TOP 10 mistakes when creating a logo

If you are faced with the task of developing a logo or redesigning it and you are afraid of making a mistake because of which it will not turn out beautiful, stylish and suitable for the company, then our article is just for you. It doesn’t matter whether you decide to create a logo yourself or turn to a designer, unfortunately, no one is immune from failure.

Have you noticed that there aren’t many truly cool logos that stick firmly in your memory and evoke interest, a smile, and even admiration? After all, if drawing a logo was an easy task, there would be a lot more cool and worthy designs. No normal entrepreneur would want to risk money, time and, especially, the company’s reputation by choosing a strange, “crooked” or downright unsuccessful logo for their business.

So how can you create that masterpiece that will go down in history no worse than a bitten apple and bring its creator worldwide fame? We'll tell you exactly what you shouldn't do, and draw your own conclusions.

Mistake #1. Trusted a newbie with no experience

Did you want to save money or did the husband of your sister's brother's uncle's father-in-law graduate from design courses in 2007? It was inconvenient to refuse a relative, and now in front of you is a mock-up of a logo that makes you want to cry more than an onion. Or you decided to make a logo yourself in a free designer using the first link in Google, and now you don’t understand why your creation is so different from the signs of other large and not so large companies. You don’t bake your own bread at home, sew business suits for yourself at night, build a bicycle in the garage to ride around the house and cast metal nails to nail a picture in the hallway? And they probably didn’t draw the picture themselves. Everyone should mind their own business, including design development. After all, you’re not going to seriously entrust the fate of your business to a newcomer, are you?

Mistake #2: Chasing trends 

In graphic design, as in any creative field, new trends and fashion trends emerge from year to year. They are not always vital enough to be easily and successfully applied in practice. And a too “edgy” logo risks becoming very outdated in a couple of years. If you want to jump on the “trend bandwagon”, use the most neutral ideas or their small elements. This year, for example, gradients and spirals are in fashion. In general, we have a whole review article on this topic.

Mistake #3: Didn’t know about the scale 

You've created a cool, detailed logo with pink ponies, cotton candy, and an explosion of little marshmallows. And then they reduced the logo to the size of a business card and instead of the “pink sweet dream” there was just a drop of pink paint. There is one secret that designers carefully guard and pass on only through generations. The logo should not be too simple or too busy to look good on a street billboard, business card or branded package. And scale helps them with this.

Mistake #4: Making a logo from stock images

By purchasing a stock image you do not receive exclusive rights to use it. In other words, another 15 thousand people can buy this image, but the logo is still about uniqueness, isn’t it? It’s better to order a design from professionals and be sure that you won’t find the same design anywhere else.

Mistake #5: We made a design for ourselves and forgot about our target audience

You have a serious financial company, but you collect plush pugs and can’t see life without them. Believe me, a logo is not the best way to tell the world about your passion. First of all, it is important to take into account the interests and needs of your potential clients, as well as the specifics of the business. Let the logo better reflect the values, field of activity or company name.

Mistake #6: Made one color option

Black caterpillar on a white background. Great, accepted. What if the logo needs to be printed on a black banner? What if it’s on a blue folder or a red bag? It is worth providing several options and color schemes so that your logo is universal and looks good on different media.

Mistake #7: Playing it safe and making a nondescript logo

We decided not to take risks and made a too simple logo “without an idea” or hidden meaning - just a circle and a couple of stripes. Yes, perhaps you, as a sapper, walked through a minefield without making a single mistake. But such a design will not become a logical extension of your company, will not reflect your positioning or field of activity, will not tell potential clients anything and will not be remembered, and therefore will not bring the expected results to your business.

Mistake #8: Choosing the wrong font

The Internet is full of memes where a poorly chosen font can easily turn harmless words into obscene words or radically change the meaning of what is written. But even if you managed to avoid this, a too non-standard creative font can merge into a single spot in which it will be difficult to make out individual letters. If you still want to go beyond the standard Microsoft Office package, we recommend choosing classic licensed fonts that will be easy to read even from a distance. We recommend using no more than 2 types of fonts in one logo.

Mistake #9: Didn’t see the hidden meanings

Everyone thinks to the extent of their depravity, so often completely innocent designers and entrepreneurs draw beautiful logos, without even realizing what hidden meanings the audience will find in them. With such a logo you will definitely become famous to a multi-million audience on social networks, but it will most likely have to be redone. However, as a marketing tool, this technique works flawlessly.

Mistake #10: Simply copied someone else's logo

We won’t lecture you about how bad it is to steal other people’s ideas - that’s already clear. Firstly, appropriating someone else’s logo is not so easy. You need your logo in vector format and high quality so that it can be used on any media. You won’t find such a source code by searching Google. Secondly, any logo is the property of the company and, by appropriating it, you can find yourself in serious trouble with the law. Believe me, it's not worth it. 

Creating a logo is one of the most difficult tasks in graphic design. It is necessary to take into account many factors: reflect the character and uniqueness of the company in the logo, choose colors harmoniously, use suitable fonts, take into account the tastes of the target audience, do not forget about versatility and much, much more. Ordering a logo With us, you will save yourself from problems and inevitable mistakes by getting a stylish modern design that will serve you for many years.