Most designers have their own website, or a company. They also design their own logo and try to make a logo around the name of their website. While I was studding graphic design in school, my teacher told all of us to create a logo that represents us and who we are. That is where my logo came from. The MG are not only my initials, but they represent who I am am a designer – bold, flashy, and colorful. So lets answer this question, what makes a good logo?

Feel free to comment with your opinions!

1) The very first thing your logo should do is draw attention and be memorable. However, drawing attention can be a good thing and an extremely bad thing. Take the McDonald’s logo on the right, this logo was designed and introduced in 1968 by a man named Jim Schindler. This logo that we all know so much has brought everyone into a McDonald’s across the country for years upon years. Not only do we know this logo  for their fast service (sometimes), terrible burgers (more times than others), and clean restaurants (OK, I’m just kidding), but we know this logo because when we see it, we know there is a McDonald’s coming up – which is why this logo is also memorable. If we are hungry, we pull into the parking lot, get out of the car and order food (or go through the drive-up window).

Having a logo that draws a attention is a great thing, but what happens when it is done all wrong!?

After doing a quick search on Google for “terrible logos“, I quickly found these (click image for full view).
Now I have been to a dentist before, I hate it – who does not. A logo for a dentist, lets face it, could be tricky. There is just so much you can do to represent a dentist, but the designer of this logo, when a little too far. Finally, the logo on the far right. Granted, this is really not a logo since a logo represents a company. However, the name of this company is called Kids Exchange. But why group is all together? That does not sound right … AT ALL!

I have given you an example of a good logo, and three examples of bad one’s. Do the right thing!

2) That brings me to my next point on what makes a good logo. Your logo should be a logo that can fit into today’s world, but also last the next 15-30 years. When you create a logo, you ‘brand’ yourself. Taken from Wikipedia: “A brand is a name or trademark connected with a product or producer. Brands have become increasingly important components of culture and the economy.” It does not matter if you spend 10 minutes on designing your logo, or 10 days, your logo must be able to withhold the marketplace for quite some time. A logo identifies a business or organization so it would be counterproductive to change it because it did not wear well over time. Companies that have invested vast amounts of money, time, and effort to establish their “brand” do not change it frequently for a reason. Make sure your logo will be “timeless” .

3) A good logo must also print on multiple media’s. When you think about your logo, you need to think about everything you will print it on. Business cards, letter heads, invoices, websites, billboards, signs, and maybe some client belongs. If you want to print your logo on a bull point pen, but also print it on a 20 foot by 5 foot billboard, you need to make sure your logo has the correct shape, size, color, and flow.

That would do it for what makes a good logo. The next time you open up Photoshop or Illustrator, I hope you think about these three easy tips.

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