It’s August, and so far 2018 has been full of controversial re-branding and logo design. Many of which had kicked up a storm amongst customers, designers and marketers over the world. It seems like a great time to discuss the importance of timeless brand identity, with some tips on how to get it right first time.
Throughout my time as a designer, I have seen many new and exciting brands go out and grab a quick ‘logo’, only to be forced to reposition and re-create the brand at huge expense further down the line. A great logo will capture the essence of the brand at a glance, and position itself to stand out in the market it sits. Nobody wants to be forced to re-brand, so start as you mean to go on.
Fonts
The typeface you choose or create will be the personality of your brand for many years. Whats on trend now – may not be in five or six years time. It is important to spend time and research, looking for a classic font that not only looks great but is well crafted. Does it work across digital and print? Is it legible across these platforms at extreme sizes – large or small. Typography designers spend many months looking for the perfect character spacing, weights and shaping, and this is not always consistent with ‘free’ or cheap fonts.
The font you choose or you create is just as important as the logo mark (if you need one), it should tell your story and give an insight into your culture as a brand. Is your focus on strength, power and excellence? If so you may choose differently to a fun, energetic, laid-back brand.
Colour
A logo in 2018 should have the capability to work in a single colour. I always say, imagine your logo embroidered on a polo shirt. This often reveals if your design is too complicated, or has too many colours or sections. Great timeless design should work across all avenues, and this is where simplicity in design and colour always wins.
Colour is a difficult one to get right without the right knowledge. If you are unsure, avoid black and set your tones to dark grey. Bright colours work on screen but can be difficult to see and read in print format, and so shades of these colours is a much better alternative.
In 2018 it’s difficult to own a colour. You must look at your competition to see how you fit in the market. If you’re producing cans of soft drink, would you want to compete with the likes of Coca- Cola or Pepsi? Timeless colour is much about confidence, and if you are confident and determined with colour, that’s a great place to start.
The Idea
An experienced logo designer will more than likely be full of ideas. They are likely to have worked with brands in a similar industry and this is a huge benefit to creating your timeless idea.
However, it’s easy to get bogged down in that ‘big idea’, with many clients pushing to get as many ideas and styles as possible into one design. An over complicated logo, full of innovative shapes and gimmicks will more than likely fail in smaller sizes and scale, as well as increasing the chances of becoming outdated quicker. Remember the old ‘save’ icon on a PC, it was a floppy disk and kids these days have no idea what these are…
It is important to remember the personality and feel of your brand, not just now but in 5, 10 or even 20 years time. What did you set out to do? and how do you want to be perceived? A classic and well-crafted logo will stay with you as you grow as a business, it should be something to be proud of, and portray your message to your audience at first AND final glance.
If you need advice or are interested in working with us for logo or branding work get in touch, we would love to hear from you.
