strategically focused on how you approach your logo creation, ensuring it truly captures the essence of your brand.
Next, focus on the type of corporate logo that most captures your brand’s vibe. Here are some examples that can spark your creative juices:
Wordmark Logo
Used by companies like Google, this type of logo is made entirely of your brand’s name in a custom font. It’s an ideal option for businesses with a distinctive brand name that want a clean and simple design.
Lettermark Logo
Lettermark logos feature the initials of a brand’s name, designed in a captivating style that reflects the brand's personality. The quintessential example of a company that successfully sports this type of logo is IBM. It is an excellent option for established businesses with longer names looking for a sleek and simple representation.
Symbol Logo
This particular type of logo is exemplified by a visual image without any additional text. The Apple logo is an optimal example of a symbol logo. This logo is the ideal choice for businesses seeking a bold representation of their brand with a universal and timeless appeal.
Combination Mark Logo
This logo combines an image and text, and is the most flexible and common type of corporate logo design. It is the ideal logo for businesses looking to establish their public recognition quickly by associating a visual icon with their business name.
Emblem Logo
An emblem is a logo that encloses text in a badge-like design. It is used by brands that want to evoke a sense of authority, tradition, and trust. Traditional or conservative businesses that embody an old-school, classic essence, like Starbucks, can benefit from this logo.
The Benefits of a Descriptive Corporate Logo
Now that we’ve outlined the different types of corporate logo designs used by businesses today, you may be wondering which are the most effective in conveying the essence of a company to consumers.
Well, research has the answers! In a Harvard Business Review study of 597 logos, researchers found that descriptive logos “more favorably impact consumers’ brand perceptions than non-descriptive ones, and are more likely to improve brand performance.”
So, what did they define as a descriptive logo? In essence, it is a logo that includes textual or visual design elements that showcase what a business is selling. The reason for their effectiveness is that consumers find them much easier to process visually and understand what the company does. This stronger psychological integration inevitably leads to a more substantial increase in consumers’ willingness to buy from these brands.
That being the case, we recommend that our clients choose a descriptive logo when seeking a corporate logo design or redesign.
Prioritize Simplicity and Versatility
In the world of content and design, confusion leads to loss. When it comes to marketing, simplicity is key. Potential consumers only need a few seconds to form an emotional response to a brand or its message, and the job of expert marketers is to make that snap impression worthwhile.
A simple logo is easier to recognize and remember, especially in an age where most of us are constantly bombarded by distractions. Iconic logos are also clean and polished, making them look professional across every platform, from small social media icons to large billboards.
Simplicity inevitably makes your logo versatile across backgrounds and media types. Its structured lines and bold character will always provide clarity and instant recognition, no matter the visual context. A more complicated design loses this ability and, with it, diminishes the brand’s power.
Choose Colors and Fonts Thoughtfully
Colors and typography are not only decorative elements. Used correctly, they can convey positive emotions silently and shape how your business is perceived at first glance. For example, colors evoke different emotional responses, while fonts convey specific psychological associations.
Let’s identify how colors and typography are used in design based on their impact on human psychology!
How Colors Are Used in Design
- Blue evokes trust, dependability, and calmness.
- Red signals energy, passion, and urgency.
- Green is connected to health, growth, and nature.
- Yellow feels cheerful, youthful, and optimistic.
- Black represents sophistication, luxury, and authority.
How Fonts Are Used in Design
- Serif fonts (fonts with so-called “feet” at the ends of letters, like Times New Roman) exude a feel that is classic and professional. It is an excellent choice for traditional or established brands.
- Sans-serif fonts (clean fonts without extra strokes, like Arial or Helvetica) offer a modern and approachable feel. Using these fonts is ideal for contemporary brands.
- Script fonts (cursive or handwritten styles) feel elegant and artistic, depending on their design. They work well for boutique or creative brands.
To keep your logo memorable and embrace simplicity, we recommend using 2-3 colors and 1-2 fonts for your logo. This will also ensure the logo is easier to work with across all branding materials.
Working With a Design Professional vs Using Online Tools
Your logo is the face of your brand for many years to come. That is why investing in getting it right is worth it. But, is hiring a professional better than using logo design platforms? Absolutely.
If you are serious about your branding, hire a team that has studied the art and science of logo creation so that your logo not only looks the part but has the psychological impact that can take your business to new heights.
The reason we don’t recommend DIY logos for corporate clients is that your reputation is too important to gamble. In particular, online logo creation tools don’t cut because they:
- Usually offer generic designs that don’t stand out.
- Provide file formats that don’t scale well across marketing collateral.
- They are often low resolution and end up looking unprofessional.
- Cannot capture certain subtle design essentials, such as spacing, color psychology, and brand personality nuances.
- Limit your ability to trademark your logo, since DIY logos are not truly unique.
Once you start working with a corporate logo designer, don’t forget to get helpful feedback throughout the working process before you say “yes” to the final version.
Show the logo drafts to your team and ask for honest opinions. Remember, even though your logo might look wonderful on paper, testing it on different mockups will reveal how it reflects your brand in a real-world context.
Corporate Logo Designers In Atlanta
If you’re ready to start your professional logo design journey, The Creative Momentum offers graphic design services that will help your business stand out and boost your reach. We have years of experience utilizing design principles to capture the essence of our clients’ brands and truly enjoy the collaborative process.
Ready to start your journey with us? Schedule a free consultation!