Constructing the Perfect Logo
Better Text Logos
If you can’t put together some sort of symbol to represent yourself, you can always refer to using only text. But, it’s how you construct the text (fonts, sizes, weight, colors) which can have a huge impact on the logo itself.
Let’s look at a few figures of Astereostudio logos, which use only text.
In each figure we’ve used different fonts, a mixture of colors, and tweaked character settings here and there. The results? Logos that say the same thing, but each look different. Just by playing around with some settings! With enough changes to letter spacing, weight, and fonts, you can construct a perfectly good looking and original logo just by using text.
You can also add effects to your text, whether it’s gradients, strokes, reflections - it will all help create a better looking text logo in the end.
What Makes a Logo Good
Now let’s look at the top rated logos from Logopond. Let’s start with Elastic Digital, one of my many favorites. This logo is mostly text, with a colorful graphic along side it. The text uses a white and light grey to distinguish between the two words. The designer also used inverted “V”’s to represent “A”’s. Like we were talking about, this is an example of using mostly text to create a logo that really stands out.
Next up is Clover Studio. This logo utilizes a gradient along the text, as well as a symbol with a reflection. The end result I think is very good, and looks very clean.
Finally, there is E2 Consulting. This logo uses another technique we talked about earlier, hiding something inside text. In this case, the “2″ makes the cutouts for the “E”. It stands out really well on the burnt orange background, and it looks really good despite how simple it may be.
In the end, Marketing Wins
In the end, you can measure the success of your logo based on how well it does creating a positive and strong brand for your company, business or site. When you can say “The Golden Arches”, and know we’re referring to McDonald’s, you know you’ve created a pretty strong brand.
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Hahaha, you got it! I was wondering if anyone would ‘get it’. hey i want to ask you something in private, can you email at the address provided?
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Really , nice article , Though i have done some logos at my page , i think ur tips are sure to help .
Nothing can beat the paper and pencil , when considering flexibility .
Actually , we lost like a damn idiot , recently at a logo competition ( held at a college symposium ) .
I think i should have read your article before .
Ok this is my main question , TEXT LOGOS , dont do well , atleast in the beginning with NooBS , esp , when they contain only TEXT .
What is the better way , i can catch their EYES DAMN .
TIPS , TRICKS , 1 Minute Mind Catchers ???
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Branding is all about persona. Sometimes brands don’t need to be “eye catching”. I always try to speak to clients about the requirements of their logo and over-all branding before I start. Some target audiences don’t want some huge weird swirls. Some love it. It all depends on who what and when.
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“It all depends on who what and when.”
Matt, that is an excellent point. I just started designing logos, and with some creative freedom given, it is hard to know where to draw the line between what I like, vs what the target audience likes.
Great point.
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I just started doing this logo design in Illustrator but I don’t even know how to covert the text to outline and messs with the letters to get what I want. If you know f any good resources that explain this magical mystery, can you please share them with me?
Thanks for this article and for your branding advice.
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Yeah I agree. Start with a pencil and paper (or cocktail napkin). One think to keep in mind when developing a logo is its ability to adapt it for different uses without it damaging your brand. How does it look when faxed? How does it look on a bright background or a dark background? Can a vector version (if created in lets say Photoshop) be created for high resolution prints? How small can the logo get before it bursts into flames?
I recommend asking yourself these questions after you start designing so you don’t hold yourself back. But good article. Thanks for the ideas!
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Interesting post!
What it all boils down to, as far as I’ve experienced, is revision, revision and revision. One can spin forever around the simplest idea, and generate tens and hundreds of alternative solutions.
Thanks for the ideas! I think you’d find some of my posts interesting.
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That Elastic Digital logo is pretty cool, I have to agree. CloverStudio… okay. There are an awful lot of “Web 2.0″ logos popping up that look quite a lot like that.
And the E2 logo has a serious problem; the negative space “2″ is clever, but the unfortunate result is to make Mr. “E” look like he just saw an especially sexy upper-case Y in parens passing by.
Hey, maybe I have a dirty mind… am I the only one to notice that?
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I agree!!!
I started in the biz doing tactile.
Now designers don’t know what a matchprint is…
I suck as an illustrator - but I need my pad and pen!.
New designers: No matter how sick you are at photoshop - pick up afreaking pen!!!
Colrado Springs Web Design
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Hey great tips, I’m actually thinking of implementing that part about “details matter.” I read somewhere else that simplicity is best when designing logos… after all that is Web 2.0 isn’t it?
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It’s easy to generate a Web2.0 Logos. Take a Font and make a transparent gradient.
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I think the idea of getting your designs on paper beforehand is critical. It’s much easier to throw all your inspiration down on paper and adjust things between your initial concepts to come up with some solid initial logo designs. If you’re trying to do this part of the process on a computer you may forget some of your ideas because it will take longer to render these ideas and that may be crucial.
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Good article, the example with “Details Matter” is very good.
Thanks