25 logo design tips from the experts

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Great logo design requires a complex mixture of design skills, creative theory and skilful application. Any designer worth their salt can create a fit-for-purpose logo, but truly mastering all aspects of the craft takes time.

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Of course, logo design is just one small sub-set of branding, but the logo or brand mark remains the centrepiece of most branding schemes.

We've spoken to branding professionals about the intricacies of good logo creation, and what qualifies as a great logo. So here are 25 pro logo design tips to help you improve your branding work – from the research phase, through the different stages of logo design craft, and finally the application of the mark.

Logo design research and strategy

Before pen hits paper on any new logo design project, thorough research is essential. Here are five logo design tips for nailing this crucial first stage of the process.

01. Understand your competition

Apple cut through the traditional computing sector like a hot knife through butter in the 80s, and has since evolved into one of the world’s most valuable brands

Before you even start working up a logo design concept, ensure you research your target market thoroughly. Your client should be able to provide some information about their competitors to get you started.

Compare all the logos in their competitive set. This research may well reveal some entrenched branding conventions in that market sector, and that can sometimes help your process by playing on familiar visual associations. 

But bear in mind that many of the world’s most recognisable logo designs stand out specifically because they eschew trends and think differently.

02. Ask the right questions

Wolff Olins’ copywriting-led branding for Macmillan Cancer Support, referenced in Johnson’s book, is built around a series of ‘we…’ statements that help answer some of the key brand questions

Strategy is becoming an increasingly important part of the branding process. What this means in practice will often depend on the scale of the project, but it all starts with asking the right questions.

Michael Johnson’s book Branding: In Five and a Half Steps is dedicated to Johnson Banks’ creative process, and covers complex challenges such as formulating brand strategy in far more detail than we could ever hope to here.

In it, Johnson advocates asking the following six things of the brand you’re working on as a starting point:

• Why are we here?
• What do we do, and how do we do it?
• What makes us different?
• Who are we here for?
• What do we value the most?
• What’s our personality?

03. Stay flexible during the process

Branding: In Five and a Half Steps is highly recommended reading to help you get to grips with all the key stages of the branding process, and the grey areas between them

Once you’ve formulated a strategy, you don’t have to set it in stone. There’s a reason that Johnson Banks’ creative process has that extra half step: that 'and how do we do it' part of the question represents the grey area between strategy and design.

According to Johnson, it can be a two-way street. Some conceptual, strategic ideas that work in theory may fall apart in practice when visualised; conversely, a compelling visual solution that emerges from left-field during the design stage can feed back into stage two and help evolve the strategy retrospectively.

04. Respect a brand’s heritage

North’s Brand Impact Award-winning rebrand of Co-op reawakened the affection that many consumers felt for the organisation

Widely heralded as a trend, the so-called ’retro branding’ movement was kicked off by North’s much-lauded rebrand of Co-op, which reinvigorated its original 1960s mark and won one of Computer Arts magazine’s coveted Brand Impact Awards in 2016 in the process.

NatWest and Kodak followed within a few months, but we argued here on CB that we should be wary of the retro design trend. However, where genuine heritage and untapped potential exists in a mark, avoid throwing the baby out with the bath water and consider bringing it to the fore.

“It's vital to put your ego to one side and not dismiss designs created by others – and in doing so consider evolution as well as revolution,” argued North co-founder Stephen Gilmore in an essay in Computer Arts issue 259.

05. Remember: a logo is just one ingredient

As Brand Impact Awards judges Bruce Duckworth and Mark Bonner discuss in this video filmed during 2016’s judging day, logo design is just one small part of the modern branding process.

As Bonner puts it, the pyramid has inverted: people now engage with a brand through a huge variety of different touchpoints, and the logo is not always their first point of contact with a brand.

Keep this in mind as you develop your logo design: stay versatile and flexible, and consider how the logo interacts with the rest of the brand experience, from packaging to tone of voice.

Next page: Typography in logo design

Choosing the right typeface is a critical part of the logo design process – indeed, many of the world’s most recognisable brands are wordmarks, relying entirely on typography to convey their message.

Here are our logo design tips to get more from your typography.

06. Choose your typeface carefully

As part of a major identity overhaul, Google abandoned its distinctive serif logotype after 16 years in favour of a clean, modern sans serif

Sans serif fonts have dominated logo design in recent years, often going hand-in-hand with the minimalist movement – examples include Pentagram’s high-profile rebrands for Windows, MasterCard and the University of the Arts London.

