With over 627,000 new stores opening each year, the only way to grow your brand is to stand out. Good customer service and great products can help build your reputation, but they may not be enough to keep your brand in your customers’ minds. What does your brand represent to your customers? It’s not your storefront. It’s not even your management team. It all depends who you hire for your graphic design services. This statistic presents the revenue of the “graphic design services” industry in the United States from 2012 to 2017 and forecasts to 2024. The reason is logo matters a lot when it’s about brands’ representation in the market.
A good logo ensures that people will remember your business whether or not they need your services at the time. Unfortunately, many small businesses choose logo designs that are lackluster or have no effect at all. And that is because they ignore the basic things while taking custom logo design services. Want to know how to avoid a bad logo in the first place? Read on to learn some of the common mistakes companies make when designing logos.
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Logo Design That Looks Cheap
Hiring cheesy-designed amateurs may seem like a great way to save money, but that’s how businesses end up with bad logos. They often inadvertently copy existing designs and risk lawsuits and fines for trademark infringement.
You can save money upfront, but if your logo doesn’t look professional or can’t be replicated for an existing brand, it won’t do you any good.
Working with an experienced graphic designer can help you avoid these pitfalls.
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Your Logo Is Too Complicated (Or Too Simple)
Many bad logos have one thing in common: They are too complicated. The more features you use in your design, the more it stands out, right?
No. Too many elements in a logo can make it look cluttered and confusing. This can affect your reputation, and customers will wonder what your business really does.
Worse, it’s hard to remember. The same goes for designs that are too simple. Simple text and images are affordable but don’t convey brand personality. This can cause customers to forget what your logo looks like as soon as they see it.
It just doesn’t stand out.
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Design Blindly Following Existing Logo Trends
Your brand logo should be as unique as your business. Following trends or copying logos designed by others won’t increase brand awareness. You can get inspired by other brands and discuss your favorite graphic elements with the designer. Do not ask for copies of existing logos. Even if your logo resembles a competitor’s logo, it cannot stand out.
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Using Stock Images and Clip Art
Bad logos often use free images and clip art that are available both online and in basic word processors. These images are free because they are generic and can be used by almost anyone for any purpose. A great logo uses custom designs and images to create a visual representation of your brand. Avoiding stock photography helps your logo stand out and look as unique as your business.
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Graphic Designers Are Artists, And Their Personality Extends To Logo Design
But that doesn’t mean you need to stick with a logo that sends the wrong message to your customers. If your logo design doesn’t feel right, don’t settle for it. Work with your logo designer to come up with a few different options. You don’t have to choose a logo just because the graphic designer was so passionate and excited about how it turned out.
It’s your brand, your logo, your company.
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Choose a Font Because It Looks Interesting
Just because it looks interesting doesn’t mean it’s easy to read. If your target market can’t read your company name, they can’t even remember who owns the logo. Don’t choose a font just because you like it; focus on readability. The company name should be as prominent as the logo art itself. Choose a font that works in both large and small sizes and doesn’t confuse your customers.
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Wrong Format Selection for Artwork
Normal images, such as those from smartphone cameras, are rendered pixel by pixel. Pixels are perfectly fine for most purposes.
However, those pixels can be a problem when it comes to logo design. When you zoom in on your design, the pixels become visible; at best, you get jagged edges, and at worst, you get a blurry design.
Good logos are always rendered in vector graphics. Vector uses more complex and detailed data for every aspect of the image. This will give you smooth, crisp lines no matter how big or small your image is. Vector design is a must for businesses that want their logo reproduced in multiple media.
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Rely on Color Alone
Sure, color can make a logo design stand out, but details shouldn’t determine what a logo is.
The logo should reflect the brand even when printed in black and white. If color is the only distinguishing element of the logo, it will not look correct or have the same effect when printed in grayscale. Worse, it may be unrecognizable.
Before deciding on a design, make sure your logo looks good without color. If not, tweak your design.
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Design Your Own Logo
When small business owners try to design their own logo, the results are often disappointing. The best logos are designed by experienced graphic designers in high-tech design programs.
Unless you’re a budding graphic designer, leave the logo creation to the professionals.
Conclusion
A bad logo can make your company look bad and make it more difficult to grow your company’s brand. Designing a functional and recognizable logo can easily increase brand awareness regardless of future technological changes. If you are looking for logo design services, get in touch with Creatix9.
