August 28, 2020
When the Junction59 team is tasked with designing – or redesigning – a logo, we initially think about 5 key attributes of good logo design, which are:
1. Simple
2. Memorable
3. Versatile
4. Appropriate
5. Timeless
Let’s break these down a bit.
Simple: The logo should be readable from any distance, uncluttered and approachable.
Memorable: It should have the ability to be familiar, understandable and recognizable.
Versatile: The logo should be scalable and have the ability to be used anywhere, online and offline.
Appropriate: The logo should be relevant and appropriate for the company, for the audience and for the medium it represents. This will require some research.
Timeless: Simply put, it should work for the past, the present and the future.
At this point, we get into some of the details, like font selection and colours. Choosing the right font is essential for the logo. If it’s a light, sans serif font, you might want to convey a contemporary, clean feel with a sense of friendliness. If it’s a bolder, serif font, you may be going for a more traditional, sophisticated – or even trendy – look and feel. If you’re not designing from scratch and, rather, you’re redesigning an existing brands’ logo, some of the fonts may already be selected for you, which can make things either more challenging or easier. It all depends.
And what about colour? This is hugely important. Bold, primary colours tend to feel smart and confident (hello, Google), whereas lighter tones give a sense of calm and passion, while being inviting (Wayfair, perhaps?). Colours are definitely subjective, but there’s no doubt they have hidden meaning. Red, for instance, generally portrays strength, love, attention or excitement. Blue evokes trust, security and dependability. And green tends to play off of nature, wealth, growth and freshness.
But what about two or three colours together? Have you ever wondered why McDonald’s uses red and yellow in their logo? It’s thought that these two colour combinations give a feeling of hunger (Mmmm, makes me want a Big Mac). A blue and gray pairing is quite techy and reliable (AT&T). And orange and blue feel warm and relaxing – which is probably why Expedia decided to use this dynamic duo.
From here you’ll probably want to think about iconography, graphical treatments, type customization and manipulation – this list goes on and on. Maybe the ask is to redesign and modernize an existing icon within a logo, which is a feat in and of itself. Regardless of the logo you’re designing, there really is a lot to think about before diving into creating one. But keeping these principles and thoughts in mind will help ease the way to creating a successful logo for your clients, or yourself. Have a look at a few logos we’ve designed, and redesigned, lately. Maybe you’ll notice a thing or two as to why we did what we did.