In 2015, Google famously exchanged its longstanding serif logotype for a much friendlier, more contemporary sans serif. But don’t let trends cloud your own judgement: a serif font could still be the right choice for your latest project, particularly if you need a stylish and luxurious or traditional and professional feel, so take the time to research your options.

07. Tweak and refine to add personality

Company Folders' design uses a tweaked typeface to form a chopper chassis

If you use an existing typeface in a logotype, particularly a near-ubiquitous one such as Helvetica, there is often more pressure on other touchpoints, such as imagery, colour palette, tone of voice and so on, to develop and enhance the brand’s personality.

Skilful tracking and kerning is essential when setting a simple logotype in an existing typeface. Wide-tracked type can feel sophisticated and authoritative, while tight, meticulous kerning can help lock individual letterforms together as self-contained unit.

Testament to how simplicity can lead to longevity, Alan Fletcher’s effortlessly stylish V&A logotype relies on the interplay between the ampersand and the A

Once in logotype form, tweaking and modifying the typeface can also smooth links between letterforms, or add a unique twist to fit the tone of the brand – one example would be shearing off letter terminals at matching angles to give a sharp, progressive feel.

08. Consider illustrated, fully-bespoke type

With only relatively subtle tweaks over more than a century, Coca-Cola is proof that illustrated type can stand the test of time in logo design

Sometimes an existing typeface just won’t cut it, and a hand-drawn typographical treatment feels much much more appropriate for the brand. Perhaps the most iconic example, which has evolved gradually over more than a century, is Coca-Cola.

Compared with its fierce rival Pepsi, which has been through at least seven major iterations, the market leader sports much the same logo as it did in the late 1800s. If Coca-Cola had ditched that familiar scrawling script for a sans serif, like Pepsi did in the 1960s, there would have been uproar.

The point is simple: get a truly unique, custom bit of illustrated type spot-on and you’ve bought yourself some powerful brand recognition with genuine longevity. (Although if all else fails, these free handwriting fonts are pretty great options).

09. Explore serendipitous letter combinations

Yves St Laurent’s dollar-sign-esque lockup is a simple but effective emblem

Monograms don’t have to be restricted to dressing gowns and wedding invitations, and when given the right treatment, company initials formed into a typographic lockup can make for a simple but effective emblem for a brand. 

This is notably true in the fashion sector – Coco Chanel’s interlocking Cs and Yves St Laurent’s dollar sign-esque lockup being standout examples.

Landor’s simple but effective FedEx wordmark regularly tops lists of the best logos of all time, all thanks to its hidden arrow

Sometimes even the simplest typesetting can reveal serendipitous ‘accidents’ that, developed properly, can lead to twists of genius. One classic example is Landor’s FedEx mark, the hidden arrow between the ‘e’ and the ‘x’ making an otherwise plain sans-serif logotype the toast of logo design critics the world over. 

Try typing out the brand name in different typefaces and perhaps a similar happy accident could occur in your own work.

10. Take ownership of an entire typeface

Fontsmith’s award-winning logotype for ITV was expanded into a brand-wide typeface, to ensure a consistent tone of voice across all channels and applications

If your client can afford it, working with a specialist bespoke type design agency such as Dalton Maag or Fontsmith to develop a fully branded typeface family can put typography front and centre of a brand’s personality, transcending the logotype and permeating all brand communications.

Between them, these two agencies have worked for an array of brands including Nokia, Lush, Rio 2016, Sainsbury’s, ITV and Lloyds. “Type defines the tone of voice of a brand by its emotional qualities,” Dalton Maag founder Bruno Maag told Computer Arts in the video interview below.

“A grotesque typeface such as Univers, Arial or Helvetica feels more masculine, mechanical and engineered – colder – than, say, a Frutiger, which is a humanist sans serif with more open, warm, friendly, approachable tones. Whereas a serif typeface may appear old-fashioned, or bookish.”

Next page: Shape and symbolism in logo design

Some of the world’s most iconic brands are recognisable when the company name is removed. An even more exclusive club has achieved ownership of a particular shape so that it doesn’t even need to be fully realised into a logo form to be associated subconsciously with its brand.

