Designing your Company Logo (Infographic)

What should you be looking for in a logo?  The trend nowadays seems to be to keep it simple, following Saul Bass’s advice to “Symbolize and summarize.”  Within that, however, there are some key elements you should be taking into consideration.  Remember, your logo should be the most recognizable part of your company and convey identity and ownership in a memorable way.

A logo should be simple enough that it can be used in many different contexts.  There are lots of uses for logos: it can be placed on a menu, on letterhead, on a building, on clothes, on pencils, etc.  These myriad uses place a simplicity and practicality restraint on how your logo should look.  It should still be memorable enough, however, that it can be easily remembered and fast to recognize.

Logos have been a part of any public organization for probably longer than writing has existed.   The ancient Egyptians branded their cattle with hieroglyphs to establish ownership, Ancient Sumerian accountants had personal identifying marks, and the Ancient Romans and Greeks marked their pottery with the symbol of its manufacturer.  Even religions use logos, such as Christianity’s cross and Judaism’s Star of David.

The evolution of logo design has advanced quite a bit since ancient times.  Medieval lords, when developing their heraldic coats of arms, took elements like color warmth, blank space, symbolism, and geometry into consideration.  Craftsmen adopted logos to establish the origin and quality of their wares.  Today, with the invention of color printing and the advertising industry, logos are a powerful piece of branding that serve to communicate an organization’s values and purpose.

Below are some simple guidelines and design paradigms that will help you develop a logo for your own endeavor.  With luck and hard work, maybe your own symbol will last a few thousand years.