No matter the stage your company is at–from startup to 50th anniversary–your company’s branding and design becomes increasingly important with every day that passes.

With the surge in popularity and importance of social media, it’s becoming beyond necessary for your customers to be able to recognize your brand at a single swipe. According to Forbes, effective branding and logo design are some of the most essential moves a company can make if it hopes to be successful long-term.

If you’ve been thinking about your company’s logo design, wondering what you can do to make your current one better, or to get a brand new logo, your mind is in the right place!

Maybe you’re considering hiring a designer, or you’re just thinking of learning more about branding and logo design for yourself. Either way, read on for 10 of our most important tips for creating awesome logo designs!

1. Keep it Simple

Consider some of the world’s most iconic logos: The Nike swoosh. The Apple apple. The Golden Arches.

What do they all have in common?

They’re super-duper simple logos!

When designing their logo, many companies’ biggest mistake is trying to do too much. Remember, you’re trying to create one small image or text combination that can represent your whole company in a concise and memorable way–emphasis on “concise.”

When it comes to logo design, if the only thing you remember is to keep things simple, you’re doing alright.

2. Dare to be Different

You wouldn’t try to get away with using the Nike swoosh flipped upside-down, would you?

Well, no, because that’s probably definitely copyright infringement–and it also doesn’t do anything to help your brand!

Take care to stay away from super popular trends, or from drawing too much inspiration from existing logos. Your logo should do tons of legwork for you when it comes to setting your company and brand apart in customers’ minds.

Remember, your logo should be an iconic and unique representation of your super-unique company! Make sure your logo is super special.

3. Get Clever

In a lot of cases, a really simple icon can totally do the trick. But another way to amp up the impact of your logo is to take the simplicity of it, and enhance it with some really clever tricks.

Sometimes called “Wordmarks” or “Logotypes,” an interesting way of incorporating clever imagery into your company’s logo is to have your company’s name as the bulk of the logo, but replace part of the word or overall image with an element that summarizes your company’s purpose.

For instance, a company called “Cake,” utilizes a capitalized sans serif font to spell its name–but instead of a similar letter “A”, the logo boasts a stylized piece of cake in its place.

Taking things a step further when it comes to cleverness in your logo is a great way to draw even more memorability and appreciation from your clients.

4. Take Advantage of Color

Choosing an appropriate color scheme for your company’s logo is a super important element of creating an awesome logo design.

Different color schemes send different messages, so it’s important to understand your color choices. For example, if your company sells relaxation and spa products, you may not want to draft a logo that comes in bright, exciting red.

Many successful companies draft logos that have only one color, while some others employ a wider array. Whatever you choose in terms of color, be sure you have a good reason for it!

5. Choose! Fonts! Carefully!

If you couldn’t tell from the exclamation points…this is a big one. One of the most condemning mistakes a company can make in drafting a logo is to choose a bad font or a bad combination of fonts.

Put simply, your company’s logo is probably not the place to express your unfailing support for Comic Sans, as many people have negative associations with the font.

You should choose simple, classic serif or sans serif fonts for your company’s logo, unless you’d rather use a typographical script. Regardless, fonts should always be legible, classic, and you should never, ever use more than 2 different fonts in the same logo.

6. Consider Proportions

When it comes to a logo, the fact is, you’re working within a small amount of space. You don’t have several pages to spread out across. As a result–proportions matter.

Creating a logo without care to proportions and symmetry is a great way to make viewers feel uncomfortable and overwhelmed.

Utilize symmetry and careful proportions to show your understanding of balance and attention-to-detail.

7. Love Your Negative Space

Another common mistake in logo design is chasing the urge to completely fill up the logo’s space–with pattern, text, whatever it may be.

The fact of the matter is, however, that negative space (or space that’s left empty) is a really powerful element of design. It allows the eye to be drawn more effectively to the parts of your logo that really matter.

Additionally, negative space adds to that super sought-after simplicity, lending your logo a clean, classic look.

8. Know What You’re Saying

Have you ever looked at a company’s logo design and just thought, “Uh…I don’t get it…”?

That’s a huge bummer, right?! Want

Chances are, lots of time, thought, and energy will go into your company’s logo. All of that is kind of wasted, though, if your logo isn’t actually working toward saying anything. Take care to decide what it is you’re hoping for your logo to communicate, and take the time to ensure it’s managing that.

9. Think Long-Term

This goes back, in some ways, to the idea of avoiding trends. Your logo’s design should be one that lasts for a long, long time, or at least has the potential to be adapted with the passing of time!

Think of the Apple logo once more; although the image began as a rainbow-colored icon, the simple shape and meaning of it allowed for adaptation as times changed.

When designing your logo, take care that it’s a classic, timeless design that can last as long as your company will–which is forever, right??

10. Call on the Experts

One of the reasons many people struggle with logo design and brand is really simple: It’s really, really hard.

Maybe it’s a goal of yours to become really good at design and branding, and that’s the reason you’re so intent on learning logo design for yourself. But the truth is, in most cases, the best logos are ones that can only be designed by the industry’s best experts.

Don’t be afraid to hand over your logo design to the experts. Remember, your logo will represent your company for a long time to come, so your logo should be exceptional. If this means handing the task over to get the very best results, make it happen!

Want More on Awesome Logo Designs?

Well, duh.

Logo design is a fun and exciting way to think about your company’s presence and representation in the world.

It’s no wonder you’re interested in the subject! For more on awesome logo designs, check out our blog!