Here are five logo design tips to help you master shape and symbolism.

11. Strip it back to basics

A student at the time, Carole Davidson was originally paid just $35 to design the Nike swoosh: a wonderfully simple shape that can be sketched with a couple of quick strokes of a pen

There are a few golden rules to which all the best examples of logo design adhere. Firstly, and perhaps most importantly: simplicity. 

Put thought into your concept, but don’t overwork the execution, or adorn a mark purely for the sake of it. You want ease of recognition, as well as versatility of scale and application. Think: will it work as well when used tiny in the footer of a website, as it will emblazoned on the front of a building? 

A great way to test the simplicity of your concept is to keep subtracting elements until you reach its most basic form. Be brutal here. Is it still recognisable if you sketch it quickly with a few rough strokes? What are its most unique, defining features? Generally speaking, the simpler a logo design, the more memorable it will be.

12. Understand shape psychology

The yellow triangle, red square and blue circle have become a visual symbol of the Bauhaus School of Design - and embody a principle that can be applied to logo design, as expressed by this print by Marco Ugolini, entitled Bauhaus Revisited

There are certain ‘clip art’ style visual cliches guaranteed to make any logo design expert gnash their teeth. Avoid common offenders such as light-bulbs to represent ’ideas’ or globes as shorthand for 'international’ at all costs.

But shape psychology goes far beyond the obvious. Often used as a symbol of the hugely influential Bauhaus School of Design are the yellow triangle, red square and blue circle – the product of research by Wassily Kandinsky, who argued that shape and colour can transcend cultural and language barriers.

Kandinsky argued that bright, zingy yellow complements the angular sharpness of a triangle; cool, spiritual blue is a perfect match for a circle; while an earthy, visceral red partners nicely with a square. We’ll explore colour theory in a bit more detail later on.

13. Master grids and structure

Revealing specific details of the geometric construction of a logo mark to the public is increasingly common, and DesignStudio’s recent rebrand of Deliveroo is no exception

It’s becoming increasingly common for design agencies to air their sketchbooks in public, whether on online platforms such as Behance or Dribble, or as part of project case studies on their own websites, or released to the design press.

Twitter’s new icon is built around a series of interlocking circles that, according to this diagram, conform to the ‘golden ratio’ of 1:1.618

Often these workings include the technical side of a design’s composition, revealing and discussing the grid that underlies its construction and the specific curves and angles that define the shape. 

Such projects can be invaluable reference points to inform your own work, and can help make abstract design principles such as the golden ratio come alive in application.

14. Employ negative space

Even the most subtle use of negative space can be incredibly effective. For NBC, it only takes a little notch to transform six rainbow-coloured droplets into a peacock

Smart use of negative space in a mark can raise a smile, using wit to aid brand recognition. As discussed above, FedEx is an oft-cited example of smart negative space used in a purely typographic mark, but there are plenty of stand-out examples of symbols employing it too.

Used cleverly and appropriately, negative space can also pack extra meaning into a logo design, reinforcing the theory that simplification through subtraction can lead to a more memorable brand mark.

15. Make use of wit and humour

Turner Duckworth’s Amazon logo may seem simple on the face of it, but it packs plenty in there - not only does the arrow hint at a smile of customer satisfaction, it also points the way from A to Z

Negative space is just one way to raise a knowing smile. The late, great Alan Fletcher, founding partner of Pentagram, was one of the leading pioneers in employing simple wit in graphic design, a practice that lends itself beautifully to logo design in particular.

Originally written by Beryl McAlhone and David Stuart and recently revised and updated by Nick Asbury and Greg Quinton at The Partners, seminal design book A Smile In The Mind: Witty Thinking in Graphic Design is an ideal reference if you’re keen to introduce wit and charm in your work, packed with inspirational examples from the world’s leading exponents, including Fletcher.

As Quinton and Asbury say in their introduction to the 2016 version: “Wit is big business, integral to the success of giants such as Google, Apple and Coca-Cola… wit is the alchemy that turns suitcases into adventure vehicles, vacuum cleaners into household friends.”

Next page: Colour theory in logo design

The psychology of colour is fascinating, and plays a pivotal role in building a brand association, whether you’re crafting a symbol-based logo or a wordmark. 

Here are five logo design tips to help you employ colour theory in your work.

