Logo Design Fundamentals

A logo is just one element in a corporate identity system, but its importance cannot be underestimated. Everything about a companyits products, people, and place in the marketcontributes to our perception of its identity. But ultimately it's the logo, a simple combination of letters or symbols, that has the tough job: to identify a company and express its personality at a glance.

Effective logos, said the late great American designer Paul Rand, are like flags: universal, timeless, and durable. Logos vary greatly in scope and breadth: They can be letters or numbers; circles, squares, or triangles; or suns, moons, or stars. In fact, many fundamental shapes and symbols are the cornerstones of the logos we see every day.

Figure 7.2. See anything familiar? Logo designs tap the underlying properties of letters, numbers, shapes, and symbols and make them memorable.

What are the design objectives that define a successful logo? While each logo is unique, the best ones share some similar qualities.

THREE CORE PRINCIPLES

First, a logo must be practical. It must work at both large and small sizes, and in black and white as well as full color. It must translate well across a wide range of media, from billboards and newspapers, to Web sites and TV broadcasts. Unlike other representations of a corporation or organization (such as letterheads, business cards, and Web pages), a logo cannotor at least should notbe hastily updated or modified to fulfill sudden changes in management directives.

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The late Paul Rand was a great American designer who created visual identities for ABC, IBM, UPS, and many other companies.

Second, a logo must communicate on several levels. Even if a logo is just typography (and many are), it must communicate:

• A company description (who is the company?)

• A simple emotion (what kind of company is this?)

• A business aspiration (what are the company's goals or defining principles?)

Third, and most importantly, a logo must hold a quality of visual appeal that Paul Rand once described as "sheer pleasure." When you see it, a logo should immediately trigger a visceral reaction: communication, identification, and emotion.

Figure 7.3. Logo design concept for an Internet service provider. Chunky but stylish typography and illustration reinforce the company's name, its core service (providing bandwidth), and its youthful, fun approach.

Figure 7.4. Logo design for a medical services company. As befits the industry, this logo is more sober and restrained, though a nice compositional balance and modern colors help distinguish the company from stodgy competitors.

Ultimate objectives aside, what really makes a logo work? There is no easy or exact answer to this question. A logo is a shorthand signature (sometimes literally) that expresses the company or product it represents. And like a signature, it has the power to impart personality, definition, and dimension.

Figure 7.5. A logo is like the signature of a company or organization. In this National Constitution Center logo, the script font and quill image evoke the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Of course, while a great logo (sometimes called a logomark or mark) has the power to elicit a desired emotion, it's also true that an ill-conceived or misappropriated design can trigger an unintended negative reaction from its audience. For that reason, logo design projects are intensively critiqued and meticulously researched. It takes passion and precision on the part of the designer to get it right.