the downside of overly complicated logos
I’ve been wanting to do this post for a long time because I seem to run into a common problem with a large proportion of clients having the misconception that in order to have a unique or memorable logo – every element has to be BIG and BOLD, it has to have countless embellishments, wacky shapes, patterns, a multitude of graphic effects and wild colours.
Source Colour Me Katie
However, in creating an overly complicated logo – you are actually doing the opposite, you are overloading people with too much visual information. The more detail your logo has, the longer it takes for the viewer to process it and, it becomes harder to remember in full. If you have heard the motto ‘less is more’, this is something that I truly believe applies to logo design. Simple designs are far easier to recognize and remember, especially in this day and age when we’re bombarded visually with all sorts of advertising and media.
Another thing that I think you have to be wary of is adding scrupulous amounts of detail and graphic effects that may make your logo look fancy-pants and snazzy now but, will it make it daggy and dated in a few years time? Iconic logos like Coca-Cola have withstood the test of time and has not changed much from initial concept to now, its success and broader appeal is largely in part of its simpleness and versatility in design. Extraneous visual information can also make your logo less flexible when it comes to printing on different material and being displayed at teeny weeny sizes where you can lose some of the detail or the design becomes muddy – more simplistic logos are less likely to be affected.
Here are some examples of very complex logo designs
Source top left, top right, bottom left, bottom right
Now, some simpler designs
Source top left, top right, bottom left, bottom right
Which set do you think is more memorable?
I personally find my eyes are straining when it comes to the first set, it’s so busy that my eyes are darting here and there trying to soak up all the detail. The second set gives my eyes some respite because of the simplicity and, I don’t have to look at each logo for long to remember what they look like in full. For me, each logo from the second set seems to stand its ground – each has conviction and presence.
So there you go, I hope this is useful for those of you starting up a business or revamping an existing business. Your logo is probably the most widely seen out of your branding elements, it’s on your business cards, brochures, flyers, website, facebook, twitter etc. Make sure that you are presenting your company at an advantage not a disadvantage!
elite living property group
Something that I like about my job is the variety of project it offers, I get to work with such differing companies with their own unique challenges. I think my natural design style is more feminine, pretty and slightly vintage so when I’m approached by beauty therapists or florists, I feel more in tune. However, in saying that it’s also a nice change to receive more corporate or masculine clients – it’s good to be out of your comfort zone once in a while!
Here is a project I worked on recently for Jan and Wayne from Elite Living Property Group. Their business is renovating older homes to sparkling bright and modern ones, therefore the logo needed to reflect a more contemporary image. See the image as part of my portfolio here.
When I design logos, I do like to bear in mind that there might be circumstances in usage such as:
- using only b&w or one colour
- having a coloured background
- no graphics allowed to be used, just text
If you’re interested in finding out more about designing a logo with me, please call 0403 957 197 or email via hello[at]nevertheless.com.au. Or if you click the tab at the top, fill out the form, you can have a copy of my design pricelist sent to you!
present it well
As much as it’s lovely to see just the photographed final and completed artwork of other designers, I really appreciate those that go that one step further and share insight into the processes or inner workings of their projects.
I reently came across the gorgeous designs of Stitch Design Co. and on their blog Made to Measure, they have some amazing content like the image below where we get to see the results of their branding exercises. This particular one is for The Woodsfolk, I seriously don’t doubt that they had difficulty choosing with so many whimsically cute options to select from!
I wanted to share this one with you guys too because I think presentation of concepts/ideas is such an important part of being a designer. I absolutely adore how they’ve laid out all of the elements of the final branding to present to their client. This particular project itself is just glorious, I love the colour palette, the choice of fonts, the graphic elements…. and basically everything.