16. Understand the colour wheel

At the core of colour theory is the colour wheel, an essential tool for combining colours in different ways that was originally sketched by Sir Isaac Newton in 1666. The most common version features 12 colours, based on the ‘RYB’ colour model.

Here, the primary colours are red, yellow and blue, with the three secondary colours (green, orange and purple) created by mixing two primary colours. Finally, six tertiary colours are created by mixing primary and secondary colours.

The colour wheel basics explained

There are six main techniques for creating pleasing colour harmonies using a colour wheel. Complementary colours are opposite each other on the wheel (such as red and green, eg Heineken, or blue and yellow, eg IKEA); analogous colours sit next to each other on the wheel; and triadic colours involve three evenly spaced colours around the wheel.

IKEA’s complementary colour scheme is instantly recognisable, and makes for a punchy, high-contrast logo design

Other schemes include split-complementary (which uses two colours adjacent to the main base colour’s complement); rectangular, a four-colour scheme based around two complementary pairs; and finally square, another four-colour scheme where, unlike rectangular, the colours are evenly spaced.

17. Manage colour schemes carefully

Many of the colour harmonies above require careful management in order to be successful in a logo design, and colours often shouldn’t be used in equal quantities.

Complementary colours can be too intense if used excessively, for instance, while analogous schemes have the opposite problem: they are gentle and pleasing to the eye, but lacking in contrast – and you should select a dominant colour, using the others as support and accent colours only.

Landor’s rebrand of BP attracted its fair share of controversy for ‘greenwashing’ the oil giant, but one thing’s for sure: it’s a great example of an analogous colour scheme

Triadic schemes are much more vibrant, but again pick one dominant colour of the three. For beginners, it’s often safest to opt for a split-complementary scheme as there’s a good natural balance of contrast and harmony.

The Firefox logo demonstrates a split-complementary scheme in action. The dominant colour is the orange of the fox, offset by the blue of the globe, with yellow used as an accent colour on the tail

Rectangular and square schemes are both relatively versatile given the extra colour to play with, but again one should always be dominant – and you should pay particular attention to the balance between warm and cool colours.

18. Use colour to control mood

Like BP, McDonalds is an example of an analogous colour scheme - but on the warm side of the spectrum, to invoke feelings of happiness and fun

Your choice of colour palette can make or break a logo design, partly for simple aesthetic reasons, but also because of the psychological associations of colours – which we touched on briefly as part of the Bauhaus theory on the previous page.

On a simple level, colours on the warm side of the spectrum – such as red and yellow – are bold, uplifting and energetic, while their cooler counterparts, blue and green, exude calmness and feel more reserved. 

This is particularly relevant when it comes to branding: on an emotional level, in terms of how consumers feel when they look at it; but also on a practical level, in terms of market standout.

Read our designer’s guide to using colour in branding for more on this.

19. Research sector-specific colour trends

Sometimes ownership of a colour becomes a legal matter, as in Cadbury’s battles with Nestle to protect the use of its distinctive shade of purple

A brand 'owning' a colour in its sector can provide an enormous competitive advantage, achieving instant recognition – in some cases even without a logo, or even a mention of its name.

Of course, owning an entire colour isn't easy, and it goes way beyond the logo design: skilful planning and execution is needed across all elements of the brand and its advertising. 

Depending on the popularity and market saturation of a particular colour, we could be talking as specific as an officially registered Pantone shade (such as Cadbury 2685C), or as general as being the only brand in competitive set to use that colour.

In order to achieve colour-based standout in any given market sector, the first step is to understand what the prevailing trends are – blue, for instance, is commonly used in the financial sector, while green is frequently found in branding for environmental organisations. Sometimes it pays to avoid the obvious.

20. Don’t forget black and white

Designed by Italian graphic artist Francesco Saroglia, the Woolmark logo is a triumph of monochromatic design, and is lauded as one of the greatest logos of all time

After all this talk of colour, it’s easy to forget that some of the world’s most iconic logo designs are purely monochrome, and make powerful use of the stark contrast that this palette affords.

Of course, even if your primary logo design is in glorious technicolour, it still needs to work effectively in black-and-white for different applications. 

If your logo design uses colour to convey meaning, think about how you can reflect that meaning when the colour is removed. Sometimes this may mean changing the contrast between different elements of your design so that they still convey meaning when reproduced in monotone.

Next page: Putting your logo design into practice

Logos don’t exist in isolation: they need to be applied. Once you’ve perfected your logo design, the final stage is to bring it to life as part of a wider branding scheme. 

Here are five logo design tips to get this important final stage spot-on.

21. Always get a second opinion

Logo for the Brazilian Institute of Oriental Studies. Presented without comment

Don’t underestimate the value of a second (or third) pair of eyes to identify things that you might have missed during the design stage. Once you’ve worked up your logo design concept, always make the time to sense-check it for unforeseen cultural misunderstandings, innuendos, unfortunate shapes and hidden words and meanings.

Many design studios advocate pinning work-in-progress up on the walls to enable constant peer review, but if you’re a lone freelancer then try to find some trusted peers to cast an eye over your work – and return the favour, of course.

22. Develop the rest of the brand world 

A logo design is just one small component of a branding scheme – and should be developed in tandem with other activation points as part of a wider ‘brand world’.

This term is integral to the branding process at Shoreditch-based agency SomeOne. And as co-founder Simon Manchipp sets out in the video interview with Computer Arts above, it’s much better to achieve coherence between different elements than simply consistency.

“Consistency is solitary confinement – the same thing every day,” he laments. “Cohesive is different: a more flexible, smarter way of doing things.”

23. Consider how to bring it alive

In the modern branding marketplace, a static logo that sits quietly in the corner of a finished piece of design work is often not enough. Consider how your logo design could come alive in motion for digital applications, and collaborate with animation or motion graphics specialists if necessary to explore its potential.

Here are a couple of examples of logos brought to life through animation: firstly, Function Engineering by Sagmeister & Walsh, which adds a playful, Meccano-like twist to the mark.

And secondly, the University of the Arts Helsinki by Bond, which bends, twists and distorts to enhance the dynamic, modern feel of the type-led logo.

University of the Arts Helsinki's animated logo twists and jumps

As the VR revolution continues, more advanced immersive brand experiences are becoming increasingly accessible, and in recent years branding agencies have also explored the potential in generative design and user participation to introduce a much more dynamic, unpredictable component to logo design.

 This is not always possible, of course, but keep an open mind and experiment with new techniques when you can. 

In the video above, two Brand Impact Awards 2016 judges – ManvsMachine’s Curtis Baigent, Ben Gibbs from Wolff Olins – debate the role that interactivity and motion design could play in future of branding.

24. Help your client roll it out

Manuals 2, designed by Spin and published by Unit Editions, is a fascinating insight into the world of brand guidelines

Thorough brand usage guidelines should cover everything from colour options, to minimum and maximum sizes at which logo designs should be used, positioning rules, spacing – including exclusion zones from other design elements – and any definite no-nos, such as stretching or distorting.

Some agencies swear by them to ensure a smooth, consistent handover to a client’s in-house team; others feel they can be overly restrictive and prescriptive. 

Design-focused imprint Unit Editions has published two titles dedicated to best-practice examples from around the world – Manuals 1 and Manuals 2 – that make for invaluable reference tomes for your studio bookshelf to help you get them right.

25. Deal with public criticism

Like Airbnb the previous year, DesignStudio’s high-profile rebrand of Premier League attracted more than its fair share of criticism from traditionalist football fans

Over the last few years, social media has become more prevalent, and every man and his dog has developed an opinion about design. Accordingly, this final point has developed from an occasional annoyance into something that anyone working on a relatively high-profile rebranding exercise should bear in mind.

As we’ve set out above, a great branding scheme is about much more than just a logo design, but on platforms such as Twitter, when a newly released project is often encapsulated by a single image, this is often the first and only thing the public jumps upon. 

London-based DesignStudio has experienced this backlash several times in the last couple of years, first with Airbnb and more recently Premier League – it explains how it deals with social media criticism in the video clip above.

Johnson Banks’ open-source Mozilla rebrand whittled down various creative routes in the public eye, taking feedback on board

Johnson Banks embraced the growing interest in design, and harnessed it during the design process itself in a hugely ambitious, fully open-source rebrand of Mozilla – involving the public at key stages of the process and enabling them to steer the creative routes chosen. 

Be thick-skinned: take valuable feedback on board, and let the rest wash over you.

Related articles:

• The top 10 big-brand logos
• 11 places to find logo design inspiration
• 50 top typography tutorials

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